\( \newcommand{\NOT}{\neg} \newcommand{\AND}{\wedge} \newcommand{\OR}{\vee} \newcommand{\XOR}{\oplus} \newcommand{\IMP}{\Rightarrow} \newcommand{\IFF}{\Leftrightarrow} \newcommand{\TRUE}{\text{True}\xspace} \newcommand{\FALSE}{\text{False}\xspace} \newcommand{\IN}{\,{\in}\,} \newcommand{\NOTIN}{\,{\notin}\,} \newcommand{\TO}{\rightarrow} \newcommand{\DIV}{\mid} \newcommand{\NDIV}{\nmid} \newcommand{\MOD}[1]{\pmod{#1}} \newcommand{\MODS}[1]{\ (\text{mod}\ #1)} \newcommand{\N}{\mathbb N} \newcommand{\Z}{\mathbb Z} \newcommand{\Q}{\mathbb Q} \newcommand{\R}{\mathbb R} \newcommand{\C}{\mathbb C} \newcommand{\cA}{\mathcal A} \newcommand{\cB}{\mathcal B} \newcommand{\cC}{\mathcal C} \newcommand{\cD}{\mathcal D} \newcommand{\cE}{\mathcal E} \newcommand{\cF}{\mathcal F} \newcommand{\cG}{\mathcal G} \newcommand{\cH}{\mathcal H} \newcommand{\cI}{\mathcal I} \newcommand{\cJ}{\mathcal J} \newcommand{\cL}{\mathcal L} \newcommand{\cK}{\mathcal K} \newcommand{\cN}{\mathcal N} \newcommand{\cO}{\mathcal O} \newcommand{\cP}{\mathcal P} \newcommand{\cQ}{\mathcal Q} \newcommand{\cS}{\mathcal S} \newcommand{\cT}{\mathcal T} \newcommand{\cV}{\mathcal V} \newcommand{\cW}{\mathcal W} \newcommand{\cZ}{\mathcal Z} \newcommand{\emp}{\emptyset} \newcommand{\bs}{\backslash} \newcommand{\floor}[1]{\left \lfloor #1 \right \rfloor} \newcommand{\bigfloor}[1]{\Big \lfloor #1 \Big \rfloor} \newcommand{\ceil}[1]{\left \lceil #1 \right \rceil} \newcommand{\bigceil}[1]{\Big \lceil #1 \Big \rceil} \newcommand{\abs}[1]{\left | #1 \right |} \newcommand{\bigabs}[1]{\Big | #1 \Big |} \newcommand{\xspace}{} \newcommand{\proofheader}[1]{\underline{\textbf{#1}}} \)

CSC110 Assignment 1: Using PythonTA

python_ta is a Python library used to check your code for errors in code correctness and good programming style. We are using python_ta as part of the grading for this assignment. The great thing about python_ta is that you can run it yourself, just like doctest, to make sure you receive a perfect score on this part!

Here are some instructions for using python_ta to check your work:

  1. First, make sure you are using version 2.7.0, 2.8.0, or 2.8.1 of PythonTA. These versions have some different checks compared to older versions, so it’s important that you use one of these versions, to be consistent with how we’ll be evaluating your work.

    You can check what version of PythonTA you’re using in the Python console:

    >>> import python_ta
>>> python_ta.__version__
'2.7.0'

    As long as the string display one of the versions 2.7.0-2.8.1, you are good to go! If you have an older version installed, please check out the Software Installation Tips & Troubleshooting section on this page.

  2. In the starter files, we’ve included the necessary code to run PythonTA in the main block at the bottom of the file, similar to running doctest. All you need to do is uncomment (delete the # and space) each of those lines of code, and then run the file (right-click -> Run File in Python Console).

    Do not change the given code for calling python_ta.check_all; this sets specific options for doing the checks that are the same as the ones we’ll be using when grading your work.

  3. Your web browser will open up, with a report showing any errors detected by python_ta. If you aren’t sure what a particular error means, click on the code and you’ll be taken to the python_ta help page with some more information. If you still aren’t sure, ask on Ed!

    Tip: PyCharm can fix many style errors automatically if you select all of the code in a file and go to the menu Code -> Reformat Code.

You can run python_ta as many times as you want, even as you’re working on completing the assignment. You must fix ALL errors (including any that may have already existed within the starter code) before submitting your work.

How grading with PythonTA works

You will be penalized for all errors detected by python_ta that aren’t fixed by your final submission, so please fix all of them!

Further reading

To learn more about PythonTA, check out Course Notes Appendix B.3 python_ta or the PythonTA website.