Hand-written boilerplate a language feature writes (an __init__ that only stores its parameters)

Code nobody needs: one of the ways AI coding agents bloat software, from lessloc's pattern catalog. lessloc catches it as simpler.

What makes hand-written boilerplate a language feature writes a bad practice?

The standard that calls it a bad practice: PEP 557 (dataclasses).

What does lessloc do about hand-written boilerplate a language feature writes?

lessloc catches it as simpler.

• simpler (tier 2): Brute-force code with a shorter idiom: == True, an if/else that returns the condition, an index loop that only reads xs[i], .filter(...).length > 0, a catch that only rethrows, a flag loop that is any(), a hand-built counter, an __init__ that @dataclass writes, a React Effect that only sets state. ruff and clippy add more.

Examples

Caught as simpler:

class Item:
    def __init__(self, name, price, qty):
        self.name = name
        self.price = price
        self.qty = qty

Written well:

from dataclasses import dataclass


@dataclass
class Item:
    name: str
    price: float
    qty: int

Related patterns

The other patterns in Code nobody needs:

• Options, flags, parameters or config for needs nobody named: lessloc gives every session a rule against it and catches it as mode-flag.
• An interface or abstract class with one implementation: lessloc catches it as single-impl.
• Wrappers that only forward; barrel files that only re-export: lessloc catches it as wrapper.
• A new function or import that nothing calls or tests: lessloc catches it as unused (ruff adds unused variables).
• Obsolete code kept behind a guard or flag instead of deleted: lessloc gives every session the rule: delete what the change makes dead.
• Tombstones: lessloc catches it as history.
• Stubs and fake success: lessloc catches it as stub; it asks to finish the code or to tell the user what is not real yet.
• Placeholders: # ... existing code ..., "your code here": lessloc catches it as placeholder and refuses it before it lands.
• Commented-out code: lessloc catches it as commented-out and refuses it before it lands.
• Debug leftovers: lessloc catches it as debug-leftover.
• A demo __main__ block or demo folder nobody asked for: lessloc catches it as demo-code and new-folder.
• A one-line helper used once: lessloc catches it as single-use.
• TODO and FIXME left behind: lessloc catches it as todo; it asks to finish the work, or to record known debt as shortcut: and tell the user.