Converts an arbitrary string into something that can be used as a python identifier. Checks for namespace conflicts and conflicts with python and specified reserved words.

make_python_identifier.py

def make_python_identifier(string, namespace=None, reserved_words=None,
                           convert='drop', handle='force'):
    """
    Takes an arbitrary string and creates a valid Python identifier.
    If the python identifier created is already in the namespace,
    or if the identifier is a reserved word in the reserved_words
    list, or is a python default reserved word,
    adds _1, or if _1 is in the namespace, _2, etc.

    Parameters
    ----------
    string : <basestring>
        The text to be converted into a valid python identifier
    namespace : <dictionary>
        Map of existing translations into python safe identifiers.
        This is to ensure that two strings are not translated into
        the same python identifier
    reserved_words : <list of strings>
        List of words that are reserved (because they have other meanings
        in this particular program, such as also being the names of
        libraries, etc.
    convert : <string>
        Tells the function what to do with characters that are not
        valid in python identifiers
        - 'hex' implies that they will be converted to their hexidecimal
                representation. This is handy if you have variables that
                have a lot of reserved characters
        - 'drop' implies that they will just be dropped altogether
    handle : <string>
        Tells the function how to deal with namespace conflicts
        - 'force' will create a representation which is not in conflict
                  by appending _n to the resulting variable where n is
                  the lowest number necessary to avoid a conflict
        - 'throw' will raise an exception

    Returns
    -------
    identifier : <string>
        A vaild python identifier based on the input string
    namespace : <dictionary>
        An updated map of the translations of words to python identifiers,
        including the passed in 'string'.

    Examples
    --------
    >>> make_python_identifier('Capital')
    ('capital', {'Capital': 'capital'})

    >>> make_python_identifier('multiple words')
    ('multiple_words', {'multiple words': 'multiple_words'})

    >>> make_python_identifier('multiple     spaces')
    ('multiple_spaces', {'multiple     spaces': 'multiple_spaces'})

    When the name is a python keyword, add '_1' to differentiate it
    >>> make_python_identifier('for')
    ('for_1', {'for': 'for_1'})

    Remove leading and trailing whitespace
    >>> make_python_identifier('  whitespace  ')
    ('whitespace', {'  whitespace  ': 'whitespace'})

    Remove most special characters outright:
    >>> make_python_identifier('H@t tr!ck')
    ('ht_trck', {'H@t tr!ck': 'ht_trck'})

    Replace special characters with their hex representations
    >>> make_python_identifier('H@t tr!ck', convert='hex')
    ('h40t_tr21ck', {'H@t tr!ck': 'h40t_tr21ck'})

    remove leading digits
    >>> make_python_identifier('123abc')
    ('abc', {'123abc': 'abc'})

    namespace conflicts
    >>> make_python_identifier('Variable$', namespace={'Variable@':'variable'})
    ('variable_1', {'Variable@': 'variable', 'Variable$': 'variable_1'})

    >>> make_python_identifier('Variable$', namespace={'Variable@':'variable', 'Variable%':'variable_1'})
    ('variable_2', {'Variable@': 'variable', 'Variable%': 'variable_1', 'Variable$': 'variable_2'})

    throw exception instead
    >>> make_python_identifier('Variable$', namespace={'Variable@':'variable'}, handle='throw')
    Traceback (most recent call last):
     ...
    NameError: variable already exists in namespace or is a reserved word


    References
    ----------
    Identifiers must follow the convention outlined here:
        https://docs.python.org/2/reference/lexical_analysis.html#identifiers
    """

    if namespace is None:
        namespace = {}

    if reserved_words is None:
        reserved_words = []

    # create a working copy (and make it lowercase, while we're at it)
    s = string.lower()

    # remove leading and trailing whitespace
    s = s.strip()

    # Make spaces into underscores
    s = re.sub('[\\s\\t\\n]+', '_', s)

    if convert == 'hex':
        # Convert invalid characters to hex
        s = ''.join([c.encode("hex") if re.findall('[^0-9a-zA-Z_]', c) else c for c in s])

    elif convert == 'drop':
        # Remove invalid characters
        s = re.sub('[^0-9a-zA-Z_]', '', s)

    # Remove leading characters until we find a letter or underscore
    s = re.sub('^[^a-zA-Z_]+', '', s)

    # Check that the string is not a python identifier
    while (s in keyword.kwlist or
           s in namespace.values() or
           s in reserved_words):
        if handle == 'throw':
            raise NameError(s + ' already exists in namespace or is a reserved word')
        if handle == 'force':
            if re.match(".*?_\d+$", s):
                i = re.match(".*?_(\d+)$", s).groups()[0]
                s = s.strip('_'+i) + '_'+str(int(i)+1)
            else:
                s += '_1'

    namespace[string] = s

    return s, namespace

Hello. In line 134 namespace[string] = s. s is an identifer while string is the input.
So, I think, s should be used as key to prevent translation to same identifier in future.

If so, line 123 s in namespace.values() or shuld be s in namespace.
This format of namespace will allow to use globals()/locals() as its value.

c.encode("hex") no longer works in Python 3.
I changed this to c.encode("utf-8").hex()

Imports to add :

import keyword
import re