Python Code Review: Unplugged – Episode 2

This is the second episode of my video code review series where I record myself giving feedback and refactoring a reader’s Python code.

The response to the first Code Review: Unplugged video was super positive. I got a ton of emails and comments on YouTube saying that the video worked well as a teaching tool and that I should do more of them.

And so I did just that 😃. Milton sent me a link to his Python 3 project on GitHub and I recorded another code review based on his code. You can watch it below:

Milton is on the right track with his Python journey. I liked how he used functions to split up his web scraper program into functions that each handle a different phase, like fetch the html, parse it, and generate the output file.

The main thing that this code base could benefit from would be consistent formatting. Making the formatting as regular and consistent as possible really helps with keeping the “mental overhead” low when you’re working on the code or handing it off to someone else.

And the beautiful thing is that there’s an easy fix for this, too. I demo a tool called Flake8 in the video. Flake8 is a code linter and code style checker – and it’s great for making sure your code has consistent formatting and avoids common pitfalls or anti-patterns.

You can even integrate Flake8 into your editing environment so that it checks your code as you write it.

(Shameless plug: The book I’m working on has a whole chapter on integrating Flake8 into the Sublime Text editor. Check it out if you’d like to learn how to set up a Python development environment just like the one I’m using in the video).

Besides formatting, the video also covers things like writing a great GitHub README, how to name functions and modules, and the use of constants to simplify your Python code. So be sure to watch the whole thing when you get the chance.

Again, I left the video completely unedited. That’s why I’m calling this series Code Review: Unplugged. It’s definitely not a polished tutorial or course. But based on the feedback I got so far that seems to be part of the appeal.

Links & Resources:

• The pull request with the code from the video
• Flake8 Python code linter
• Milton’s Twitter account
• How to write a great GitHub README

One more quick tip for you: You can turn these videos into a fun Python exercise for yourself. Just pause the video before I dig into the code and do your own code review first. Spend 10 to 20 minutes taking notes and refactoring the code and then continue with the video to compare your solution with mine. Let me know how this worked out! 😊