Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 10:28:30 -0800
From: Martin Kelly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
...>
I will join the python group... I didn't know it existed :).
GOOD!
As others already commented on strategy I'm just adding some peripheral
remarks.
a) You can make the 'sha-bang' line more general:
#!/usr/bin/env python
b) When working on the file system you often want selectively control if
your operation in/excludes directories (or topectories :-) and symlinks.
python comes with functions that are at your fingertips if you say:
from os.path import isfile, isdir, islink
c) One of the many nice features of python are comments/string definitions
using triple quotes, single or double. So you could say:
usage = """
Usage: To replace all of "foo" with "bar" in /home:
rename /home foo bar
more stuff goes here..."""
Then you don't have to escape the "quotes"; can modify more easily, or add
the % string formatters, and so forth...
None of that may be needed for that specific usage message -- but I
encourage you to look into triple quote definitions for future apps.
d) Naming your identifiers:
Naming a fileName 'file' is generally not a good idea: 'file' is a
function of the ever present "module" __builtins__ (actually more like a
constructor of an I/O handle). It replaced the more procedural sounding
'open' in version 2.2, about 3 years ago (if I remember correctly).
By doing so you are overriding the builtins function.
There are about two dozen, intuitive sounding identifiers, that collide
with __builtins__ , you want to stay clear off, like list, dict, map, min,
max,... To see those from within the interactive interpreter just say:
>>> dir(__builtins__)
Above doesn't hurt in your code as is, but on the long run it may bite
you, and your example also indicates you appreciate clean coding style:-)
(unintentionally(!) rebinding builtins functions simply isn't)
I hope I didn't sound too critical, those are just comments/suggestions.
Welcome to the 'python club'..................Horst
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