What are the characteristics of a good Python programmer? He is proficient in Python and its libraries. He has learned Python well and has experience. What else is just knowing a programming language and practicing it enough to be successful? If not, what other features do Python programmers need to be successful in their work?
The most important feature is to learn from the mistakes of other programmers and not to make the same mistakes that others make. People in every profession have their own mistakes. For example, doctors may prescribe the wrong medicine or reveal patient secrets. Unfortunately, these mistakes are always lurking. Even the most experienced people in any job can fall into those mistakes.
In this article, I will introduce the most important and fatal mistakes that Python programmers, even experienced ones, may make. Finally, to summarize and conclude, some suggestions are given to the programmers so that they do not fall into the trap of those errors.
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The most important mistakes that Python programmers should not make
Common mistakes in the Python programming language are different from the mistakes Python programmers may make in their careers. The first is a very specialized discussion that is discussed in Python educational resources. Because it includes errors related to the rules of the Python language and the correct way of coding in that language. But the second category includes mistakes that are usually made by programmers in general, especially novice programmers. That is, it doesn’t matter if you are a Python developer or a JavaScript or C++ developer, the mistakes of the second category are waiting for you.
In the following, I will talk about two examples of the most common Python specialist mistakes and two examples of the most important mistakes of programmers.
1. Syntax Error
Each programming language has its syntax or writing rules or coding principles. Python is the same. So, if the programmer doesn’t follow any of the syntax rules in his code, his code won’t even compile, let alone run. For example, in Python, a colon should be placed at the end of the if, def, or for statements, or the string in Python should be placed between quotation marks or double quotation marks. If a colon is not placed after a statement or the string is not inside a quotation, a syntax error has occurred.
This error is usually committed by novice Python programmers because they still do not have enough practice and may forget simple syntax rules. In addition to practice, which is necessary for novice programmers, they should learn one of the Python libraries suitable for beginners.
2. Indentation Error
In the Python programming language, indents before codes are important and meaningful. Those indents aren’t just white spaces placed before each line or command to help readability and code order. All code in the body of if, or, for statements must be indented. Also, each code block is specified by the amount of unit indentation. In Python, there are two ways to indent: the space and tab keys.
The important thing is that the programmer must choose from the beginning which way he wants to create the indentation. Once he chooses one, he cannot change it. So, if the coder forgets the indentation or uses the space once and the tab key once; it will catch the indentation error.
As mentioned, the errors in the first category are more than these two examples. If you want to learn more about specialized errors in Python, I recommend this reliable educational resource: aguaclara.github.io.
3. Imitating other programmers
Whether you learned Python in class from a teacher or self-learning from reliable sources, you are under the influence of Python teachers and references without knowing it. This is both good and bad. If you want to be a creative, successful, and effective programmer; it is bad. Because not all programmers are supposed to follow the same path and implement their projects in the same way. Contrary to what it seems, you don’t even have to use the tools that everyone else is using.
After you’ve taken the time to learn Python very well, take the time to find new tools and ways to write Python and run Python projects. Maybe there is a tool that you work with more easily and that helps you be more creative. The Python language offers many career opportunities, from natural language processing to website design with Python. So, whatever time and energy you put into becoming a unique programmer who has his own creative and innovative ways of programming with Python, you won’t lose.
4. No programming and code practice
Coding is a purposeful work that does not start from sitting at the code editor and typing codes. If you are a beginner programmer, remember that programming starts with thought and research. It doesn’t matter if you are a member of the technical team designing a digital product or if you are going to do a small project. And no matter how experienced you are, programming is a 6-step process, and no matter how experienced you are, you still need to go through those steps.
First, you should think and research well about the project and the problems and challenges. You must have a plan to write code. Maybe the work is complicated and you need to learn new things to do it better. So, before writing the codes, you should plan and practice and provide the necessary preparations. Otherwise, you will write poor-quality code that is full of problems.
You write code to run and do things. So, after writing the codes, you must make sure that they run correctly and have no bugs. You may have to change or modify some code. Maybe the problem won’t be solved or you won’t be able to do what you planned for. Sometimes you may have to start again from the first step and revise and correct the work several times.