Python Best Practices are guidelines for writing clean, maintainable, and efficient code.
📚 PEP 8 Style Guide:
• 4 spaces for indentation
• Max line length: 79 characters
• snake_case for variables
• PascalCase for classes
✨ Best Practices:
• Use meaningful variable names
• Write docstrings
• Don't repeat yourself (DRY)
• Keep functions small and focused
• Use list comprehensions
• Handle exceptions properly
• Use virtual environments
⚠️ Common Pitfalls:
• Mutable default arguments
• Not closing files
• Comparing with == for None
• Using global variables
python
# Good practices example
def calculate_tax(income, tax_rate=0.2):
"""
Calculate tax based on income and tax rate.
Args:
income (float): Annual income
tax_rate (float): Tax rate (default: 0.2)
Returns:
float: Tax amount
"""
if income < 0:
raise ValueError("Income cannot be negative")
return income * tax_rate
# Use 'is' for None comparison
value = None
if value is None:
print("Value is None")
# List comprehension instead of loops
squares = [x**2 for x in range(10)]
print(f"Tax: {calculate_tax(50000)}")You should see
Value is None Tax: 10000.0