Difference between revisions of "Programming guidelines"

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== Docstrings ==
 
== Docstrings ==
* Python provides a docstrings to document classes and functions. If the class is a class used by others (such as the RelLib classes), the docstrings should follow the [http://epydoc.sourceforge.net/manual-epytext.html epydoc] format. This allows us to extract [http://www.gramps-project.org/docs/ API] documentation. Classes that are not core reusable classes do not have to follow this format, but should be documented using docstrings.
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* Python provides a docstrings to document classes and functions. If the class is a class used by others (such as the gen lib classes), the docstrings should follow the [http://epydoc.sourceforge.net/manual-epytext.html epydoc] format. This allows us to extract [http://www.gramps-project.org/docs/ API] documentation. Classes that are not core reusable classes do not have to follow this format, but should be documented using docstrings.
 
<code>
 
<code>
 
   class MyClass:
 
   class MyClass:

Revision as of 07:02, 31 July 2009


In a multi-programmer environment, it is important to follow common coding guidelines to make sure the code remains maintainable.

Coding Style

PEP8

  • Write PEP 8 compatible code! This is important to have a consistent, readable codebase.
    • it is not explicit in PEP8, but we like a space after a comma

Tabs

  • Do not use TABs. Use space characters. In GRAMPS we use 4 spaces for indentation. This does not mean you must set your TAB stops to 4. TABs and indents are not the same thing. Most editors have a configuration option to set indentation and TAB stops. Be careful to just set the indentation to 4, which automatically means it has to be spaces. (TABs are still necessary, in Makefiles for example, and they have to be equivalent to 8 spaces, always.) To summarize:
    • uses spaces, no TABs
    • indentation is 4
    • TAB stops (if any) are at position 9,17,25,... (first column is 1)

Members Names

  • Private class functions (functions that cannot be called outside the class) should be preceded with two underscores.
  • Protected functions (functions that can only be called by the class or derived classes) should be preceded with one underscore.

 def __private_function(self):
     pass
  
 def _protected_function(self):
     pass

Class Headers

  • Each class should have a simple header to help mark it in the file. This is not used for documentation - it is used to help find the class when multiple classes exist in the same file.

 #------------------------------------------------------------
 #
 # MyClass
 #
 #------------------------------------------------------------

Docstrings

  • Python provides a docstrings to document classes and functions. If the class is a class used by others (such as the gen lib classes), the docstrings should follow the epydoc format. This allows us to extract API documentation. Classes that are not core reusable classes do not have to follow this format, but should be documented using docstrings.

 class MyClass:
     """
     MyClass is a sample class.
     """
    
     def my_function(self):
         """
         The my_function task serves no purpose whatsoever.
         """
         pass

Pylint

  • Run pylint on your code before checking in.
  • New files shall have a Pylint score of 9 or higher. New files will not be accepted if they have a Pylint score lower than 9.
  • Any changes to existing files with a Pylint score lower than 9 shall not reduce the Pylint score. It is expected that over time, this policy will cause all files to eventually have a score of 9 or higher.

Note that you must run pylint in the src directory. If import errors still occur, add a PYTHONPATH. Example usage:

 me@laptop:~/programs/trunk/src$ PYTHONPATH=plugins/lib/ pylint --include-ids=y --reports=y plugins/mapservices/googlemap.py

Set reports to n to have less output. Info on the codes can be found here: [1]

Best Practices

  • Reduce dependencies (imports) between files.