Too Busy to Work, Who Has Time for Code Style?!(Python Core in Action 23)
Learn why Python coding standards matter for business development, and how automated tools and processes can improve code efficiency and consistency.
Welcome to the "Python Core in Action" Series
Today, let's talk about coding standards.
Most people only understand the first stage of coding standards: knowing they are useful and the company requires camelCase naming.
However, many don’t really understand why and how to implement these standards.
At Google, the belief in coding standards goes beyond what most people imagine. Let me briefly explain:
Every programming language has a dedicated Style Committee that sets company-wide mandatory coding standards and resolves disputes over coding style as Style Arbiters.
There are daily discussions and debates in each language's style groups. Once a consensus is reached, it is published in large posters, sometimes even placed in restrooms, so that everyone, including visitors, can read it during a quick five-minute break.
Every code submission, like a diff in Git, must undergo at least two reviews: one for business logic and one for readability (a readability review). Readability reviews focus on adherence to style guidelines. Only certified reviewers can conduct these readability checks.
Numerous automation tools enforce these rules. For example, a linter will run before code submission, and if it fails, the code can't be submitted.
What’s your reaction so far? Personally, I really appreciate this engineering culture. So today, I’ll explain two points:
1. Why do Python coding standards matter—do they really help in business development?
2. What processes and tools can you integrate into your development workflow to enforce coding standards automatically?
I’ll refer to two style guides as examples throughout:
1. PEP8 (Python Enhancement Proposal #8)
2. Google Python Style Guide, which is stricter than PEP8 and designed for large-scale, enterprise-level codebases. Google Style ensures all Python open-source projects at Google follow the same standards. Google Python Style Guide