Top 10 mistakes that Python programmers should avoid

The high-level interpreted programming language of Python is object-oriented with dynamic semantics. It is combined with dynamic binding as well as dynamic typing and built in data structures. It inspires Rapid Application Development as well as glue or scripting language for connecting of existing services or components. Packages as well as modules are supported by Python which encourages code reuse along with program modularity. The syntax is easy to learn as well as simple which often misleads Python developers, especially if a person is new to the language. So this article attempts to capture 10 of the most common mistakes that they should avoid.

List modifying during iterating- An experienced developer knows the folly of deleting something from an array or list when iterating over it. However, this is often done unintentionally. To handle this there are many elegant programming paradigms in it which have to be used properly to get streamlined as well as simplified code which help them delete this confusion.

Initializing the variable- The language does not allow you to use names within expressions until a value has been assigned to a particular expression. This helps in prevention of common typo mistakes, avoiding the question regarding what exactly automatic defaults should be. So counters should be initialized to 0, list accumulators to [ ], etc.

Remembering the colons- A very common coding mistake often committed by beginners is forgetting the colons. Typing a simple thing as a colon when the compound statement headers end, should never be forgotten as it is very important. Most new programmers do forget to do that; however, after some time it becomes a habit that comes to you unconsciously.

Consistent indenting- In indentation of a particular single block, the spaces and tabs should never be mixed unless the exact reaction between the system and codes are known thoroughly by the developer. Otherwise whatever is seen in the editor just may not be the thing that is seen by Python when the tabs are being counted as number of spaces. So the best thing to do is to use all spaces or all tabs for every block; the number to be used is entirely up to you.

Provision of every argument that is expected of a command- This is another thing which should be followed religiously. Not only for the built-in commands, but even for your own functions and library calls you should provide the proper arguments. If only two arguments are given while three are expected, then an error will be thrown by Python. Similarly if three are expected but four are given then an error will be thrown as Python does not know what exactly needs to be done with the fourth argument.

Starting in 1^st column- One thing which is a must-do thing is starting from the very top-level, unnested code in left, at 1^st column. This includes unnested codes typed at interactive prompt along with unnested code typed in module files. Indentation is used by the language so blocks or columns of nested code can be delimited. This means that white space at your code’s left denotes a nested block. Except for indentation, white space is ignored everywhere.

Using parentheses for function calling- To call a function, a parentheses or ( ) after it is used; this is disregarding the fact whether arguments are taken or not. Normally functions are just simple objects with some special operation called call but it can only be triggered with the use of parentheses.

Capitalization and spelling- Python is very sensitive to capitalization as well as spelling since any change in respect of these two factors will make them unique in its eyes.

Incrementing interation value of while loop- If a while loop’s control value is not incremented then the end result is an infinite loop.

Single equal operator or “ “ to test equality- When a value is being tested, it is mandatory to use double equal operator otherwise it will result in errors.

This flexible and powerful language has many paradigms as well as mechanisms which can improve productivity. However, if the understanding is limited then it might prove to be an impediment. The best way to handle this dilemma is to familiarize yourself with Python’s key nuances, so that it can be used optimally. You can get in touch with a offshore Python development company who can help you develop web apps that are stable, scalable and secure.

We provide Python development services. If you would like to hire Python developers for your development needs, please contact us Mindfire Solutions.