how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation

Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Date	2014-02-05 19:02 -0800
Message-ID	<f63f079f-da05-4f09-ad01-4b764ef16d7f@googlegroups.com> (permalink)
Subject	how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation
From	msustik@gmail.com

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I had a bug in a Python script recently. The code in question was something along the lines of:

if a == 1:
    x = y
else:
    x = z
y = z + y
z = z + 1

While editing this file I accidentally pushed TAB on the line with 'y = z + y'.

My changes were elsewhere and I did not notice the above one line change when I looked at the diffs before commit. I should have noticed it...

It was rare that a was 1 and therefore the problem did not show up for a while. (I know I should have had tests exercising all cases...)

When the bug showed up, it was kind of difficult to remember what was the original intent. Fortunately, looking at old versions allowed me to find the problem commit and the bug.

Any suggestion on how to avoid this type of error in the future?

Thanks!

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how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation msustik@gmail.com - 2014-02-05 19:02 -0800
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Dan Sommers <dan@tombstonezero.net> - 2014-02-06 03:08 +0000
    Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-02-06 15:47 +1100
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Asaf Las <roegltd@gmail.com> - 2014-02-05 21:23 -0800
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2014-02-06 03:09 -0500
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2014-02-06 14:49 +0000
    Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation msustik@gmail.com - 2014-02-06 10:51 -0800
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Roel Schroeven <roel@roelschroeven.net> - 2014-02-06 21:29 +0100
    Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation msustik@gmail.com - 2014-02-06 17:20 -0800
      Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-02-07 12:57 +1100
      Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Roel Schroeven <roel@roelschroeven.net> - 2014-02-07 23:08 +0100
      Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Jurko Gospodnetić <jurko.gospodnetic@pke.hr> - 2014-02-08 12:11 +0100
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Larry Martell <larry.martell@gmail.com> - 2014-02-06 15:36 -0500
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2014-02-06 13:32 -0800
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Larry Martell <larry.martell@gmail.com> - 2014-02-06 17:09 -0500
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-02-07 09:30 +1100
    Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Asaf Las <roegltd@gmail.com> - 2014-02-06 15:01 -0800
      Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-02-07 11:08 +1100
  Re: how to reduce bugs due to incorrect indentation Roel Schroeven <roel@roelschroeven.net> - 2014-02-07 23:06 +0100

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