rspec/rules/S5429/python/rule.adoc

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== Why is this an issue?
A common anti-pattern is to check that a key exists in a dictionary before retrieving its corresponding value and providing a default value otherwise. This pattern works but is less readable than the equivalent call to the built-in dictionary method "get()" with a default value.
Note that if a default value is set for every key of the dictionary it is possible to use python's defaultdict instead.
This rule raises an issue when a key presence is checked before retrieving its value or providing a default value. It only raises an issue when the default value is a hard-coded string, number, list, dictionary or tuple. Computed values will not raise an issue as they can have side-effects.
=== Noncompliant code example
[source,python]
----
result = "default"
if "missing" in mydict:
result = mydict["missing"] # Noncompliant
if "missing" in mydict:
result = mydict["missing"] # Noncompliant
else:
result = "default"
if "missing" in mydict:
result = mydict["missing"] # Compliant. No issue is raised as generate_value() might have some side-effect.
else:
result = generate_value()
----
=== Compliant solution
[source,python]
----
result = mydict.get("missing", "default")
# OR, if "default" is the default value for every key
from collections import defaultdict
mydict = defaultdict(lambda: "default")
result = mydict["missing"]
----
ifdef::env-github,rspecator-view[]
'''
== Implementation Specification
(visible only on this page)
include::message.adoc[]
endif::env-github,rspecator-view[]