code: def get_dictkey(In, k, dtype):
      
  
      Out = []
      for d in In:
          if dtype == '':
              Out.append(d[k])
          if dtype == 'f':
              if d[k] == "":
                  Out.append(0)
              elif d[k] == None:
                  Out.append(0)
              else:
                  Out.append(float(d[k]))
          if dtype == 'int':
              if d[k] == "":
                  Out.append(0)
              elif d[k] == None:
                  Out.append(0)
              else:
                  Out.append(int(d[k]))
      return Out
docs: returns list of given key (k)  from input list of dictionaries (In) in data type dtype.  uses command:
          get_dictkey(In,k,dtype).  If dtype =="", data are strings; if "int", data are integers; if "f", data are floats.