[2000-08-09]

The Joel Test

1.    Do you use source control?
2.    Can you make a build in one step?
3.    Do you make daily builds?
4.    Do you have a bug database?
5.    Do you fix bugs before writing new code?
6.    Do you have an up-to-date schedule?
7.    Do you have a spec?
8.    Do programmers have quiet working conditions?
9.    Do you use the best tools money can buy?
10.    Do you have testers?
11.    Do new candidates write code during their interview?
12.    Do you do hallway usability testing?

If you want to interact with external programs from your Python applications, Sarge is a library which is intended to make your life easier than using the subprocess module in Python’s standard library.

[Condensed mirror of the pitfalls, see the page for details]

1. Forgetting or mistyping the package name: Since Java is case-sensitive, the package name must be exact.

2. Mistyping the class name. As with package names, Java class names are also case-sensitive. Beware of cases of O/0 (capital-”o” vs. the digit zero), and I/l/1 (capital-”i” vs. lowercase “L” vs. the digit 1). Also note whether the class name includes the underscore (“_”) character.
     
3. Using a Java class that was compiled using a newer JDK major-version than the JVM used in Matlab.

4. Forgetting to update the Java classpath.

5. Dependency #1: A class that depends on any other class that is not on the current Java classpath (either dynamic or static).

6. Dependency #2: A class on the static Java classpath that depends on another class which is on the dynamic Java classpath. All static classes must depend only on other static classes, since the static classpath is processed before the dynamic one, when the JVM is launched at Matlab startup.
     
7. Non-public class – Matlab can only access public classes. If the class is private, protected or has package visibility (by not specifying any visibility modifier at all), then the class would not be loadable by Matlab, only by other Java classes. So remember to add the public keyword in the definition of all the Java classes that you wish to directly use in Matlab.
     
8. Non-public constructor – Matlab can only create objects for non-static classes that have public constructors. If all the class constructors are non-public, then Matlab cannot create a class instance object. In such a case we would get a misleading error message, that at least hints that the problem is with the constructor.

Browse 225 Python Books. 53 Free Books.

The Python Module of the Week series, or PyMOTW, is a tour of the Python standard library through short examples.

The intent of this page is to provide specific guidelines in a quick reference format for writing code that is compatible with both Python2 and Python3. The idea is that you can check this single page once you're familiar with the basic concepts and approaches but need a refresher on a specific coding techniques.