🐍 Python Cleaner Tool

Automatically manage whitespace and fix basic Python syntax issues without changing your code logic.

• Converts tabs to spaces (prevents TabError)
• Fixes simple syntax issues like trailing backslashes at the end of lines
• Removes trailing spaces (for cleaner diffs and commits)
• Normalizes blank lines (improves readability and reduces file size)
• Creates a new cleaned file (without overwriting your original)

Ideal for: pre-commit hooks, legacy code maintenance, and team collaboration.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Install Rust on your system.
• Ensure cargo is available in your terminal.

Running in GitHub Codespaces

1. Click the Code button on this repository.

2. Select Codespaces → Create Codespace.

3. Wait for the environment to load.

4. In the terminal, build the project: cargo build

5. Run the tool on your Python file: cargo run -- your_file.py (Example: cargo run -- demo_dirty.py)

8. Choose Cleaning Mode

1. Syntax errors
2. Git issues
3. File size
4. Everything

7. Get Your Cleaned File

The tool creates: your_file_cleaned.py

Your original file remains unchanged.

Download / Clone the Tool from GitHub

Open your terminal (macOS/Linux) or PowerShell (Windows) and run: git clone https://github.com/SDayie/Python-File-Cleaner-CLI-Tool.git cd "Python-File-Cleaner-CLI-Tool" This downloads the tool to your computer and navigates into the project folder.

Run the Tool (without installing globally)

macOS / Linux cargo run -- /path/to/your/python/file.py Example: cargo run -- ~/Downloads/dirty_example.py Windows (PowerShell) cargo run -- "C:\Users\YourName\Downloads\dirty_example.py"

Run the Tool (after installing globally, optional)

You can install the CLI globally (so you can run it from any folder): cargo install --path . After installation, simply run: python-cleaner /path/to/your/python/file.py On macOS/Linux, the binary is usually in ~/.cargo/bin/python-cleaner On Windows, in %USERPROFILE%.cargo\bin\python-cleaner.exe

Choose what to clean

After running, the tool will ask: What's your main problem?

1. Syntax errors
2. Git issues
3. File size
4. Everything Enter choice:

What each choice does:

Choice Fixes

1. Syntax errors Tabs → spaces, trailing spaces after , normalize line endings
2. Git issues Trailing spaces, multiple blank lines, consistent formatting for cleaner diffs
3. File size Reduce unnecessary blank lines and trailing spaces
4. Everything All of the above

Type a number and press Enter.

Enter the new cleaned file name

You will see: Enter the name for the cleaned file (include .py), or press Enter to use default:

• Type a new name, e.g., my_cleaned.py • Or press Enter to use the default: _cleaned.py The original file is never modified.

Confirm Cleaning

Cleaned file saved as: dirty_example_cleaned.py • You can now run the cleaned file: python dirty_example_cleaned.py

Features

Syntax Error Prevention

• Fixes mixed indentation: Converts tabs to spaces, preventing TabError
• Cleans line continuations: Removes trailing spaces after backslashes (\)

Whitespace Cleaning

• Trailing space removal: Eliminates spaces/tabs at line ends (reduces git noise)
• Blank line optimization: Reduces consecutive blank lines to maximum one between blocks

📁 File Handling

• Safe by default: Creates filename_cleaned.py instead of overwriting
• Custom output: Option to specify output filename

User Interface

• Interactive mode: Choose problems to fix (syntax errors/git issues/file size/everything)

Git/GitHub Optimization

• Cleaner diffs: Removes whitespace-only changes from git history

Limitations

No Logic or Semantic Changes

• Logic unchanged: Never modifies your code's functionality or algorithm
• No bug fixes: Runtime errors (ZeroDivisionError, KeyError, etc.) remain
• No refactoring: Variable names, function structure, and imports stay as-is

Limited Syntax Error Coverage

• Only basic whitespace-related syntax: Fixes TabError and removes trailing spaces after line continuation backslashes (\)
• Not a full linter: Doesn't catch missing parentheses, colons, or complex syntax errors
• No code analysis: Can't detect logical indentation mistakes (wrong blocks)

Basic Formatting Only

• Not PEP 8 compliant: Only fixes basic whitespace, not full Python style
• No line length management: Won't wrap long lines to 79 characters
• No import organization: Imports stay in their original order
• No naming fixes: Variable/function names remain unchanged

File Processing Scope

• Single-file focus: Primarily designed for individual file processing

Git Integration Level

• Cleaning only: Doesn't commit, push, or modify git history
• Pre-commit helper: Best used before commits, not as git replacement
• Manual integration: Requires adding to pre-commit hooks or CI/CD manually

Before & After Code Comparison

Syntax Errors Demo

❌ Before Cleaning

Python fails due to invisible whitespace issues. Mixed tabs and spaces combined with trailing backslashes can cause a TabError or SyntaxError, even though the logic is correct.

✅ After Cleaning

Tabs are converted to spaces and trailing whitespace after the backslash is removed.

Git Issues Demo

❌ Before Cleaning

Whitespace noise in version control. Trailing spaces and excessive blank lines create unnecessary changes in git diffs and clutter commits.

✅ After Cleaning

Clean diffs, cleaner commits. Trailing whitespace is removed and blank lines are normalized, reducing git noise without modifying code logic.

File Size Demo

❌ Before Cleaning

Unnecessarily long and bloated file. Excessive blank lines increase file length and reduce readability.

✅ After Cleaning

Compact and readable. Multiple blank lines are collapsed into a single line, improving readability and reducing file size.