fix-types

Your task

To fix types, do the following.

1. First run the type checker to see what the issues are:

   uv run mypy .
   

2. Group the errors you find in to logical buckets.
3. For each bucket of errors, go through the errors one at a time, tell me the fix you want to apply, and then ask if I have any questions or suggestions before proceeding.
4. Only once I approve, apply the fix and move onto the next error in the bucket.
5. Once you’ve completed a bucket, ask me if I’d like to move on to the next bucket.

Prefer cast() over type: ignore

When mypy can’t infer the correct type, prefer using cast() over # type: ignore:

# Preferred - documents the expected type
choices = cast(list[tuple[str, str]], field.choices)

# Avoid when cast is possible - just silences the error
choices = list(field.choices)  # type: ignore[arg-type]

Why: cast() explicitly documents what type you expect, making the code more readable and maintainable. It also doesn’t silence other potential errors on the same line.

Prefer proper errors over assertions for null checks

When adding null checks to satisfy mypy, prefer raising proper exceptions over using assert:

# Preferred - proper error handling
if obj.related_field is None:
    raise ValueError("Object must have a related field")
result = obj.related_field.some_method()

# Avoid - assertions can be disabled with -O flag
assert obj.related_field is not None
result = obj.related_field.some_method()

Why: Assertions can be disabled in production with python -O, making them unreliable for runtime validation. Proper exceptions ensure the check always runs and provides better error handling.

When using type: ignore, add a comment

If type: ignore is necessary (e.g., mypy limitation with valid code), always add a short explanation:

# Good - explains why the ignore is needed
self.tier = tier  # type: ignore[misc]  # mypy can't handle Enum tuple values with custom __init__

# Bad - no explanation
self.tier = tier  # type: ignore[misc]

Type Hints for Django Lazy Translation Strings

When using type hints with Django’s lazy translation strings (gettext_lazy), use the following pattern to avoid mypy errors while keeping the code working in production (where django-stubs-ext is not installed):

from __future__ import annotations  # Must be the first import

from typing import TYPE_CHECKING

if TYPE_CHECKING:
    from django_stubs_ext import StrOrPromise

# Then use StrOrPromise in type hints
def my_function(name: StrOrPromise) -> StrOrPromise:
    ...

class MyData:
    title: StrOrPromise
    description: StrOrPromise

Why this pattern:

• from __future__ import annotations makes type annotations strings at runtime (not evaluated)
• if TYPE_CHECKING: ensures the import only happens during type checking, not at runtime
• django-stubs-ext is a dev dependency and won’t be available in production
• This pattern allows both regular strings and lazy translation strings to be accepted