Solution: sort pairs
def sort_pairs(how, **kwargs):
if how == 'keys':
sort_function = lambda s : s[0];
elif how == 'values':
sort_function = lambda s : s[1];
else:
raise Exception("Invalid sort function")
return sorted(kwargs.items(), key=sort_function)
k = sort_pairs( 'keys', foo = 23, bar = 47)
print(k)
v = sort_pairs( 'values', foo = 23, bar = 47)
print(v)