Python inconsistent use of tabs writing to csv file

Question

I'm getting an error writing a 'title' line to a csv file:

 File ".\aws_ec2_list_instances.py", line 58
    title_writer.writerow("AWS Master Instance List " + today)
                                                             ^
TabError: inconsistent use of tabs and spaces in indentation

I have a variable called today that I want to use:

today = datetime.today()
today = today.strftime("%m-%d-%Y")

This is the line causing the error:

title_writer = csv.writer(output_file, delimiter=',', quotechar='"', quoting=csv.QUOTE_MINIMAL)
title_writer.writerow("AWS Master Instance List " + today)

I want the date as represented by the today variable listed next to the title.

How can I do this correctly?

Answer 1

You can fix this with a Find and Replace operation on your code:

Find: tab '\t'

Replace with: four spaces '    '

Having both tabs and spaces will make python unhappy, pick one and stick with it, I suggest spaces.

In fact, depending on what you are using to write your code, you can have this done automatically if you press tab . In Notepad++ it is under Settings > Preferences > Language > Replace by space