title: When is a variable considered constant in terms of PEP8 naming styles?
body: <p>In keeping with PEP8 conventions, in a <code>.py</code> I can define constants as:</p>
  
  <pre><code>NAME = "Me"
  AGE = "Old"
  GENER = "Male"
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>If  a <code>.txt</code> contained <code>Me Old Male</code> on a single line, and in another <code>.py</code> I performed:</p>
  
  <pre><code>FILE = "C:/path/to/file.txt"  # a declared constant, easy
  with open(FILE, 'r') as f:
      content = f.read().rstrip('\n').split()
      data = ','.join(content)  # returns Me,Old,Male
  </code></pre>
  
  <p><strong>Question(s):</strong></p>
  
  <p>Can <code>content</code> and <code>data</code> be considered constants? </p>
  
  <p>To be constant, must a variable be declared as a constant at build?</p>
  
  <p>Or is constant vice variable a function of the ability to be altered by user input in runtime?</p>
  
  <p><strong>Supporting Informaton:</strong></p>
  
  <p><code>content</code> is what is in the file, but it is subject to <code>.rstrip()</code> and <code>.split()</code> but it as a whole is never changed later. <code>data</code> is made from <code>content</code>, which hasn't changed and wont, and is subject to <code>.join()</code>. Neither values change after they are initialized.</p>
  
  <p>I would view this similar to:</p>
  
  <pre><code>&gt;&gt;&gt; A = 2  # a declared constant
  &gt;&gt;&gt; B = 2  # another declared constant
  &gt;&gt;&gt; TOTAL = A + B  # 'caps' per PEP8 for constant naming
  4
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Assuming the program has terminated and <code>TOTAL</code> is never altered, I would consider this value a constant. Again under the presumption that any variable that is not alterable during runtime is to be considered a constant.</p>
  
  <p>Feel free to alter my notions as required to align with standards!</p>