Code Style Guide

ERPNext follows strict code style guidelines to maintain consistency and quality across the codebase. This guide covers the tools and rules used for code formatting and linting.

Python Requirements

ERPNext requires Python 3.14 or higher.

requires-python = ">=3.14"

Automated Code Quality Tools

ERPNext uses several automated tools to enforce code quality standards. These tools run automatically through pre-commit hooks and CI/CD pipelines.

Pre-commit Hooks

All contributors must use pre-commit hooks. These hooks run automatically before each commit to catch issues early.

Install Pre-commit

Pre-commit hooks are configured in .pre-commit-config.yaml and will run automatically when you commit.

# Pre-commit is installed as part of the development dependencies
# Hooks will run automatically on git commit

Understand What Runs

The following checks run on every commit:

Trailing whitespace removal
YAML, JSON, and TOML validation
Merge conflict detection
Python AST validation
Debug statement detection
Code formatting (Prettier, Ruff)
Linting (ESLint, Ruff)

Fix Issues

If pre-commit hooks fail, fix the reported issues and commit again. Some issues are auto-fixed.

Commits will be blocked if pre-commit hooks fail. You cannot bypass these checks.

Python Code Style

Ruff Configuration

ERPNext uses Ruff for Python linting and formatting. Ruff is configured in pyproject.toml:

[tool.ruff]
line-length = 110
target-version = "py310"

Line Length

Maximum line length is 110 characters.

Enabled Linting Rules

ERPNext enables the following Ruff rule sets:

[tool.ruff.lint]
select = [
    "F",    # Pyflakes
    "E",    # pycodestyle errors
    "W",    # pycodestyle warnings
    "I",    # isort (import sorting)
    "UP",   # pyupgrade
    "B",    # flake8-bugbear
    "RUF",  # Ruff-specific rules
]

Rule Set Descriptions

F (Pyflakes): Detects various Python errors like undefined names, unused imports, etc.
E/W (pycodestyle): Enforces PEP 8 style conventions
I (isort): Ensures imports are properly sorted and organized
UP (pyupgrade): Suggests modern Python syntax improvements
B (bugbear): Catches likely bugs and design problems
RUF: Ruff-specific rules for code quality

Ignored Rules

Certain rules are intentionally disabled for ERPNext:

ignore = [
    "B017",  # assertRaises(Exception) - should be more specific
    "B018",  # useless expression, not assigned to anything
    "B023",  # function doesn't bind loop variable
    "B904",  # raise inside except without from
    "E101",  # indentation contains mixed spaces and tabs
    "E402",  # module level import not at top of file
    "E501",  # line too long (handled by formatter)
    "E741",  # ambiguous variable name
    "F401",  # "unused" imports
    "F403",  # can't detect undefined names from * import
    "F405",  # can't detect undefined names from * import
    "F722",  # syntax error in forward type annotation
    "W191",  # indentation contains tabs
    "RUF001", # string contains ambiguous unicode character
]

These rules are ignored due to ERPNext’s specific coding patterns and legacy code considerations.

Type Hints

ERPNext uses Frappe’s type hint system:

typing-modules = ["frappe.types.DF"]

This allows proper type checking for Frappe DocType fields.

Code Formatting

Ruff’s formatter is configured with these settings:

[tool.ruff.format]
quote-style = "double"
indent-style = "tab"
docstring-code-format = true

Quote Style

Use double quotes for strings:

# ✅ Correct
message = "Hello, World!"

# ❌ Incorrect
message = 'Hello, World!'

Indentation

Use tabs for indentation, not spaces:

# ✅ Correct (tabs)
def calculate_total(items):
	total = 0
	for item in items:
		total += item.amount
	return total

Docstring Code Formatting

Code examples in docstrings are automatically formatted:

def process_order(order):
	"""Process a sales order.
	
	Example:
		>>> process_order(order)
		{'status': 'success'}
	"""
	pass

Import Sorting

Ruff automatically sorts imports using the isort rules:

- id: ruff
  name: "Run ruff import sorter"
  args: ["--select=I", "--fix"]

Imports are organized in this order:

Standard library imports
Third-party imports
Frappe imports
Local imports

# ✅ Correct import order
import json
from datetime import datetime

import requests
from rapidfuzz import fuzz

import frappe
from frappe import _
from frappe.utils import flt, cint

from erpnext.stock.utils import get_stock_balance

JavaScript/Vue Code Style

Prettier

ERPNext uses Prettier for JavaScript, Vue, and SCSS files:

- repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/mirrors-prettier
  rev: v2.7.1
  hooks:
    - id: prettier
      types_or: [javascript, vue, scss]

Prettier automatically formats your JavaScript and Vue files with consistent style.

Excluded Patterns

The following files are excluded from Prettier formatting:

erpnext/public/dist/* (build artifacts)
cypress/* (test files)
node_modules/*
*boilerplate*
erpnext/templates/includes/* (Jinja templates)

ESLint

JavaScript files are linted with ESLint:

- repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/mirrors-eslint
  rev: v8.44.0
  hooks:
    - id: eslint
      types_or: [javascript]
      args: ['--quiet']

ESLint errors will block your commit. Fix all reported issues before committing.

Pre-commit Hook Configuration

Basic Checks

These checks run on every commit:

Trailing Whitespace

Removes trailing whitespace from ERPNext files (excludes JSON, TXT, CSV, and MD files):

- id: trailing-whitespace
  files: "erpnext.*"
  exclude: ".*json$|.*txt$|.*csv|.*md"

File Validation

Validates file syntax:

check-yaml: YAML files must be valid
check-json: JSON files must be valid
check-toml: TOML files must be valid
check-ast: Python files must have valid syntax

Branch Protection

Prevents direct commits to the develop branch:

- id: no-commit-to-branch
  args: ['--branch', 'develop']

You cannot commit directly to the develop branch. Create a feature branch instead.

Merge Conflict Detection

Detects merge conflict markers:

- id: check-merge-conflict

Debug Statement Detection

Prevents committing Python debug statements like pdb.set_trace():

- id: debug-statements

CI/CD Linting

All pull requests are automatically checked by GitHub Actions:

Linters Workflow

name: Linters

jobs:
  linters:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - name: Set up Python 3.14
        uses: actions/setup-python@v6
      - name: Install and Run Pre-commit
        uses: pre-commit/action@v3.0.0

The same pre-commit hooks that run locally also run in CI. If they pass locally, they’ll pass in CI.

Semgrep Analysis

ERPNext also runs Semgrep for advanced security and correctness checks:

semgrep:
  runs-on: ubuntu-latest
  steps:
    - name: Download Semgrep rules
      run: git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/frappe/semgrep-rules.git
    - name: Run Semgrep rules
      run: semgrep ci --config ./frappe-semgrep-rules/rules

Semgrep checks for common security vulnerabilities and code correctness issues. Address all Semgrep findings before merging.

Best Practices

Server-Side Validation

All business logic and validations must be implemented on the server-side, not in JavaScript.

This ensures:

Security: Client-side code can be bypassed
API consistency: REST API and UI use the same logic
Reliability: Logic is tested and version-controlled

Code Organization

Follow these guidelines for organizing your code:

Keep functions focused: Each function should do one thing well
Use meaningful names: Variable and function names should be descriptive
Add docstrings: Document functions with clear docstrings
Write tests: Include unit tests for new functionality
Handle errors: Use proper error handling and user-friendly messages

Example: Well-Formatted Python Code

import frappe
from frappe import _
from frappe.utils import flt, getdate

from erpnext.stock.utils import get_stock_balance


def validate_stock_availability(doc, method=None):
	"""Validate that sufficient stock is available for all items.
	
	Args:
		doc: Sales Order document
		method: Hook method name (optional)
		
	Raises:
		frappe.ValidationError: If insufficient stock is available
	"""
	for item in doc.items:
		if item.item_code and item.warehouse:
			stock_balance = get_stock_balance(
				item.item_code,
				item.warehouse,
				doc.transaction_date
			)
			
			if flt(stock_balance) < flt(item.qty):
				frappe.throw(
					_(
						"Insufficient stock for item {0} in warehouse {1}. "
						"Available: {2}, Required: {3}"
					).format(
						item.item_code,
						item.warehouse,
						stock_balance,
						item.qty
					)
				)

Quick Reference

Tool	Purpose	Configuration
Ruff	Python linting & formatting	`pyproject.toml`
Prettier	JavaScript/Vue/SCSS formatting	`.pre-commit-config.yaml`
ESLint	JavaScript linting	`.pre-commit-config.yaml`
Semgrep	Security & correctness analysis	GitHub Actions
Pre-commit	Automated pre-commit checks	`.pre-commit-config.yaml`

Troubleshooting

Pre-commit hooks failing

If pre-commit hooks fail:

Read the error message carefully
Fix the reported issues (many are auto-fixed)
Stage the fixed files: git add <files>
Commit again: git commit -m "your message"

For persistent issues:

# Run pre-commit manually to see full output
pre-commit run --all-files

Import sorting issues

If Ruff is reordering your imports unexpectedly:

Let Ruff auto-fix: ruff check --select=I --fix .
Commit the changes
Review the new import order matches the standard

Line length violations

If you have lines longer than 110 characters:

Break the line using appropriate Python style
Use parentheses for implicit line continuation
Break method chains into multiple lines

# ✅ Good
result = (
	some_long_function_name(argument1, argument2, argument3)
	.filter(condition)
	.map(transform)
)

Development

Customization

Contributing

Code Style Guide

Python Requirements

Automated Code Quality Tools

Pre-commit Hooks

Python Code Style

Ruff Configuration

Line Length

Enabled Linting Rules

Ignored Rules

Type Hints

Code Formatting

Import Sorting

JavaScript/Vue Code Style

Prettier

Excluded Patterns

ESLint

Pre-commit Hook Configuration

Basic Checks

CI/CD Linting

Linters Workflow

Semgrep Analysis

Best Practices

Server-Side Validation

Code Organization

Example: Well-Formatted Python Code

Quick Reference

Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Development

Customization

Contributing

Documentation Index

​Python Requirements

​Automated Code Quality Tools

​Pre-commit Hooks

​Python Code Style

​Ruff Configuration

​Line Length

​Enabled Linting Rules

​Ignored Rules

​Type Hints

​Code Formatting

​Import Sorting

​JavaScript/Vue Code Style

​Prettier

​Excluded Patterns

​ESLint

​Pre-commit Hook Configuration

​Basic Checks

​CI/CD Linting

​Linters Workflow

​Semgrep Analysis

​Best Practices

​Server-Side Validation

​Code Organization

​Example: Well-Formatted Python Code

​Quick Reference

​Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Python Requirements

Automated Code Quality Tools

Pre-commit Hooks

Python Code Style

Ruff Configuration

Line Length

Enabled Linting Rules

Ignored Rules

Type Hints

Code Formatting

Import Sorting

JavaScript/Vue Code Style

Prettier

Excluded Patterns

ESLint

Pre-commit Hook Configuration

Basic Checks

CI/CD Linting

Linters Workflow

Semgrep Analysis

Best Practices

Server-Side Validation

Code Organization

Example: Well-Formatted Python Code

Quick Reference

Troubleshooting