The Power of Linting

The Power of Linting

Previously we looked at how to -- Style your Python Code like a Pro -- using the tool, Black.
However, what about if there is a typo in your code? For example, a missing colon or closing bracket. This is where linting comes into play.

Linting is the process of running a program that will analyze code for potential errors.

A popular Python linter that I like to use is Flake8. Below shows an example:

# Install
$ pip install flake8

# Sample file
$ cat print_devices.py       
def print_devices(devices) # missing :
    for d in devices:
        print(d)

# Perform lint
$ flake8 print_devices.py 
print_devices.py:1:26: E999 SyntaxError: invalid syntax
print_devices.py:2:5: E113 unexpected indentation

Linting isn't only limited to Python. For example, there is Ansible Lint, which validates your Ansible playbooks (see here https://github.com/ansible-community/ansible-lint).

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