Python

Use Python conventions for Python code

In general, we refer to Python's PEP 8 for all Python code.

Highlights of PEP 8

Docassemble does not force you to write very much Python code. Where you do, however, please follow Python conventions, listed below.

Use snake_case for variable names

Variable names should always start with a letter or _. Names should be lowercase and words should separated by an underscore.

Example: number_of_people, issue_12_address

Do not annotate variable names with type (Hungarian notation)

Use descriptive variable names, but do not include the type as part of the name.

E.g., user_name_TE for a "text" or str type. This limits your ability to change the datatype later and usually does not add helpful information.

However: you may want to specify types that also have a semantic meaning, such as _date or _list. These usually aid in clarity and do not limit the specific datatype of the variable.

Exceptions to PEP 8

Tab width

We use 2 spaces, not 4, for all indentation levels. The Docassemble playground makes it hard to edit files that scroll too far horizontally.