[Tutor] Conventions for code snippets for debugging and testing?

[Kent Johnson]

Eric Walstad wrote:

> I'd do something like this:
> 
> from settings import DEBUG
> 
> def my_user_list()
>     # assumes long_list is already populated (db, file, etc)
>     if DEBUG:
>         return long_list[:5]
>     else:
>         return long_list
> 
> def process(user):
>     # do the work on the user here
>     pass
> 
> def main():
>     # ...
>     [process(user) for user in my_user_list()]
> 
> The idea is to encapsulate the retrieval of the user list and let that
> encapsulation hide the DEBUG logic.  It could be done with a function,
> like above, or with a MyUserList class.

I would encapsulate the retrieval but not the DEBUG. My preference would 
be to have a separate main() in a test module that trims the user list. 
Then the DEBUG setting is not needed at all.

Kent