def assign(self, dict_name, key, value):
        """This assigns an input string to either a float or int and saves it in
        the config params as such"""
        if key in self.to_int:
            getattr(self, dict_name)[key] = int(value)
        elif key in self.to_float:
            getattr(self, dict_name)[key] = float(value)
        else:
            raise ValueError("""The param:value pair, {0}:{1}, has neither been
            identified as an int nor a float. Therefore, we are not able to save
            its value to any dictionary in the merParse class""".format(
                key, value))
This assigns an input string to either a float or int and saves it in
        the config params as such