Formatting Python Code in IntelliJ – 5 minute read

Let’s go through the steps to configure and format Python code in IntelliJ IDEA. Note that IntelliJ IDEA is a versatile IDE and not specifically tailored for Python. Therefore, you’ll need to install and configure the Python plugin for IntelliJ IDEA.

First, let’s install and configure the Python plugin:

1. Open IntelliJ IDEA.
2. From the Welcome screen, select Configure -> Plugins.
3. In the Plugins window, click on the Marketplace tab.
4. In the search bar, type Python and press Enter.
5. From the list of plugins, find the Python Community Edition plugin and click on Install.
6. Once the installation is complete, you will be prompted to restart IntelliJ IDEA. Click on Restart.

Once you have the Python plugin installed and configured, you can now set up automatic formatting. The PEP 8 style guide for Python code is widely used and can be configured in IntelliJ IDEA.

Let’s configure automatic code formatting using PEP 8:

1. Open IntelliJ IDEA.
2. From the File menu, select Settings (for Windows and Linux) or Preferences (for macOS).
3. In the Settings/Preferences window, in the left pane, navigate to Editor -> Code Style -> Python.
4. In the Python pane, navigate to the PEP 8 tab.
5. Check the box next to Optimize imports and Ensure right margin is not exceeded.
6. Set the Right margin (columns) to 79, as recommended by PEP 8.
7. Click on Apply and then OK.

Now you can format your Python code using PEP 8. You can either format a part of the code, a whole file, or a whole project.

Here is how to format code:

1. To format a part of the code, highlight the part you want to format, then from the Code menu, select Reformat Code or use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+L (for Windows and Linux) or Cmd+Option+L (for macOS).
2. To format a whole file, don’t highlight anything, just click somewhere in the file you want to format, then from the Code menu, select Reformat Code or use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+L (for Windows and Linux) or Cmd+Option+L (for macOS).
3. To format a whole project, from the Code menu, select Reformat Code. In the Reformat File dialog, select Whole project, then click on Run.

Remember to always verify your code after formatting since it may sometimes lead to unintended changes.