Make Each Line Count, Keeping Things Simple in Python

A challenge in software development is to keep things simple

For your code to not grow overly complex over time

Simple is better than complex.
Complex is better than complicated.

Zen of Python

Simplicity in your code means fewer possibilities for bugs to hide and easier debugging when they do arise

It also makes your code more understandable and maintainable, which is crucial in a team setting or when returning to your code after a period of time.

A good example is (not) using Python built-ins.

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Given you go from supporting checking if one number is divisible:

def is_divisible(num, divisor):
    return num % divisor == 0

To multiple numbers:

def is_divisible_by_all(num, divisors):
    for divisor in divisors:
        if num % divisor != 0:
            return False
    return True

This is valid and works, but you might write this in a simpler matter using the any() buit-in:

def is_divisible_by_all(num, divisors):
    return all(num % divisor == 0 for divisor in divisors)

Very clean / easy to read

Another example is doing dictionary lookups, checking if the key is in the dictionary:

Complex (unnecessary):

def get_value(dictionary, key):
    if key in dictionary:
        return dictionary[key]
    else:
        return "Key not found"

Better: leverage the fact that Python dicts have a get() method:

dictionary.get(key, "Key not found")

Remember, simple code isn’t just about having fewer lines, it’s about being concise, making each line count

This usually means heavily using the Python built-ins and Standard Library

The more you can do with less, the easier your code is to understand and maintain

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