Introduction

pylint-sort-functions is a PyLint plugin that enforces organized sorting of functions and methods within Python classes and modules. It supports both traditional binary public/private sorting and advanced multi-category organization with framework-specific presets for pytest, unittest, and PyQt applications.

Features

  • Multi-Category Method Organization: Framework-aware method categorization beyond binary public/private (Phase 1)

  • Framework Presets: Built-in configurations for pytest, unittest, and PyQt frameworks

  • Custom Categorization: JSON-configurable method categories with pattern matching and priority resolution

  • Functional Section Headers: Validated section headers that enforce organizational structure (Phase 2)

  • Traditional Binary Sorting: Classic public/private alphabetical organization (backward compatible)

  • Privacy Detection: Identifies functions that should be private/public based on cross-module usage analysis

  • Automatic Fixing: CLI tool for automatically fixing function order and privacy violations

  • Comprehensive Message Codes: Eight message types (W9001-W9008) covering all organizational violations

  • Advanced Configuration: Public API patterns, privacy detection settings, and decorator exclusions

  • Clear Error Messages: Detailed messages with line numbers indicating exactly what needs to be reorganized

Installation

Development Dependencies (Recommended)

Add to your project’s development dependencies for consistent team usage:

# pyproject.toml
[tool.uv.dev-dependencies]
pylint-sort-functions = ">=1.0.0"
pylint = ">=3.3.0"

# Poetry
[tool.poetry.group.dev.dependencies]
pylint-sort-functions = "^1.0.0"

Direct Installation

Install from PyPI:

pip install pylint-sort-functions

Quick Start

Enable the plugin in your pylint configuration:

pylint --load-plugins=pylint_sort_functions your_module.py

Or add to your .pylintrc file:

[MASTER]
load-plugins = pylint_sort_functions

Message Codes

The plugin defines these message types:

  • W9001: unsorted-functions - Functions not sorted alphabetically within their scope

  • W9002: unsorted-methods - Class methods not sorted alphabetically within their scope

  • W9003: mixed-function-visibility - Public and private functions not properly separated

  • W9004: function-should-be-private - Function should be private (prefix with underscore)

  • W9005: function-should-be-public - Private function should be public (remove underscore prefix)

Advanced Configuration

The plugin supports advanced configuration options:

Using pyproject.toml:

[tool.pylint.function-sort]
public-api-patterns = ["main", "run", "setup", "teardown"]
enable-privacy-detection = true

Using .pylintrc:

[function-sort]
public-api-patterns = main,run,setup,teardown
enable-privacy-detection = yes

Configuration Options:

  • public-api-patterns: Function names to always treat as public API

  • enable-privacy-detection: Enable cross-module usage analysis for privacy detection