def METHOD_NAME(self, orbitals):
    """
    Sets the orbitals into the database. Uses the orbital's inherent
    set_orbital_dict method to generate a orbital dict string.
    :param orbital: an orbital or list of orbitals to be set
    """
    if not isinstance(orbitals, list):
        orbitals = [orbitals]
    orbital_dicts = []
    for orbital in orbitals:
        orbital_dict = copy.deepcopy(orbital.get_orbital_dict())
        try:
            _orbital_type = orbital_dict['_orbital_type']
        except KeyError:
            raise ValueError(f'No _orbital_type found in: {orbital_dict}')
        orbital_dicts.append(orbital_dict)
    self.base.attributes.set('orbital_dicts', orbital_dicts)