MARK LUTZ

This introduction to the increasingly popular Python programming language instructs readers on the use and applications for this interactive, object-oriented scripting language. Each chapter includes a series of exercises and solutions for instant feedback. Portable, powerful, and a breeze to use, Python is ideal for both standalone programs and scripting applications. With this hands-on book, you can master the fundamentals of the core Python language quickly and efficiently, whether you're new to programming or just new to Python. Once you finish, you will know enough about the language to use it in any application domain you choose. Learning Python is based on material from author Mark Lutz's popular training courses, which he's taught over the past decade. Each chapter is a self-contained lesson that helps you thoroughly understand a key component of Python before you continue. Along with plenty of annotated examples, illustrations, and chapter summaries, every chapter also contains Brain Builder, a unique section with practical exercises and review quizzes that let you practice new skills and test your understanding as you go. This book covers: Types and Operations -- Python's major built-in object types in depth: numbers, lists, dictionaries, and more Statements and Syntax -- the code you type to create and process objects in Python, along with Python's general syntax model Functions -- Python's basic procedural tool for structuring and reusing code Modules -- packages of statements, functions, and other tools organized into larger components Classes and OOP -- Python's optional object-oriented programming tool for structuring code for customization and reuse Exceptions and Tools -- exception handling model and statements, plus a look at development tools for writing larger programs Learning Python gives you a deep and complete understanding of the language that will help you comprehend any application-level examples of Python thatyou later encounter. If you're ready to discover what Google and YouTube see in Python, this book is the best way to get started.

Portable, powerful, and a breeze to use, Python is the popular open source object-oriented programming language used for both standalone programs and scripting applications. Python is considered easy to learn, but there's no quicker way to mastery of the language than learning from an expert teacher. The new edition of Learning Python puts you in the hands of two expert teachers, Mark Lutz and David Ascher, whose friendly, well-structured prose has guided many a programmer to proficiency with the language. Learning Python, Second Edition offers programmers a comprehensive learning tool for Python and object-oriented programming. Thoroughly updated for the numerous language and class presentation changes that have taken place since the release of the first edition in 1999, this guide introduces the basic elements of the latest release of Python 2.3 and covers new features, such as list comprehensions, nested scopes, and iterators/generators. Beyond language features, this edition of Learning Python also includes new context for less-experienced programmers, including fresh overviews of object-oriented programming and dynamic typing, new discussions of program launch and configuration options, new coverage of documentation sources, and more. There are also new use cases throughout to make the application of language features more concrete. The first part of Learning Python gives programmers all the information they'll need to understand and construct programs in the Python language, including types, operators, statements, classes, functions, modules and exceptions. The authors then present more advanced material, showing how Python performs common tasks by offering real applications and the libraries available for those applications. Each chapter ends with a series of exercises that will test your Python skills and measure your understanding. Learning Python, Second Edition is a self-paced book that allows readers to focus on the core Python language in depth. As you work through the book, you'll gain a deep and complete understanding of the Python language that will help you to understand the larger application-level examples that you'll encounter on your own. If you're interested in learning Python--and want to do so quickly and efficiently--then Learning Python, Second Edition is your best choice.

Get a comprehensive, in-depth introduction to the core Python language with this hands-on book. Based on author Mark Lutz's popular training course, this updated fifth edition will help you quickly write efficient, high-quality code with Python. It's an ideal way to begin, whether you're new to programming or a professional developer versed in other languages. Complete with quizzes, exercises, and helpful illustrations, this easy-to-follow, self-paced tutorial gets you started with both Python 2.7 and 3.3 - the latest releases in the 3.X and 2.X lines - plus all other releases in common use today. You'll also learn some advanced language features that recently have become more common in Python code. Explore Python's major built-in object types such as numbers, lists, and dictionaries Create and process objects with Python statements, and learn Python's general syntax model Use functions to avoid code redundancy and package code for reuse Organize statements, functions, and other tools into larger components with modules Dive into classes: Python's object-oriented programming tool for structuring code Write large programs with Python's exception-handling model and development tools Learn advanced Python tools, including decorators, descriptors, metaclasses, and Unicode processing

Updated for both Python 3.4 and 2.7, this convenient pocket guide is the perfect on-the-job quick reference. You'll find concise, need-to-know information on Python types and statements, special method names, built-in functions and exceptions, commonly used standard library modules, and other prominent Python tools. The handy index lets you pinpoint exactly what you need. Written by Mark Lutz - widely recognized as the world's leading Python trainer - Python Pocket Reference is an ideal companion to O'Reilly's classic Python tutorials, Learning Python and Programming Python, also written by Mark. This fifth edition covers: Built-in object types, including numbers, lists, dictionaries, and more Statements and syntax for creating and processing objects Functions and modules for structuring and reusing code Python's object-oriented programming tools Built-in functions, exceptions, and attributes Special operator overloading methods Widely used standard library modules and extensions Command-line options and development tools Python idioms and hints The Python SQL Database API

Once you've come to grips with the core Python language, learning how to build Python applications presents a far more interesting challenge. Tap this book's wealth of practical advice, snippets of code, and patterns of program design to take your Python skills to the next level. You'll start with in-depth discussions of core concepts and then progress toward complete programs in different application domains, including: * GUI programming * Internet scripting * Parallel processing * Database management * Networked applications * System administration * Text processing Most programming experts consider this classic book, now updated for Python 3.x, to be the industry standard for learning Python application programming. With clear and concise explanations of Python syntax and programming techniques, and numerous examples that illustrate both correct usage and common idioms, Programming Python shows you the right way to code with Python.