#142 There's a bandit in the Python space

Special guest: Brett Thomas

Sponsored by Datadog: pythonbytes.fm/datadog

Brian #1: Writing sustainable Python scripts

• Vincent Bernat
• Turning a quick Python script into a maintainable bit of software.
• Topics covered:
  • Documentation as a docstring helps future users/maintainers know what problem you are solving.
  • CLI arguments with defaults instead of hardcoded values help extend the usability of the script.
  • Logging. Including debug logging (and how to turn them on with CLI arguments), and system logging for unattended scripts.
  • Tests. Simple doctests, and pytest tests utilizing parametrize to have one test and many test cases.

Brett #2: Static Analysis and Bandit

Michael #3: jupyter-black

• Black formatter for Jupyter Notebook
• One of the big gripes I have about these online editors is their formatting (often entirely absent)
• Then the extension provides
  • a toolbar button
  • a keyboard shortcut for reformatting the current code-cell (default: Ctrl-B)
  • a keyboard shortcut for reformatting whole code-cells (default: Ctrl-Shift-B)

Brian #4: Report Generation workflow with papermill, jupyter, rclone, nbconvert, …

• Chris Moffitt articles
• Automated Report Generation with Papermill: Part 1
• Automated Report Generation with Papermill: Part 2
• Jupyter Notebooks used to create a report with pandas and matplotlib
• nbconvert to create an html report
• Papermill to parametrize the process with different data, and execute the notebook
• Copy the reports to shared cloud folders using Rclone.
• Set up a process to automate everything.
• Hook it up to cron to run regularly

Brett #5: Rant on time deltas

• datetime.timedelta(months=1) # Boom, too bad.
• Use: https://dateutil.readthedocs.io/en/stable/

Michael #6: How — and why — you should use Python Generators

• by Radu Raicea
• Generator functions allow you to declare a function that behaves like an iterator.
• They allow programmers to make an iterator in a fast, easy, and clean way.
• They only compute it when you ask for it. This is known as lazy evaluation.
• If you’re not using generators, you’re missing a powerful feature
• Often they result in simpler code than with lists and standard functions

Extras

Brian:

• PyPI now supports uploading via API token
  • also on Test PyPI

Michael:

• Chocolatey package manager on windows via Prayson Daniel
• GvM’s Next PEG article

Jokes

A good programmer is someone who always looks both ways before crossing a one-way street.

(reminds me of another joke: Adulthood is like looking both ways before crossing the street, then getting hit by an airplane)

Little bobby tables