A Python lint tool

Code Inspection

© Lead Image © Leo Blanchette, 123RF.com

© Lead Image © Leo Blanchette, 123RF.com

Article from Issue 302/2026
Author(s):

Py7 combines seven Python lint tools to deliver a comprehensive check of your Python source code.

You might assume that a compiler or interpreter finds all the glitches and problems in a language's source code, but you would be wrong. While modern compilers and interpreters often perform some of these functions, a dedicated tool such as a lint is specifically designed to find potential problems in source code.

Stephen C. Johnson [1], a computer scientist at Bell Labs, coined the term "lint" in 1978. A lint is "a static code analysis tool used to flag programming errors, bugs, stylistic errors, and suspicious constructs" [2]. While a lint's warnings and errors are more recommendations than actual bugs, they help identify things that can lead to code bloat and security issues.

Using a linting tool can make your code more efficient, teach you to identify common problems in future code, and simplify your code review process. However, running a lint tool can be time-consuming, and it doesn't actually fix the code. It may flag issues that aren't really a problem in your source code (false positives), and it can lead to a false sense of security, because it can miss problems. Despite these drawbacks, a lint tool can help you optimize and improve your source code.

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