Skip to content

Commit 6555615

Browse files
diegorussodiegorusso
committed
The must-read Python’s PEPs
1 parent 847767d commit 6555615

File tree

2 files changed

+191
-1
lines changed

2 files changed

+191
-1
lines changed

‎README.dev.md‎

Lines changed: 1 addition & 1 deletion
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ $ git merge 4.4.1 # 4.4.1 is a tag on upstream
1111

1212

1313
# To run jekyll in docker container
14-
docker run --name diegor.it -i -t -p 4000:4000 -v /Users/diegor/Work/diegorusso.github.io/:/srv/jekyll jekyll/jekyll jekyll server --config _config_dev.yml --drafts -I
14+
docker run --name diegor.it -i -t -p 4000:4000 -v /Users/diegor/Work/diegorusso.github.io/:/srv/jekyll jekyll/jekyll jekyll server --config _config_dev.yml --drafts --limit_posts 3
1515

1616
# To start the docker container
1717
doecker start diegor.it

‎_posts/2017-06-15-the-must-read-pythons-peps.md‎

Lines changed: 190 additions & 0 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
1+
---
2+
title: The must-read Python's PEPs
3+
categories:
4+
- howto
5+
- english
6+
tags:
7+
- python
8+
- PEP
9+
---
10+
11+
As Python developer, you should know what a PEP is. In case you don't,
12+
> "PEP
13+
stands for **Python Enhancement Proposal**. A PEP is a design document
14+
providing information to the Python community, or describing a new feature for
15+
Python or its processes or environment. The PEP should provide a concise
16+
technical specification of the feature and a rationale for the feature"
17+
(from [PEP 1](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0001/))
18+
19+
There are three kinds of PEP:
20+
- A **Standards Track PEP** describes a new feature or implementation for
21+
Python
22+
- An **Informational PEP** describes a Python design issue, or provides general
23+
guidelines or information to the Python community, but does not propose a new
24+
feature
25+
- A **Process PEP** describes a process surrounding Python, or proposes a
26+
change to (or an event in) a process. Process PEPs are like Standards Track
27+
PEPs but apply to areas other than the Python language itself
28+
29+
All PEPs are stored in a [github repository](https://github.com/python/peps)
30+
and the list is in the [PEP 0](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/)
31+
32+
Now, the main question is: "**What are the most important PEPs that a Python
33+
developer should be aware of?**" I went through the long list and I chose the
34+
ones that I think are important to know.
35+
36+
The must know PEPs without witch you cannot be considered a Python programmer
37+
are:
38+
- [PEP 20 -- The Zen of Python](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0020/):
39+
that's the first PEP you need to read and apply throughout your Python
40+
development
41+
- [PEP 8 -- Style Guide for Python Code](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
42+
pep-0008/): this PEP defines the coding convention when writing Python.
43+
I expect everyone writing PEP8 compliant code
44+
- [PEP 257 -- Docstring Conventions](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
45+
pep-0257/): conventions for Docstring in Python
46+
- [PEP 287 -- reStructuredText Docstring Format](https://www.python.org/dev/
47+
peps/pep-0257/): when plain text is not enough, reStructuredText is the answer
48+
for Docstring
49+
50+
The following PEPs don't fall into any category but it's good to know their
51+
existence anyway:
52+
- [PEP 7 -- Style Guide for C Code](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0007/):
53+
if you need to contribute to C implementation of Python, that's the PEP for
54+
you
55+
- [PEP 404 -- Python 2.8 Un-release Schedule](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
56+
pep-0404/): release not found! There will be never a 2.8 Python release.
57+
The last Python 2 release is 2.7. It's time to move to Python 3!
58+
- [PEP 440 -- Version Identification and Dependency Specification](https://www.
59+
python.org/dev/peps/pep-0440/): this PEP describes a scheme for identifying
60+
versions of Python software distributions, and declaring dependencies on
61+
particular versions
62+
63+
The following PEPs instead will be split between Python versions (2 and 3) and
64+
they just represent an attempt to summarise the most relevant ones in order to
65+
pick peculiarities of the language itself. The version of python affected and
66+
some personal extra comments will be side noted.
67+
68+
## Python 2
69+
- [PEP 201 -- Lockstep Iteration (zip function)](https://www.python.org/dev/
70+
peps/pep-0201/) (2.0) - _it's very handy_
71+
- [PEP 202 -- List Comprehensions](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0202/)
72+
(2.0) - _one of my favourites_
73+
- [PEP 221 -- Import As](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0221/) (2.0)
74+
- [PEP 234 -- Iterators](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0234/) (2.1) -
75+
_trust me, you will use them_
76+
- [PEP 236 -- Back to the \_\_future\_\_](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
77+
pep-0236/) (2.1) - _do you want to use_ `print()` _(from Python 3.X) in Python
78+
2.X? That's the module for you_
79+
- [PEP 255 -- Simple Generators (yield)](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
80+
pep-0255/) (2.2) - _once you know it, you'll love it_
81+
- [PEP 279 -- The enumerate() built-in function](https://www.python.org/dev/
82+
peps/pep-0279/) (2.3) - _sometime it is very useful_
83+
- [PEP 282 -- A Logging System](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0282/)
84+
(2.3) - _please, don't debug with_ `print()`
85+
- [PEP 285 -- Adding a bool type](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0285/)
86+
(2.3) - _I don't understand how you live without it!_
87+
- [PEP 289 -- Generator Expressions](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0289/)
88+
(2.4) - _list comprehensions with generators_
89+
- [PEP 308 -- Conditional Expressions](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
90+
pep-0308/) (2.4) - _Python "ternary" expression:_ `X if C else Y`
91+
- [PEP 318 -- Decorators for Functions and Methods](https://www.python.org/dev/
92+
peps/pep-0318/) (2.4) - _@decorators are methods which wrap functions and
93+
methods_
94+
- [PEP 322 -- Reverse Iteration](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0322/)
95+
(2.4)
96+
- [PEP 324 -- subprocess - New process module](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
97+
pep-0324/) (2.4)
98+
- [PEP 327 -- Decimal Data Type](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0327/)
99+
(2.4) - _floatintg point are just too inexact. Period._
100+
- [PEP 341 -- Unifying try-except and try-finally](https://www.python.org/dev/
101+
peps/pep-0341/) - _Do you know that_ `try` _constructs allow an_ `else`
102+
_statement?_
103+
- [PEP 342 -- Coroutines via Enhanced Generators](https://www.python.org/dev/
104+
peps/pep-0342/) (2.5) - _still need to get those!_
105+
- [PEP 343 -- The "with" Statement](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
106+
pep-0343/) (2.5) - _really? Don't you know it? Shame on you!_
107+
- [PEP 367 -- New Super](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0367/) (2.6) -
108+
_that's important, read it!_
109+
110+
## Python 2 and 3
111+
- [PEP 274 -- Dict Comprehensions](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0274/)
112+
(originally 2.3, then 2.7 and 3.0) - _the beauty of list comprehensions applied
113+
to_ `Dict`
114+
- [PEP 372 -- Adding an ordered dictionary to collections](https://
115+
www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0372/) (2.7, 3.1) - _because order matters_
116+
- [PEP 389 -- argparse - New Command Line Parsing Module](https://
117+
www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0389/) (2.7, 3.2) - _please, stop using optparse
118+
right now!_
119+
120+
## Python 3
121+
- [PEP 380 -- Syntax for Delegating to a Subgenerator (yield from)](
122+
https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0380/) (3.3) - _a generator to delegate
123+
part of its operations to another generator_
124+
- [PEP 405 -- Python Virtual Environments](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
125+
pep-0405/) (3.3) - _I'm really glad to see a tighter integration with virtual
126+
environments_
127+
- [PEP 417 -- Including mock in the Standard Library](https://www.python.org/
128+
dev/peps/pep-0417/) (3.3) - _it's one of the first modules I pip install when
129+
using Python 2.7_
130+
- [PEP 435 -- Adding an Enum type to the Python standard library](
131+
https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0435/) (3.4)
132+
- [PEP 450 -- Adding A Statistics Module To The Standard Library](
133+
https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0450/) (3.4) - _never used so far, but I
134+
recognise its importance_
135+
- [PEP 483 - The Theory of Type Hints](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
136+
pep-0483/) (3.5) - _that's just a theory for the next PEP_
137+
- [PEP 484 - Type Hints ](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0484/) (3.5) -
138+
_they are used to easier static analysis and refactoring, potential runtime
139+
type checking, and (perhaps, in some contexts) code generation utilizing type
140+
information. **Python will remain a dynamically typed language, and the authors
141+
have no desire to ever make type hints mandatory, even by convention**_
142+
- [PEP 485 -- A Function for testing approximate equality](
143+
https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0485/) (3.5) - `is_close` _enough_ :)
144+
- [PEP 492 -- Coroutines with async and await syntax](
145+
https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0492/) (3.5) - _coroutines start being a
146+
proper concept in Python_
147+
- [PEP 525 -- Asynchronous Generators](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
148+
pep-0525/) (3.6) - _generators made asynchronous_
149+
- [PEP 526 -- Syntax for Variable Annotations](https://www.python.org/dev/
150+
peps/pep-0526/) (3.6) - _it's like PEP 484 but for variables_
151+
- [PEP 530 -- Asynchronous Comprehensions](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
152+
pep-0530/) (3.6) - _things are getting complicated eh... asynchronous versions
153+
of list, set, dict comprehensions and generator expressions_
154+
- [PEP 3000 -- Python 3000](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3000/) (3000) -
155+
_where 3v3rything begins!_
156+
- [PEP 3101 -- Advanced String Formatting](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
157+
pep-3101/) (3.0) - _stop using % for string formatting and embrace_ `.format()`
158+
_method (included in Python 2.6 as well)_
159+
- [PEP 3105 -- Make print a function](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
160+
pep-3105/) (3.0) - _I told you not to use_ `print` _for debugging! Now all your
161+
Python 2.X needs a huge refactoring for working in Python 3.X. Joking apart,
162+
that's the most common error when you try to run Python 2.X code using Python
163+
3.X intepreter._
164+
- [PEP 3107 -- Function Annotations](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3107/)
165+
(3.0)
166+
- [PEP 3109 -- Raising Exceptions in Python 3000](https://www.python.org/dev/
167+
peps/pep-3109/) (3.0) - _yep, in Python 3.X,_ `raise` _changes a bit. It's worth
168+
having a look_
169+
- [PEP 3110 -- Catching Exceptions in Python 3000](https://www.python.org/dev/
170+
peps/pep-3110/) (3.0) - _see above_
171+
- [PEP 3115 -- Metaclasses in Python 3000](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/
172+
pep-3115/) (3.0) - _well, if you have ever used_ `__metaclass__`_, Python 3.X
173+
don't_
174+
- [PEP 3119 -- Introducing Abstract Base Classes](https://www.python.org/dev/
175+
peps/pep-3119/) (3000) - `abc`_, no I haven't forgotten the alphabet :)_
176+
- [PEP 3120 -- Using UTF-8 as the default source encoding](
177+
https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3120/) (3.0) - _this PEP removes a lot of
178+
headeaches we have in Python 2.X_
179+
- [PEP 3129 -- Class Decorators](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3129/)
180+
(3.0) - _like PEP 318 but for classes_
181+
- [PEP 3135 -- New Super](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3135/) (3.0) -
182+
_it's PEP 367 for Python 3.X_
183+
- [PEP 3148 -- futures - execute computations asynchronously](
184+
https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3148/) (3.2) - _The_ `concurrent.futures`
185+
_module provides a high-level interface for asynchronously executing callables_
186+
- [PEP 3156 -- Asynchronous IO Support Rebooted: the "asyncio" Module](
187+
https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3156/) (3.3) - _this is it! the asyncio
188+
module_
189+
190+
Have I missed anything? What's your favourite PEP?

0 commit comments

Comments
 (0)