python: naming a module that has a two-word name
Question:
I’m trying to put together a really simple module with one .py source file in it, and have already run into a roadblock. I was going to call it scons-config but import scons-config doesn’t work in Python. I found this SO question and looked at PEP8 style guide but am kind of bewildered, it doesn’t talk about two-word-name conventions.
What’s the right way to deal with this?
- module name: SconsConfig? scons_config? sconsconfig? scons.config?
- name of the single .py file in it: scons-config.py? scons_config.py?
edit: I did see “the use of underscores is discouraged” and that left me at a dead end: should I use “sconsconfig” or “scons_config” (I guess the other ones are out)?
Answers:
If you have to, always use underscores _.
Using a dot . would not even work, otherwise
from scons.config import whatever
would break.
But PEP 8 clearly describes it:
Package and Module Names
Modules should have short, all-lowercase names. Underscores can be used
in the module name if it improves readability. Python packages should
also have short, all-lowercase names, although the use of underscores is
discouraged.
UPDATE:
To directly target your question: I think sconsconfig is fine. It is not too long and quite readable.
But honestly, I don’t think anyone will blame you if you use underscores and your code will run with either decision. There is always a certain level where you should not care that much anymore.
- is a no go. The symbol is used for minus operator. The same is true in most programming languages. Use _ or otherwise nothing at all.
First, the module name is the same as the name of the single .py file. In Python-speak, a collection of several .py files is a package.
PEP-8 discourages breaking up package names with underscores. A quick peak at my site-packages directory shows that multiword names are commonly just run together (e.g., setuptools, sqlalchemy)
Module names (that is, file names) may be broken up by underscores (and I usually do this, because I hate namesthatruntogethersoyoucanhardlyreadthem).
Stick with lower-case only (per PEP-8). This avoids problems when going from case-sensitive to case-insensitive filesystems and vice versa.
Aside from PEP-8, you can also check out how the native Python modules deal with this issue.
If you were to compare the native modules of Python 2 to that of Python 3, you would see that the new tendency with the official devs is to avoid uppercase and underscores. For example, ConfigParser in Python 2 becomes configparser in Python 3.
Looking at this, the best course of action would be to avoid uppercase and underscores, and just join the words together, i.e. sconsconfig.
I’m trying to put together a really simple module with one .py source file in it, and have already run into a roadblock. I was going to call it scons-config but import scons-config doesn’t work in Python. I found this SO question and looked at PEP8 style guide but am kind of bewildered, it doesn’t talk about two-word-name conventions.
What’s the right way to deal with this?
- module name: SconsConfig? scons_config? sconsconfig? scons.config?
- name of the single .py file in it: scons-config.py? scons_config.py?
edit: I did see “the use of underscores is discouraged” and that left me at a dead end: should I use “sconsconfig” or “scons_config” (I guess the other ones are out)?
If you have to, always use underscores _.
Using a dot . would not even work, otherwise
from scons.config import whatever
would break.
But PEP 8 clearly describes it:
Package and Module Names
Modules should have short, all-lowercase names. Underscores can be used
in the module name if it improves readability. Python packages should
also have short, all-lowercase names, although the use of underscores is
discouraged.
UPDATE:
To directly target your question: I think sconsconfig is fine. It is not too long and quite readable.
But honestly, I don’t think anyone will blame you if you use underscores and your code will run with either decision. There is always a certain level where you should not care that much anymore.
- is a no go. The symbol is used for minus operator. The same is true in most programming languages. Use _ or otherwise nothing at all.
First, the module name is the same as the name of the single .py file. In Python-speak, a collection of several .py files is a package.
PEP-8 discourages breaking up package names with underscores. A quick peak at my site-packages directory shows that multiword names are commonly just run together (e.g., setuptools, sqlalchemy)
Module names (that is, file names) may be broken up by underscores (and I usually do this, because I hate namesthatruntogethersoyoucanhardlyreadthem).
Stick with lower-case only (per PEP-8). This avoids problems when going from case-sensitive to case-insensitive filesystems and vice versa.
Aside from PEP-8, you can also check out how the native Python modules deal with this issue.
If you were to compare the native modules of Python 2 to that of Python 3, you would see that the new tendency with the official devs is to avoid uppercase and underscores. For example, ConfigParser in Python 2 becomes configparser in Python 3.
Looking at this, the best course of action would be to avoid uppercase and underscores, and just join the words together, i.e. sconsconfig.