[Python-Dev] styleguide inconsistency

[Brett Cannon]

On 4/23/07, Darren Dale <dd55 at cornell.edu> wrote:
> I was recently searching for some guidance on how to name packages and
> modules, and discovered an inconsistency in the style guides published at
> www.python.org. http://www.python.org/doc/essays/styleguide.html
> says "Module names can be either MixedCase or lowercase." That
> page also refers to PEP 8 at
> http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/, which says "Modules
> should have short, all-lowercase names. ... Python packages should
> also have short, all-lowercase names ...".
>
> Some discussion on dev.lang.python has so far turned up the following points
> of view:
>
> 1) There isn't technically a contradiction because "can be" is not the same
> as "should be".
>
> However, since this is a style guide and not a syntax guide, I still think the
> documents are contradictory.
>
> 2) There isn't any confusion because the styleguide refers to the PEPs, so
> they have priority.
>

Yes, the PEPs take priority.

> However, styleguide.html does not explain that the PEPs are more up-to-date.

The PEPs are more up-to-date.

> We shouldn't expect someone to go to the PEPs after finding an answer to
> their question in the styleguide.
>
> Perhaps one of these documents could be revised to make the situation more
> clear?

I personally think the style guide should just go and/or redirect to
PEP 8.  I didn't even know it existed until this email.  And I only
know of people updated PEP 8.

-Brett