Learning Python: Powerful Object-Oriented Programming

by Mark Lutz

Overview

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449355739
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/03/2013
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	1540
Sales rank:	152,500
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 2.80(d)

About the Author

Mark Lutz is a leading Python trainer, the author of Python’s earliest and best-selling texts, and a pioneering figure in the Python world.



Mark is the author of the three O’Reilly books: Learning Python, Programming Python, and Python Pocket Reference, all currently in fourth or fifth editions. He has been using and promoting Python since 1992, started writing Python books in 1995, and began teaching Python classes in 1997. As of Spring 2013, Mark has instructed 260 Python training sessions, taught roughly 4,000 students in live classes, and written Python books that have sold 400,000 units and been translated to at least a dozen languages.



Together, his two decades of Python efforts have helped to establish it as one of the most widely used programming languages in the world today. In addition, Mark has been in the software field for 30 years. He holds BS and MS degrees in computer science from the University of Wisconsin where he explored implementations of the Prolog language, and over his career has worked as a professional software developer on compilers, programming tools, scripting applications, and assorted client/server systems.



Mark maintains a training website (http://learning-python.com) and an additional book support site on the Web (http://www.rmi.net/~lutz).

Table of Contents

	Preface	xv
Part I.	Getting Started
1.	A Python Q&A Session	3
	Why Do People Use Python?	3
	Is Python a Scripting Language?	5
	Okay, But What's the Downside?	6
	Who Uses Python Today?	7
	What Can I Do with Python?	8
	What Are Python's Technical Strengths?	11
	How Does Python Stack Up to Language X?	14
2.	How Python Runs Programs	16
	Introducing the Python Interpreter	16
	Program Execution	17
	Execution Model Variations	21
3.	How You Run Programs	25
	Interactive Coding	25
	System Command Lines and Files	28
	Clicking Windows File Icons	32
	Module Imports and Reloads	36
	The IDLE User Interface	40
	Other IDEs	44
	Embedding Calls	46
	Frozen Binary Executables	47
	Text Editor Launch Options	47
	Other Launch Options	47
	Future Possibilities?	47
	Which Option Should I Use?	48
	Part I Exercises	48
Part II.	Types and Operations
4.	Numbers	53
	Python Program Structure	53
	Why Use Built-in Types?	53
	Numbers	55
	Python Expression Operators	57
	Numbers in Action	60
	The Dynamic Typing Interlude	68
5.	Strings	74
	String Literals	75
	Strings in Action	81
	String Formatting	87
	String Methods	90
	General Type Categories	95
6.	Lists and Dictionaries	97
	Lists	97
	Lists in Action	99
	Dictionaries	103
	Dictionaries in Action	105
7.	Tuples, Files, and Everything Else	112
	Tuples	112
	Files	115
	Type Categories Revisited	117
	Object Generality	118
	References Versus Copies	118
	Comparisons, Equality, and Truth	121
	Python's Type Hierarchies	123
	Other Types in Python	125
	Built-in Type Gotchas	125
	Part II Exercises	127
Part III.	Statements and Syntax
8.	Assignment, Expressions, and Print	133
	Assignment Statements	134
	Expression Statements	140
	Print Statements	142
9.	if Tests	146
	if Statements	146
	Python Syntax Rules	149
	Truth Tests	152
10.	while and for Loops	155
	while Loops	155
	break, continue, pass, and the Loop else	156
	for Loops	160
	Loop Variations	164
11.	Documenting Python Code	171
	The Python Documentation Interlude	171
	Common Coding Gotchas	182
	Part III Exercises	184
Part IV.	Functions
12.	Function Basics	189
	Why Use Functions?	189
	Coding Functions	190
	A First Example: Definitions and Calls	193
	A Second Example: Intersecting Sequences	194
13.	Scopes and Arguments	197
	Scope Rules	197
	The global Statement	202
	Scopes and Nested Functions	203
	Passing Arguments	207
	Special Argument Matching Modes	210
14.	Advanced Function Topics	219
	Anonymous Functions: lambda	219
	Applying Functions to Arguments	224
	Mapping Functions Over Sequences	227
	Functional Programming Tools	228
	List Comprehensions	229
	Generators and Iterators	233
	Function Design Concepts	236
	Function Gotchas	239
	Part IV Exercises	242
Part V.	Modules
15.	Modules: The Big Picture	247
	Why Use Modules?	247
	Python Program Architecture	248
	How Imports Work	251
16.	Module Coding Basics	257
	Module Creation	257
	Module Usage	258
	Module Namespaces	261
	Reloading Modules	266
17.	Module Packages	270
	Package Import Basics	270
	Package Import Example	273
	Why Use Package Imports?	275
	A Tale of Three Systems	275
18.	Advanced Module Topics	279
	Data Hiding in Modules	279
	Enabling Future Language Features	280
	Mixed Usage Modes: __name__ and __main__	280
	Changing the Module Search Path	281
	The import as Extension	282
	Module Design Concepts	282
	Module Gotchas	285
	Part V Exercises	292
Part VI.	Classes and OOP
19.	OOP: The Big Picture	297
	Why Use Classes?	297
	OOP from 30,000 Feet	299
20.	Class Coding Basics	307
	Classes Generate Multiple Instance Objects	307
	Classes Are Customized by Inheritance	310
	Classes Can Intercept Python Operators	314
21.	Class Coding Details	317
	The Class Statement	317
	Methods	320
	Inheritance	322
	Operator Overloading	327
	Namespaces: The Whole Story	337
22.	Designing with Classes	343
	Python and OOP	343
	Classes as Records	344
	OOP and Inheritance: "is-a" Relationships	346
	OOP and Composition: "has-a" Relationships	348
	OOP and Delegation	352
	Multiple Inheritance	353
	Classes Are Objects: Generic Object Factories	356
	Methods Are Objects: Bound or Unbound	358
	Documentation Strings Revisited	360
	Classes Versus Modules	362
23.	Advanced Class Topics	363
	Extending Built-in Types	363
	Pseudo-Private Class Attributes	366
	"New Style" Classes in Python 2.2	369
	Class Gotchas	376
	Part VI Exercises	384
Part VII.	Exceptions and Tools
24.	Exception Basics	393
	Why Use Exceptions?	393
	Exception Handling: The Short Story	395
	The try/except/else Statement	399
	The try/finally Statement	404
	The raise Statement	405
	The assert Statement	408
25.	Exception Objects	410
	String-Based Exceptions	410
	Class-Based Exceptions	411
	General raise Statement Forms	418
26.	Designing with Exceptions	420
	Nesting Exception Handlers	420
	Exception Idioms	423
	Exception Design Tips	426
	Exception Gotchas	430
	Core Language Summary	432
	Part VII Exercises	436
Part VIII.	The Outer Layers
27.	Common Tasks in Python	439
	Conversions, Numbers, and Comparisons	443
	Manipulating Strings	447
	Data Structure Manipulations	452
	Manipulating Files and Directories	458
	Internet-Related Modules	473
	Executing Programs	477
	Debugging, Testing, Timing, Profiling	480
	Exercises	483
28.	Frameworks	485
	An Automated Complaint System	486
	Interfacing with COM: Cheap Public Relations	492
	A Tkinter-Based GUI Editor for Managing Form Data	496
	Jython: The Felicitous Union of Python and Java	504
	Exercises	511
29.	Python Resources	513
	Layers of Community	513
	The Process	517
	Services and Products	518
	The Legal Framework: The Python Software Foundation	518
	Software	518
	Popular Third-Party Software	520
	Web Application Frameworks	529
	Tools for Python Developers	531
Part IX.	Appendixes
A.	Installation and Configuration	535
B.	Solutions to Exercises	541
	Index	577

Editorial Reviews

This is an introductory tutorial for Python, the popular object-oriented scripting language used in many domains, especially on the web. Programmers are beginning to use it for standalone programs and seeing dramatic productivity improvements. Authors Mark Lutz & David Ascher cover Python essentials and core concepts, organizing their text around major language features, not examples. The tutorial is based on a three day hands-on Python course. Nonetheless, a basic understanding of object-oriented programming concepts and scripting environments will help you to work quickly through this text. You should also download a free copy of Python and install it to work the examples and code; authors provide the information and sources.

Highlights:

• Core language section focuses on programming essentials, such as built-in types, statements, tools and packaged program components. Here, you also learn about types and operators, functions, modules, classes and exceptions.
• Builds upon core concepts as it explains how to use built-in tools and perform common programming tasks. Leads into frameworks and applications by introducing elements of COM, the GUI editor, Python and Java integration.

Advantages:

• This well-organized self-study tutorial clearly explains and annotates code. Discussions proceed from elementary to more difficult concepts and structures. End-of-chapter exercises are designed to make you think, not just regurgitate code.
• Appendices contain additional references, resources and solutions to exercises.
• Additional information is available on the authors' web site.

Related Titles:

Afteryou have mastered this tutorial, you may be interested in more intermediate to advanced programming guides, such as Programming Python, and Internet Programming with Python. A Python pocket reference, The Python Pocket Reference, is also available.