A plugin providing both real-time and on-demand scanning of Python files with PyLint from within PyCharm/IDEA.

leinardi leinardi Last update: Feb 22, 2024

pylint-pycharm

GitHub (pre-)release Travis GitHub license Stars

This plugin provides both real-time and on-demand scanning of Python files with Pylint from within PyCharm/IDEA.

Pylint is a Python source code analyzer which looks for programming errors, helps enforcing a coding standard and sniffs for some code smells (as defined in Martin Fowler's Refactoring book).

pylint plugin screenshot

Installation steps

  1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog (CTRL+Alt+S), click Plugins. The Plugins page opens.
  2. Click Browse repositories.
  3. In the Browse Repositories dialog that opens, right-click on the plugin named Pylint and select Download and Install.
  4. Confirm your intention to download and install the selected plugin.
  5. Click Close.
  6. Click OK in the Settings dialog and restart PyCharm for the changes to take effect.

Configuration

The only configuration needed is to set the path to Pylint executable, and only if is not already inside the PATH environment variable.

To reach the Plugin configuration screen you can open Settings/Preferences dialog (CTRL+Alt+S), click Other Settings and then Pylint or simply click the gear icon from the side bar of the Pylint tool window.

To change the path to your Pylint executable you can either type the path directly or use the Browse button to open a file selection dialog.

Once you changed the path you should press the Test button to check if the plugin is able to run the executable.

plugin settings screenshot

Real-time inspection disabled by default

The plugin real-time inspection is disabled by default as numerous users find running mix credo in the background has a negative impact on their system performance. If you like to try enabling the annotation, you can turn it on:

  1. Preferences > Editor > Inspections > Pylint
  2. Check "Pylint real-time scan"

Inspection severity

By default, Pylint message severity is set to Warning. It is possible to change the severity level by going to Settings/Preferences dialog (CTRL+Alt+S) -> Editor -> Inspections -> Pylint -> Severity:

plugin inspection severity screenshot

Usage

plugin actions screenshot plugin actions screenshot

FAQ

How can I prevent the code inspection to run on a specific folder?

The easiest way to ignore a specific folder is to mark it as Excluded from PyCharm/IDEA:

  1. Open PyCharm/IDEA Settings -> your project -> Project structure
  2. Select the directory you want to exclude
  3. Click the Excluded button (red folder icon)

More info here.

The name of the plugin is pylint-pycharm, can I also use it with IntelliJ IDEA?

This plugin officially supports only PyCharm, but it should work also on IntelliJ IDEA if you have the Python Community Edition plugin installed. If it does not work, feel free to open a bug on the issue tracker.

I like this plugin, how can I support it?

The best way to support this plugin is to rate it on the JetBrains Plugin Repository page and to star this project on GitHub. Feedback is always welcome: if you found a bug or would like to suggest a feature, feel free to open an issue on the issue tracker. If your feedback doesn't fall in the previous categories, you can always leave a comment on the Plugin Repository page.

Acknowledgements

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants - Isaac Newton

A huge thanks:

License

Copyright 2021 Roberto Leinardi.

Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more contributor
license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with this work for
additional information regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this
file to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not
use this file except in compliance with the License.  You may obtain a copy of
the License at

  http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.  See the
License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
the License.

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