Expert Python Programming - Third Edition

Choosing Good Names

Most of the standard library was built keeping usability in mind. Python, in this case, can be compared to the pseudocode you might think about when working on a program. Most of the code can be read out loud. For instance, this snippet could be understood even by someone that is not a programmer:

my_list = []  
if 'd' not in my_list: 
    my_list.append('d') 

The fact that Python code is so close to natural language is one of the reasons why Python is so easy to learn and use. When you are writing a program, the flow of your thoughts is quickly translated into lines of code.

This chapter focuses on the best practices to write code that is easy to understand and use, including:

• The usage of naming conventions, described in PEP ...