How to clean up code that requires a lot of user informing code

Question

I'm writing a function that needs to get libraries (files) for a Company from a folder path. Thereafter it needs to install those in a repository. While doing this I need to inform the user what is happening. Below is the code.

    def run(self):
        self.__get_libraries(self.__companies)
        for company in self.__companies:
            self.__install_libraries(company)

        return True, ""

    def __get_libraries(self, companies):
        output.printnlog("Searching library files for:")

        total_libraries = 0
        for company in companies:
            output.printnlog("- {} in {}".format(company.name, company.libraries_folder_path))
            company.get_library_files()
            total_libraries += len(company.get_library_files())

        output.printnlog("Libraries found:", pre_empty=True)
        output.printnlog("- All companies: {}".format(total_libraries))
        reporter.setelement(self.__xml_total_libraries, total_libraries)
        for company in companies:
            output.printnlog("- {}: {}".format(company.name, len(company.get_library_files())))
            reporter.setelement(company.xml_element, company.get_dict())

    def __install_libraries(self, company):
        output.printnlog("Installing library files for {} from {}."
                         .format(company.name, company.libraries_folder_path), pre_empty=True)

        repository = librarymanager.repositories[0]
        libraries = company.get_library_files()
        width = int(math.ceil(math.log10(len(libraries))))
        index = 1
        for library in libraries:
            output.printnlog("Installing library {} of {}: {}"
                             .format(str(index).rjust(width), len(libraries),
                                     os.path.basename(library)))
            install_start_time = datetime.now()

            librarymanager.install_library(library, repository, True)

            elapsed_time = output.log_elapsedtime("Library {} of {} installed within {}."
                                                  .format(str(index).rjust(width), len(libraries),
                                                          "{}"), install_start_time)
            reporter.setelement(company.xml_element.elrecords, {
                "record": {"nr": index, "library": os.path.basename(library),
                           "elapsed_time": elapsed_time}})

            index += 1

Now, everything is working fine but I have the feeling that the code that is actually doing something is lost by the code to inform the user. If I'd stip all the informative stuff, I end up with only this:

    def run(self):
        self.__get_libraries(self.__companies)
        for company in self.__companies:
            self.__install_libraries(company)

        return True, ""

    def __get_libraries(self, companies):
        for company in companies:
            company.get_library_files()

    def __install_libraries(self, company):
        repository = librarymanager.repositories[0]
        libraries = company.get_library_files()
        for library in libraries:
            librarymanager.install_library(library, repository, True)

Is there a good compromise to make between both versions of code? I need the information stuff as a requirement but is it possible to "hide" it from the actual execution code?

Answer 1

I'm very much a beginner with Python, so the following syntax is likely nonsense, but hopefully it demonstrates my point.

Focusing on __install_libraries by way of example, I'd have another class, module or whatever that handled the messaging and would anticipate ending up with compromise code something like:

def __install_libraries(self, company):
    user_notifier = new UserNotifier(company)

    user_notifier.notify_installing_libraries()

    repository = librarymanager.repositories[0]
    libraries = company.get_library_files()

    for library in libraries:
        user_notifier.notify_installing_library(library)
        librarymanager.install_library(library, repository, True)
        user_notifier.notify_installed_library(library)

Then all the code that calculates width, is used to format the messages and increments index gets moved into the UserNotifier module/class.

Your code then focuses on installing the libraries and delegates reporting to another separate piece of code, which is what I generally see as the best compromise in these situations.