Implementation & Configuration Flashcards

What is the primary advantage of using `pathlib.Path` over `os.path` for file system operations in Python 3?

Answer: pathlib provides an object-oriented API that is more readable and composable

`pathlib.Path` represents paths as objects with methods like `.read_text()` and `/` operator joining, making code more readable than string-based `os.path` functions.

Which `logging` level is the lowest severity in Python's standard logging hierarchy?

Answer: DEBUG

DEBUG (level 10) is the lowest named severity level; messages at this level are the most verbose and granular.

What does `if __name__ == '__main__':` guard protect against?

Answer: Running top-level code when the module is imported by another module

When a module is imported, `__name__` is set to the module name rather than `'__main__'`, so guarded code only runs when the file is executed directly.

In a `setup.cfg` file, which section declares the package's minimum Python version requirement?

Answer: [options] python_requires

The `python_requires` key under the `[options]` section in `setup.cfg` specifies the compatible Python version range (e.g., `>=3.8`).

What is the effect of creating a `.pth` file inside a `site-packages` directory?

Answer: Each line in the file is added to `sys.path` at interpreter startup

Python processes `.pth` files in `site-packages` at startup, adding each directory listed on a line to `sys.path`.

Which tool is the recommended modern replacement for `setup.py` to build and publish Python packages?

Answer: build + twine

The `build` package creates distributions and `twine` uploads them to PyPI, replacing `python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel upload`.

What does `pip install package[extra]` syntax do?

Answer: Installs the package along with its optional 'extra' dependency group

Extras (defined via `extras_require` in setup.py) allow packages to declare optional dependency groups installable on demand with bracket syntax.