How to name instance variables in Python?

Question

I try to stick to the PEP8 coding conventions. I have a package called main. Inside the package there is a module called time, which has a class called Time inside. Now I have a bit of trouble finding a suitable name for my actual instance because time, which would be usually my choice, is already taken by the module and there seems to be a name-clash if I name it this way.

from main.time import Time
time = Time()
...
if time.status == main.time.STOPPED

Maybe I also placed the constant in the wrong module, but I thought that it would be better to have my constants at the place where they belong to. This is a constant used in my class Time (and the main module), so I can make sure that I don't mix it up with another constant called STOPPED used for player movement. Unfortunately I get an AttributeError: 'function' object has no attribute 'time'.

What would be the best solution here? Rename the constants to TIME_STOPPED and PLAYER_STOPPED and put them into a constants module? Naming my instance variable my_time or time_ or something like this is not really what I would like to do. What's the Pythonic way?

• Pynchia: unclear. please provide full code and traceback
• jonrsharpe: Your problem is that you don't have access to STOPPED, surely? I think you want from main.time import Time, STOPPED. You could also make it a Time class attribute, so the test would become if time.status == Time.STOPPED:, further reducing ambiguity with the player version of STOPPED.
• Paulo Scardine: Try adding an import like this: import main.time
• freeDom-: I would like to have to write time.STOPPED instead of STOPPED, so that I won't get confused with player.STOPPED. The approach making it a class member sounds good to me - so I will either change my constants being inside of the class now, or rename them and put them into a constants module.
• MisterMiyagi: You should seriously consider using more verbose names, unless you are working in a very tight scope. Short names such as time are ambiguous (is it the current time, a time you are waiting for, ...) and also often used already - time is the name of a standard module.

Answer 1

Using the name time is a bad choice to begin with, not just because you already have a module that is named time, but also because there is a standard library module named time.

Anyways, this is not actually your problem (perhaps a clash with the STL module is, but you don't show enough code). The error AttributeError: 'function' object has no attribute 'time' means that main (in main.time) is a function, not module. Your line time = Time() is not the cause of this, but another function object called main inside your executable.

• freeDom-: main.time should be the imported module. I thought the nameclash is between that one (main.time.STOPPED) and the time instance of my Time object.. Anyways good point there - so I renamed the module to gametime and the class to GameTime. Nevertheless the problem stays the same if I use gametime = GameTime(). What are your names for instances.. Maybe I should use gametime_instance or game_time then to avoid the nameclash...
• MisterMiyagi: @freeDom- I can only reiterate that your naming of the Time or GameTime instance is questionable but not the issue. You have a function called main in your application's scope which shadows the main module.
• freeDom-: Oh.. So thats the one? Yes, inside my __init__ module there I have a main function.. Maybe the module name main also is a very bad idea...