python_coding_standards.md

Python Coding Standards

Import Packages

Standard

• Write import statements always at the top of files.
• Import each module using the full pathname location of the module.

Example

import numpy as np
from sklearn import linear_model
import crawler.spiders.articles   

Variables

Standard

• Do not use global variables
• Each variable name including temporary variables should be descriptive

Example

def main():
    author_info_file_path = ".../author.csv"
    # ...
    temp_file_index = 0

Functions and Methods

Standard

• Each name should be descriptive
• The name conventions of methods and functions are all lower cases with '_' as space
• The name conventions of attributes are all lower cases with '_' as space
• Each method and function has documentation of input and output, and descriptive comments about what does it do.

Example

# Calculate the sum of two values
def sum_of_two_value(a, b):
    '''
    :params a, a integer or float
            b, a integer or float
    :returns sum, sum of a and b
    '''
    return a + b

Classes

Standard

• The name conventions of class should be capitalized and descriptive

Example

class AuthorCredibility(object):
    def __init___(self, author_name):
    ...

High Cohesion Design

Standard

• Make sure that function is not related to its class or its python file.
• Create a new file or class for unique function

Example

# file name: crawling_author.py
def extract_author_info(author_name)

# file name: crawling_publisher.py
def extract_publisher_info(publisher_name)