Request for tips on my first python script.

[Steven Bethard]

Lex Hider wrote:
>     try:
>         opts, args = getopt.getopt(sys.argv[1:], "l:", 
> ["latest=", "notfound"])
>     except getopt.GetoptError:          
>         sys.exit(2)                     
>         #usage()                         
>     
>     for opt, arg in opts:
>         if opt in ("-l", "--latest"):
>             latest = int(arg)
>         elif opt in ("--notfound"):
>             ignoreNotFound = True #add notfound files to log 

You should definitely consider using optparse or argparse_.  Here's a 
rewrite using argparse::

     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='podcast aggregator')
     parser.add_argument('-l', '--latest', type=int)
     parser.add_argument('--notfound', action='store_true')
     values = parser.parse_args()

Then just use ``values.latest`` and ``values.notfound`` instead of 
``latest`` and ``ignoreNotFound`` in the rest of your code.  Using 
argparse also allows you to easily add your other directories as command 
line options, e.g.::

     parser.add_argument('podDir', nargs='?',
                         default=os.path.join(HOME, 'Podcasts'))

If you then use ``values.podDir`` instead of ``podDir`` throughout your 
code, your users can invoke your script in either of the following ways::

     GodCast.py                # no args, use "$HOME/Podcasts"
     GodCast.py podcast_dir    # podDir specified, use "podcast_dir"

If I were writing your script, I would add optional or positional 
arguments for all of ``maxChecksPerDay``, ``myTemp``, ``downDir``, 
``logFile``, ``cacheDir`` and ``feedList``.

(If you'd like your code to look more like the Python "standard", I'd 
use `PEP 8`_ compliant names, e.g. ``pod_dir`` instead of ``podDir`` and 
``make_dirs`` instead of ``makeDirs``.)

.. _argparse: http://argparse.python-hosting.com/
.. _PEP 8: http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/

HTH,

STeVe