best practices to return Boolean value from function- Hardcode or from variable

Question

Which is best practices to return Boolean value from a function:

1. Hardcoded
2. as a variable

Code 1 :

    (status, response) = self.generate_pdf(html_data)
    if not status:
        return (False, response)

Code 2:

    (status, response) = self.generate_pdf(html_data)
    if not status:
        return (status, response)

According to me returning hardcode value (False or True) is good.

[More details] I always return two parameter from every function, status and response. A status is Boolean object i.e. value is True or False. A response is dictionary object.

As status have a value False i.e. status is referring address of False.

>>> id(False)
493227104
>>> status = False
>>> id(status')
493227104 

So returning reference variable name is good practices or actual bool value ?

Answer 1

This question is quite opinion based, but I would point out a difference between the two approaches: the if not status condition will happen if status is any false-y - an actual False, a 0, None, etc.

The first approach will always return False. The second will retain whatever original false-y caused the condition to evaluate. Whether the first or the second is more appropriate depends on your program and some more context that wasn't provided in the question.