Beyond Camel Case: Mastering Readable Variable and Function Names in Python

The Snake Case:

• Rule: Use lowercase letters with words separated by underscores (e.g., total_student_count, calculate_average).
• Reasoning: This improves readability by making code easier to understand. Imagine reading calculateAverage versus calculate_average - the latter is clearer.

Examples:

# Good (snake case)
user_name = "foo"
is_admin = True
calculate_area(length, width)

# Not recommended (camel case)
userName = "bar"
isAdmin = False
calculateArea(l, w)

Related Issues:

• Mixed Case: While uncommon, mixing uppercase and lowercase letters (e.g., TotalStudentCount) might be encountered in older codebases, but it's not recommended for new projects.
• Double Underscores: Leading double underscores (e.g., __private_variable) indicate non-public variables or methods within a class, but these are rarely used in basic coding.

Solutions:

• Stick to snake case consistently throughout your code.
• If you encounter mixed case in existing code, consider refactoring to snake case for better readability.
• Don't use double underscores unless you understand their specific purpose in advanced class-related functionalities.

By following these conventions, you'll write cleaner, more readable, and maintainable Python code. Remember, consistency is key!