diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d5e4f15..5ad7957 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1,3 @@
-**/__pycache__
\ No newline at end of file
+**/__pycache__
+venv
+.venv
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9d2b02a..40b3645 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -50,12 +50,12 @@ The above entries in a `.standardignore` would have the checker skip over the fo
 
 Using the `.standardignore` file specified in the section above, specific function and variable names can be skipped over on the check.
 
-The syntax to do so is the use of the `!` before the name of the variable/function to ignore.
+The syntax to do so is the use of the `name:` before the name of the variable/function to ignore.
 
 For example
 
 ```cmd
-!sleep_for_retry
+name: sleep_for_retry
 ```
 
 The above example ignores the sleep_for_retry function when applying standards as the name is required as it is an overwrite of an outside modules functionality.
diff --git a/StandardCheck.py b/StandardCheck.py
index 7bf9cfe..538590c 100644
--- a/StandardCheck.py
+++ b/StandardCheck.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 import checkers.complexity as complexity_module
 
 
-def visit_node(node: ast.AST, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = None) -> list[models.StyleError]:
+def visit_node(node: ast.AST, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = set()) -> list[models.StyleError]:
     """Visit an AST node and perform checks.
     
     Args:
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ def visit_node(node: ast.AST, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_nam
     Returns:
         list of style errors found
     """
-    ignore_names = ignore_names or set()
     
     if isinstance(node, ast.ClassDef):
         return common_nodes_module.check_class(node, file_path, ignore_codes, ignore_names)
@@ -40,7 +39,7 @@ def visit_node(node: ast.AST, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_nam
         return []
 
 
-def check_file(file_path: Path, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = None, config: dict[str, Any] = None) -> list[models.StyleError]:
+def check_file(file_path: Path, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = set(), config: dict[str, Any] | None = None) -> list[models.StyleError]:
     """Check a single Python file.
 
     Args:
@@ -52,9 +51,10 @@ def check_file(file_path: Path, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] =
     Returns:
         list of style errors found
     """
+    if not config:
+        config = {}
+
     errors = []
-    ignore_names = ignore_names or set()
-    config = config or {}
     max_complexity = config.get('max_complexity', 15)
     max_indentation = config.get('max_indentation', 4)
 
diff --git a/checkers/common_nodes.py b/checkers/common_nodes.py
index 4416386..df5c5d1 100644
--- a/checkers/common_nodes.py
+++ b/checkers/common_nodes.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 import utils.patterns as patterns_module
 import checkers.error_creation as error_creation_module
 
-def check_variable(node: ast.Name, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = None) -> list[models.StyleError]:
+def check_variable(node: ast.Name, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = set()) -> list[models.StyleError]:
     """Check variable naming.
     
     Args:
@@ -18,8 +18,7 @@ def check_variable(node: ast.Name, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignor
     Returns:
         list of style errors found
     """
-    errors = []
-    ignore_names = ignore_names or set()
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     
     # Skip if name should be ignored
     if file_utils_module.should_ignore_name(node.id, ignore_names):
@@ -38,7 +37,7 @@ def check_variable(node: ast.Name, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignor
     return errors
 
 
-def check_class(node: ast.ClassDef, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = None) -> list[models.StyleError]:
+def check_class(node: ast.ClassDef, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = set()) -> list[models.StyleError]:
     """Check class definition.
     
     Args:
@@ -50,8 +49,7 @@ def check_class(node: ast.ClassDef, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], igno
     Returns:
         list of style errors found
     """
-    errors = []
-    ignore_names = ignore_names or set()
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     
     # Skip if name should be ignored
     if file_utils_module.should_ignore_name(node.name, ignore_names):
@@ -98,7 +96,7 @@ def _is_valid_class_name(name: str) -> bool:
     return False
 
 
-def check_function(node: ast.FunctionDef | ast.AsyncFunctionDef, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = None) -> list[models.StyleError]:
+def check_function(node: ast.FunctionDef | ast.AsyncFunctionDef, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], ignore_names: set[str] = set()) -> list[models.StyleError]:
     """Check function definition.
 
     Args:
@@ -110,8 +108,7 @@ def check_function(node: ast.FunctionDef | ast.AsyncFunctionDef, file_path: str,
     Returns:
         list of style errors found
     """
-    errors = []
-    ignore_names = ignore_names or set()
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     is_test_file = 'test' in file_path.lower()
 
     if file_utils_module.should_ignore_name(node.name, ignore_names):
@@ -199,7 +196,7 @@ def _check_function_docstrings(node: ast.FunctionDef | ast.AsyncFunctionDef, fil
     Returns:
         list of style errors related to function docstrings
     """
-    errors = []
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     
     # Skip docstring checks for @overload functions
     if _has_overload_decorator(node):
@@ -230,7 +227,7 @@ def _check_docstring_format(node: ast.FunctionDef | ast.AsyncFunctionDef | ast.C
     Returns:
         list of style errors found
     """
-    errors = []
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     if not docstring:
         return errors
     summary = docstring.split('\n\n')[0].strip()
@@ -264,7 +261,7 @@ def _check_function_docstring(node: ast.FunctionDef | ast.AsyncFunctionDef, file
     Returns:
         list of style errors found
     """
-    errors = []
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     docstring = ast.get_docstring(node)
 
     if not docstring:
diff --git a/checkers/complexity.py b/checkers/complexity.py
index 0c79ffe..3bede76 100644
--- a/checkers/complexity.py
+++ b/checkers/complexity.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 import models as models
 
-def check_complexity(tree: ast.Module, content: str, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], max_complexity: int = 15, max_indentation: int = 4) -> list[models.StyleError]:
+def check_complexity(tree: ast.AST, content: str, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[str], max_complexity: int = 15, max_indentation: int = 4) -> list[models.StyleError]:
     """Check cyclomatic complexity and indentation depth for all functions in a file.
     
     Args:
diff --git a/checkers/imports.py b/checkers/imports.py
index a235921..ca9345e 100644
--- a/checkers/imports.py
+++ b/checkers/imports.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ def collect_imports(tree: ast.AST) -> tuple[list[ast.Import | ast.ImportFrom], l
     return imports + import_froms, import_froms
 
 
-def check_imports(all_imports: list[ast.AST], import_froms: list[ast.ImportFrom], used_names: set[str], file_path: Path, ignore_codes: set[str]) -> list[models.StyleError]:
+def check_imports(all_imports: list[ast.Import | ast.ImportFrom], import_froms: list[ast.ImportFrom], used_names: set[str], file_path: Path, ignore_codes: set[str]) -> list[models.StyleError]:
     """Run all import-related checks.
 
     Args:
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ def _check_import_order(imports: list[ast.Import | ast.ImportFrom], file_path: s
     Returns:
         list of style errors found
     """
-    errors = []
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     
     if not imports:
         return errors
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ def _check_unused_imports(imports: list[ast.Import | ast.ImportFrom], names_used
     try:
         with open(file_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f:
             file_content = f.read()
-    except:
+    except(Exception):
         file_content = ""
 
     for imp in imports:
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ def _check_unused_from_import_nodes(imp: ast.ImportFrom, names_used: set[str], f
     Returns:
         an unused import error, or None
     """
-    errors = []
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     
     # Never flag __future__ imports as unused
     if imp.module == '__future__':
diff --git a/checkers/security.py b/checkers/security.py
index 11990ff..49fc940 100644
--- a/checkers/security.py
+++ b/checkers/security.py
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ def _check_sql_injection_call(node: ast.AST, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set[s
     Returns:
         the sql injection errors, if any
     """    
-    errors = []
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     if not isinstance(node, ast.Call):
         return errors
     if not (isinstance(node.func, ast.Attribute) and node.func.attr in ['execute', 'executemany']):
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ def _check_shell_injection_call(node: ast.AST, file_path: str, ignore_codes: set
     Returns:
         the shell injection errors, if any
     """    
-    errors = []
+    errors: list[models.StyleError] = []
     if not isinstance(node, ast.Call):
         return errors
     is_bad_attr = isinstance(node.func, ast.Attribute) and node.func.attr in ['system', 'popen', 'spawn', 'exec']
diff --git a/config.py b/config.py
index d1a8dcc..d36641b 100644
--- a/config.py
+++ b/config.py
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ def load_ignore_names() -> set[str]:
     Returns:
         Set of names to ignore in style checking
     """
-    ignore_names = set()
+    ignore_names: set = set()
     ignore_file = Path('.standardignore')
     
     if not ignore_file.exists():
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 1855cd0..e94e123 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1 +1 @@
-pathspec==0.12.1
\ No newline at end of file
+pathspec ~= 1.1
\ No newline at end of file