GDScript 2.0: Using both StringName and String as Dictionary keys at the same time results in unexpected behaviour

[Kubulambula]

Godot version

4.0.alpha11

System information

Windows 10

Issue description

When using both StringNames and Strings as Dictionary keys at the same time, getting the value of that key is inconsistent and appears to be based on the key order in the Dictionary.
This is was probably implemeted intentionally to make it less confusing when the dictionary uses StringName keys, but the user uses Strings.
Also when using the Dictionary.key syntax it should be probably treated as String as the use of StringNames as keys would be more rare.

It should either be forbidden to make two keys with the same text value or make the dictionary interpret these two variations consistently.

Steps to reproduce

Just copy and paste this example into any project:

var dict = {
	"key": "String",
	&"key": "StringName",
}

var reversed_dict = {
	&"key": "StringName",
	"key": "String",
}

var simple_dict = {
	&"key": "StringName"
}

var second_simple_dict = {
	"key": "String"
}


func _ready():
	print(dict["key"]) # StrignName - expected String
	print(reversed_dict["key"]) # String
	
	print(dict[&"key"]) # StrignName
	print(reversed_dict[&"key"]) # String - expected StringName
	
	print(dict.key) # StringName - expected String
	print(reversed_dict.key) # String
	
	print(simple_dict["key"]) # StringName - expected invalid index error
	print(simple_dict[&"key"]) # StringName
	print(simple_dict.key) # StringName - expected invalid index error
	
	print(second_simple_dict["key"]) # String
	print(second_simple_dict[&"key"]) # String - expected invalid index error

Minimal reproduction project

No response

[Calinou]

Dictionary internally converts StringNames to Strings, which is likely the cause of this issue.

[noobyogi0010]

Hey @Calinou
I would like to work on this issue if no one else has already taken it up.
Thanks!

[Calinou]

@noobyogi0010 Feel free to open a pull request for this 🙂

[cdemirer]

Since the results are intended, I believe the bug is that the first 2 Dictionaries should have caused a compile-time error ("Key ... was already used in this dictionary") the same way having 2 equal Strings would.

On the other hand, maybe those errors should be warnings instead, because you can do the same (without error) using variables at runtime. But I guess that's another issue/proposal.