Data Wrangling with Python

Appendix E. Python Gotchas

Python, like any other language you learn, has its quirks and idiosyncracies. Some of them are shared among scripting languages, so they may not seem surprising if you have scripting experience. Other quirks are unique to Python. We’ve assembled a list of some of them, but by no means all of them, so you can familiarize yourself. We hope this appendix serves as an aid for debugging and also gives you a bit of insight on why Python does things the way it does.

Hail the Whitespace

As you have probably already noticed, Python uses whitespace as an integral part of code structure. Whitespace is used to indent functions, methods, and classes; to operate if-else statements; and to create continuation lines. In Python, whitespace is a special operator and helps turn Python code into executable code.

There are a few best practices for whitespace in your Python files:

• Don’t use tabs. Use spaces.

• Use four spaces for each indentation block.

• Choose a good indentation for hanging indents (it can align with a delimiter, an extra indentation, or a single indentation, but should be chosen based on what is most readable and usable; see PEP-8).

Tip

PEP-8 (or Python Enhancement Proposals #8) is a Python style guide outlining good practices for indentation and advice on how to name variables, continue lines, and format your code so it is readable, easy to use, and easy to share.

If your code is improperly indented and Python cannot parse your file, you’ll ...