Naming Convention in Python

About naming convention in Python, including topics discussed in “A Python Æsthetic” by Brandon Rhodes, and some personal note.

NOTICE: Credits for example code snippets and various contents in this presentation (exclude the last part, starting from slide 27) fully go to Brandon Rhodes.

Transcript

1. A Python Æsthetic
2. Video: http://pyvideo.org/video/1599/ Slides: http://rhodesmill.org/brandon/slides/2012-11-pyconca/
3. Video: http://pyvideo.org/video/1676/ Slides: http://rhodesmill.org/brandon/slides/2013-03-pycon/
4. Name the Ducks • Well-factored Nouns • Relentless Verbs • Sin of Synecdoche • Problem of Pluralization
5. Well-Factored Nouns def main():! page = 'http://twitter.com/uranusjr/'! download_page(page)
6. Well-Factored Nouns def main():! page = 'http://twitter.com/uranusjr/'! download_page(page)! ! def download_page(page)! ... = client.get(page)
7. Well-Factored Nouns def main():! page = 'http://twitter.com/uranusjr/'! download_page(page)! ! def download_page(url)! page = client.get(url)
8. Well-Factored Nouns def main():! page = 'http://twitter.com/uranusjr/'! download_page(page)! ! def download_page(url):! page = client.get(url)! process_page(page)! ! def process_page(page):! ... = page.content
9. Well-Factored Nouns def main():! page = 'http://twitter.com/uranusjr/'! download_page(page)! ! def download_page(url):! page = client.get(url)! process_page(page)! ! def process_page(response):! page = response.content
10. Well-Factored Nouns def main():! page = 'http://twitter.com/uranusjr/'! download_page(page)! ! def download_page(url):! page = requests.get(url)! process_page(page)! ! def process_page(response):! page = response.content
11. Well-Factored Nouns def main():! url = 'http://twitter.com/uranusjr/'! download_page(url)! ! def download_page(url):! response = requests.get(url)! process_page(response)! ! def process_page(response):! page = response.content
12. Well-Factored Nouns • Plan ahead (when you can) • Refactor often • Challenge yourself
13. Relentless Verbs def database():! # What does this even do?! ! def get_database():! # Gets an instance for me!! ! def create_database():! # Creates a database and returns! # it for me!
14. Relentless Verbs def database():! # What does this even do?! ! def get_database():! # Gets an instance for me!! ! def create_database():! # Creates a database and returns! # it for me!
15. Relentless Verbs document.md5()! ! ! # Probably okay! ! document.get_md5()! ! document.calculate_md5()
16. [P]racticality beats purity.
17. [P]racticality beats purity. reversed(iterable)! ! 'a'.upper()! ! len(iterable)! ! min(iterable)!
18. Relentless Verbs • Functions act • Verbose verbs can be dropped • Practicality beats purity
19. Sin of Synecdoche # In medialib.py:! def fetch_songs(urls):! ...! ! # In songlib.py:! def fetch(urls):! ...
20. Sin of Synecdoche # The caller has their choice:! ! from songlib import fetch! fetch(...)! ! # or:! ! import songlib! songlib.fetch(...)
21. Sin of Synecdoche • Be obvious • Don’t repeat yourself • Let users choose
22. Problem of Pluralization >>> connections! [<SQLConnection at 0xb72ff4d8>,! <SQLConnection at 0xb72ff4d0>,! <SQLConnection at 0xb72ff4f0>]! ! >>> connections! {'master': <SQLConnection at 0xb72ff4d8>,! 'backup': <SQLConnection at 0xb72ff4f0>}
23. datum data datum datum datum dataset data datum datum datum data datum datum datum data datum datasets data datu datu datu data datu datu datu data data datu datu datu data datu datu datu data dataset data datu datu datu data datu datu datu data
24. Anti-Plural connection_set! connection_list! connection_dict! ! def close_all(connection_seq):! ...! ! def reset_all(connection_map):! ...
25. I still favor plurals And documentation is always necessary.
26. Problem of Pluralization • Plurals can be ambiguous • There are only so many expressions • Total anti-plural may be too much
27. My Problem
28. My Problem def user_profile(request, username):! user = request.user! if user.is_authenticated:! if user.username == username:! # Show personal page! else:! # Show public page! else:! # Show page for anonymous user
29. My Problem def user_profile(request, username):! user = request.user! if user.is_authenticated:! if user.username == username:! # Show personal page! else:! # Show public page! else:! # Show page for anonymous user
30. My Problem >>> user.is_authenticated! <bound method User.is_authenticated of <User: admin>>
31. My Problem def user_profile(request, username):! user = request.user! if user.is_authenticated():! if user.username == username:! # Show personal page! else:! # Show public page! else:! # Show page for anonymous user
33. Descriptive Boolean # is + adjective = method! user.is_authenticated()! ! ! # No!! user.is_active! ! # Clearly a noun.! user.activeness
34. Watch Out # is + noun = variable?! >>> user.is_staff! True! ! # But...! >>> '1'.isdigit! <built-in method isdigit of str object at 0x106fa63a0>
36. My Current Solution # is + anything = method! user.is_authenticated()! ! ! # WRONG! method.is_action = True! ! # Considered correct (but ugly)! method.action_flag = True! ! # Maybe use something else?! method.action_info = None
37. Python lacked booleans until 2.2.1 Maybe we can get away with it.
38. Similarly Problematic # Makes more sense being a variable! request.url! ! # Obviously needs processing. Okay.! document.md5()! ! # ???! rectangle.left! rectangle.center
39. No Perfect Solution # Parentheses do not matter in Ruby! user.authenticated?! ! # But things can get funky quickly! proc_obj = proc { user.authenticated? }! proc_obj.call! ! # Python can be inconvenient! user.is_authenticated()! ! # But obvious things stay obvious! func = user.is_authenticated! func()
40. FIRE QUESTIONS