Introduction to flake8-isort

Flake8-isort is a Flake8 plugin that integrates the isort tool for sorting Python imports into Flake8. It helps maintain PEP8 compliance by organizing import statements in a consistent order. In this article, we’ll explore flake8-isort, its various APIs, and how to use it effectively in your Python projects.

Getting Started with flake8-isort

Firstly, you need to install both Flake8 and isort:

  
    pip install flake8 isort flake8-isort
  

Basic Usage

After installation, you can simply run Flake8, and it will automatically enforce import order checks. For example:

  
    flake8 your_python_file.py
  

API Examples

1. isort Configuration

Create a `.isort.cfg` file to configure isort according to your preferences.

  
    [settings]
    line_length = 79
    multi_line_output = 3
  

2. Ignoring Import Sorting

To ignore sorting for specific lines or files, you can use skip directives:

  
    # isort:skip_comment
    import os
    import sys  # isort:skip
  

3. Sorting Within Code

You can also sort imports within your code dynamically:

  
    from isort import SortImports
    sorted_code = SortImports(file_path="unsorted_file.py").output
  

4. Integrating with Pre-commit Hooks

Integrate flake8-isort with pre-commit for automated checks before commits:

  
    - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/mirrors-isort
      rev: v5.7.0
      hooks:
        - id: isort
  

5. Custom CLI Usage

Running isort directly from the command line for quick checks:

  
    isort your_python_file.py
  

Application Example

Let’s go through a small application example where we use flake8-isort to maintain well-organized imports in a simple Python project:

  
    # my_project/app.py
    import flask
    import requests
    import os

    from flask import Flask

    app = Flask(__name__)

    @app.route('/')
    def home():
        response = requests.get('https://api.github.com')
        return response.json()

    if __name__ == '__main__':
        app.run(debug=True)
  

Run flake8 to ensure that imports are well-organized:

  
    flake8 my_project/app.py
  

By integrating flake8-isort, we ensure that our project maintains a consistent and clean import structure, adhering to PEP8 standards.

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