rspec/rules/S2208/python/rule.adoc
2021-02-02 16:54:43 +01:00

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Importing every public name from a module using a wildcard (``++from mymodule import *++``) is a bad idea because:
* It could lead to conflicts between names defined locally and the ones imported.
* It reduces code readability as developers will have a hard time knowing where names come from.
* It clutters the local namespace, which makes debugging more difficult.
Remember that imported names can change when you update your dependencies. A wildcard import which works today might be broken tomorrow.
There are two ways to avoid a wildcard import:
* Replace it with ``++import mymodule++`` and access module members as ``++mymodule.myfunction++``. If the module name is too long, alias it to a shorter name. Example: ``++import pandas as pd++``
* List every imported name. If necessary import statements can be split on multiple lines using parentheses (preferred solution) or backslashes.
== Noncompliant Code Example
----
from math import * # Noncompliant
def exp(x):
pass
print(exp(0)) # "None" will be printed
----
== Compliant Solution
----
import math
def exp(x):
pass
print(math.exp(0)) # "1.0" will be printed
----
Or
----
from math import exp as m_exp
def exp(x):
pass
print(m_exp(0)) # "1.0" will be printed
----
== Exceptions
No issue will be raised in ``++__init__.py++`` files. Wildcard imports are a common way of populating these modules.
No issue will be raised in modules doing only imports. Local modules are sometimes created as a proxy for third-party modules.
----
# file: mylibrary/pyplot.py
try:
from guiqwt.pyplot import * # Ok
except Exception:
from matplotlib.pyplot import * # Ok
----
Just keep in mind that wildcard imports might still create issues in these cases. It's always better to import only what you need.
== See
* https://docs.python.org/3.8/reference/simple_stmts.html#import[Python documentation - The import statement]