file-level noqa should raise an error if specific errors are provided (to avoid confusion)

[bagerard]

how did you install flake8?

pip install flake8

unmodified output of flake8 --bug-report

{
  "platform": {
    "python_implementation": "CPython",
    "python_version": "3.10.7",
    "system": "Linux"
  },
  "plugins": [
    {
      "plugin": "mccabe",
      "version": "0.7.0"
    },
    {
      "plugin": "pycodestyle",
      "version": "2.10.0"
    },
    {
      "plugin": "pyflakes",
      "version": "3.0.1"
    }
  ],
  "version": "6.0.0"
}

describe the problem

what I expected to happen

I'm seeing developers using the file-level-noqa ignore wrongly from time to time, providing specific errors like # flake8: noqa: E712. What's confusing is that it gives the impression that it works as it doesn't throw that error anymore but the developers' understanding is incorrect (all errors are ignore). I understood that you don't want to support the file-level-specific-ignores but I think flake8 should do something to prevent this confusion.

See for instance https://til.codeinthehole.com/posts/filelevel-flake8-comments-ignore-all-errors/

My suggestion would be to detect that and throw an error? Somehow it is like providing a flake8 config with a wrong format

sample code

# flake8: noqa: E712

from os import *       # F401
assert True == True # E712

Let me know what you think, happy to work on this if you would welcome a PR

[asottile]

given how much people were mad at 6.0 pointing out a common mistake I'm hesitant. I don't need another 2 weeks of needing to lock down the issue tracker while people scream at me in my email

[bagerard]

I understand the hesitation then 😬. Thanks for the quick feedback and for your efforts in Python's ecosystem 🚀

[asottile]

the "simplest" fix for this would be to slap a $ on the file regex

[sigmavirus24]

I almost feel like there needs to be a "mode" for linting people's use of flake8. Like flake8 --warn-on-misuse that detects stuff like this so people could use that to prevent nonsense like this from creeping in. It would be forever a "beta" feature that adds new things to it. Could be used for deprecation warnings of upcoming breaking releases too. Sadly it'll only draw more ire because we don't just accept every feature request to make the tool less useful to large teams.

[jakkdl]

@sigmavirus24 you can suggest it for https://github.com/PyCQA/flake8-bugbear

[asottile]

chatgpt is hot garbage

[sigmavirus24]

As a reminder to people saying "we should just do it" you are given software AS IS per the license. Unless you're maintaining the software, "just do it" isn't a justification. Please read https://blog.ian.stapletoncordas.co/2023/11/no-should-be-your-default before spewing that mentality around other projects