[Python-Dev] PEP 8 updates/clarifications

[Ian Bicking]

Jim Fulton wrote:
>> stdlib, external modules, internal modules seems like enough ordering 
>> to me.  If you want to order things more exactly, sure, but I don't 
>> really see the point personally.  Since I can't assume as a reader 
>> that imports are ordered in any way I have to search to be sure of 
>> what's there.  The grouping help me browse, but I'd hope that the 
>> import list is short enough that I don't need to use alphabetization 
>> to scan for a module.
> 
> 
> Personally, I don't find the stdlib/external distinction to be useful.

I like the stdlib coming first, because (if it's not using "from") 
stdlib imports are just line noise and I don't pay any attention to 
them.  I care if a module uses an external package, but I don't care 
what stdlib packages it uses (I'd actually like to be able to avoid 
importing them at all, but that's an aside: 
http://blog.ianbicking.org/py-std.html).  So I don't really care what 
comes first, just that stdlib imports are grouped together so I can 
ignore them, and first is as good a place as anything.  "from...import" 
is a different matter of course, because I need to look at those to see 
where names come from.

Additionally, having the local packages grouped together helps make up 
for the non-distinction of absolute and relative imports.

-- 
Ian Bicking  /  ianb at colorstudy.com  /  http://blog.ianbicking.org