But then we get a `dict` in the parameter `commons` of the *path operation function*.

And we know that editors can't provide a lot of support (like completion) for `dict`s, because they can't know their keys and value types.

We can do better...

## What makes a dependency { #what-makes-a-dependency }

Up to now you have seen dependencies declared as functions.

With **FastAPI** you get all of **Pydantic**'s features (as FastAPI is based on Pydantic for all the data handling):

* **No brainfuck**:
    * No new schema definition micro-language to learn.
    * If you know Python types you know how to use Pydantic.
* Plays nicely with your **<abbr title="Integrated Development Environment: similar to a code editor">IDE</abbr>/<abbr title="A program that checks for code errors">linter</abbr>/brain**:

{* ../../docs_src/dependencies/tutorial005_an_py310.py hl[23] *}

/// info

Notice that we are only declaring one dependency in the *path operation function*, the `query_or_cookie_extractor`.

But **FastAPI** will know that it has to solve `query_extractor` first, to pass the results of that to `query_or_cookie_extractor` while calling it.

///

```mermaid
graph TB

query_extractor(["query_extractor"])

/// note

Some response codes (see the next section) indicate that the response does not have a body.

FastAPI knows this, and will produce OpenAPI docs that state there is no response body.

///

## About HTTP status codes { #about-http-status-codes }

/// note

If you already know what HTTP status codes are, skip to the next section.

///

	// other fields such as expiry etc.
	return claims.Valid()
}

// ParseUnverifiedStandardClaims - WARNING: Don't use this method unless you know what you're doing
//
// This method parses the token but doesn't validate the signature. It's only
// ever useful in cases where you know the signature is valid (because it has
// been checked previously in the stack) and you want to extract values from
// it.

The query parameter `q` is of type `str | None`, that means that it's of type `str` but could also be `None`, and indeed, the default value is `None`, so FastAPI will know it's not required.

/// note

FastAPI will know that the value of `q` is not required because of the default value `= None`.

Having `str | None` will allow your editor to give you better support and detect errors.

///

* The **database model** would probably need to have a hashed password.

/// danger

Never store user's plaintext passwords. Always store a "secure hash" that you can then verify.

If you don't know, you will learn what a "password hash" is in the [security chapters](security/simple-oauth2.md#password-hashing){.internal-link target=_blank}.

///

## Multiple models { #multiple-models }

/// note

FastAPI will know that the value of `q` is not required because of the default value `= None`.

The `str | None` (Python 3.10+) or `Union` in `Union[str, None]` (Python 3.9+) is not used by FastAPI to determine that the value is not required, it will know it's not required because it has a default value of `= None`.

You can also declare a body as a `dict` with keys of some type and values of some other type.

This way, you don't have to know beforehand what the valid field/attribute names are (as would be the case with Pydantic models).

This would be useful if you want to receive keys that you don't already know.

---

Another useful case is when you want to have keys of another type (e.g., `int`).

For that you need to access the request directly.

{* ../../docs_src/using_request_directly/tutorial001_py39.py hl[1,7:8] *}

By declaring a *path operation function* parameter with the type being the `Request` **FastAPI** will know to pass the `Request` in that parameter.

/// tip

Note that in this case, we are declaring a path parameter beside the request parameter.