Python Crash Course


Book Description

Python Crash Course is a fast-paced, thorough introduction to Python that will have you writing programs, solving problems, and making things that work in no time. In the first half of the book, you’ll learn about basic programming concepts, such as lists, dictionaries, classes, and loops, and practice writing clean and readable code with exercises for each topic. You’ll also learn how to make your programs interactive and how to test your code safely before adding it to a project. In the second half of the book, you’ll put your new knowledge into practice with three substantial projects: a Space Invaders–inspired arcade game, data visualizations with Python’s super-handy libraries, and a simple web app you can deploy online. As you work through Python Crash Course you’ll learn how to: –Use powerful Python libraries and tools, including matplotlib, NumPy, and Pygal –Make 2D games that respond to keypresses and mouse clicks, and that grow more difficult as the game progresses –Work with data to generate interactive visualizations –Create and customize Web apps and deploy them safely online –Deal with mistakes and errors so you can solve your own programming problems If you’ve been thinking seriously about digging into programming, Python Crash Course will get you up to speed and have you writing real programs fast. Why wait any longer? Start your engines and code! Uses Python 2 and 3




Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition


Book Description

The best-selling Python book in the world, with over 1 million copies sold! A fast-paced, no-nonsense, updated guide to programming in Python. If you've been thinking about learning how to code or picking up Python, this internationally bestselling guide to the most popular programming language is your quickest, easiest way to get started and go! Even if you have no experience whatsoever, Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition, will have you writing programs, solving problems, building computer games, and creating data visualizations in no time. You’ll begin with basic concepts like variables, lists, classes, and loops—with the help of fun skill-strengthening exercises for every topic—then move on to making interactive programs and best practices for testing your code. Later chapters put your new knowledge into play with three cool projects: a 2D Space Invaders-style arcade game, a set of responsive data visualizations you’ll build with Python's handy libraries (Pygame, Matplotlib, Plotly, Django), and a customized web app you can deploy online. Why wait any longer? Start your engine and code!




Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python


Book Description

BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN NOVICE AND PROFESSIONAL You've completed a basic Python programming tutorial or finished Al Sweigart's bestseller, Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. What's the next step toward becoming a capable, confident software developer? Welcome to Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python. More than a mere collection of advanced syntax and masterful tips for writing clean code, you'll learn how to advance your Python programming skills by using the command line and other professional tools like code formatters, type checkers, linters, and version control. Sweigart takes you through best practices for setting up your development environment, naming variables, and improving readability, then tackles documentation, organization and performance measurement, as well as object-oriented design and the Big-O algorithm analysis commonly used in coding interviews. The skills you learn will boost your ability to program--not just in Python but in any language. You'll learn: Coding style, and how to use Python's Black auto-formatting tool for cleaner code Common sources of bugs, and how to detect them with static analyzers How to structure the files in your code projects with the Cookiecutter template tool Functional programming techniques like lambda and higher-order functions How to profile the speed of your code with Python's built-in timeit and cProfile modules The computer science behind Big-O algorithm analysis How to make your comments and docstrings informative, and how often to write them How to create classes in object-oriented programming, and why they're used to organize code Toward the end of the book you'll read a detailed source-code breakdown of two classic command-line games, the Tower of Hanoi (a logic puzzle) and Four-in-a-Row (a two-player tile-dropping game), and a breakdown of how their code follows the book's best practices. You'll test your skills by implementing the program yourself. Of course, no single book can make you a professional software developer. But Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python will get you further down that path and make you a better programmer, as you learn to write readable code that's easy to debug and perfectly Pythonic Requirements: Covers Python 3.6 and higher




Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition


Book Description

Python Crash Course is the world’s bestselling programming book, with over 1,500,000 copies sold to date! Python Crash Course is the world’s best-selling guide to the Python programming language. This fast-paced, thorough introduction will have you writing programs, solving problems, and developing functioning applications in no time. You’ll start by learning basic programming concepts, such as variables, lists, classes, and loops, and practice writing clean code with exercises for each topic. You’ll also learn how to make your programs interactive and test your code safely before adding it to a project. You’ll put your new knowledge into practice by creating a Space Invaders–inspired arcade game, building a set of data visualizations with Python’s handy libraries, and deploying a simple application online. As you work through the book, you’ll learn how to: Use powerful Python libraries and tools, including pytest, Pygame, Matplotlib, Plotly, and Django Make increasingly complex 2D games that respond to keypresses and mouse clicks Generate interactive data visualizations using a variety of datasets Build apps that allow users to create accounts and manage their own data, and deploy your apps online Troubleshoot coding errors and solve common programming problems New to this edition: This third edition is completely revised to reflect the latest in Python code. New and updated coverage includes VS Code for text editing, the pathlib module for file handling, pytest for testing your code, as well as the latest features of Matplotlib, Plotly, and Django. If you’ve been thinking about digging into programming, Python Crash Course will provide you with the skills to write real programs fast. Why wait any longer? Start your engines and code! Uses Python 3




Fluent Python


Book Description

Python’s simplicity lets you become productive quickly, but this often means you aren’t using everything it has to offer. With this hands-on guide, you’ll learn how to write effective, idiomatic Python code by leveraging its best—and possibly most neglected—features. Author Luciano Ramalho takes you through Python’s core language features and libraries, and shows you how to make your code shorter, faster, and more readable at the same time. Many experienced programmers try to bend Python to fit patterns they learned from other languages, and never discover Python features outside of their experience. With this book, those Python programmers will thoroughly learn how to become proficient in Python 3. This book covers: Python data model: understand how special methods are the key to the consistent behavior of objects Data structures: take full advantage of built-in types, and understand the text vs bytes duality in the Unicode age Functions as objects: view Python functions as first-class objects, and understand how this affects popular design patterns Object-oriented idioms: build classes by learning about references, mutability, interfaces, operator overloading, and multiple inheritance Control flow: leverage context managers, generators, coroutines, and concurrency with the concurrent.futures and asyncio packages Metaprogramming: understand how properties, attribute descriptors, class decorators, and metaclasses work




JavaScript Crash Course


Book Description

A fast-paced, thorough programming introduction that will have you writing your own software and web applications in no time. Like Python Crash Course, this hands-on guide is a must-have for anyone who wants to learn how to code from the ground up—this time using the popular JavaScript programming language. Learn JavaScript—Fast! JavaScript Crash Course is a fun-filled, fast-paced introduction to programming with JavaScript. Dive right in and you’ll be writing code, solving problems, and building working web applications and games in no time. You’ll start by learning fundamental programming concepts, such as variables, arrays, objects, functions, conditionals, loops, classes, and more. Aided by engaging examples and hands-on exercises, you’ll build on this foundation and combine JavaScript with HTML and CSS to create interactive web applications that you can run right away. Then you’ll put your new skills into play with three substantial projects: a Pong-style game with a virtual opponent, an app that generates electronic music, and a platform for visualizing data fetched from an API. Along the way, you’ll learn how to: • Update web pages in real time by manipulating the Document Object Model • Trigger functions in response to events like key presses and mouse clicks • Generate graphics and animations with JavaScript and HTML’s Canvas element • Visualize data with the D3.js library and scalable vector graphics (SVG) • Make electronic music with Tone.js and the Web Audio API If you’ve been thinking about digging into programming, JavaScript Crash Course will get you writing real programs fast. Why wait any longer? Jump on your magic carpet and ride!




Python Programming


Book Description

This book is suitable for use in a university-level first course in computing (CS1), as well as the increasingly popular course known as CS0. It is difficult for many students to master basic concepts in computer science and programming. A large portion of the confusion can be blamed on the complexity of the tools and materials that are traditionally used to teach CS1 and CS2. This textbook was written with a single overarching goal: to present the core concepts of computer science as simply as possible without being simplistic.




Learn Python 3 the Hard Way


Book Description

You Will Learn Python 3! Zed Shaw has perfected the world’s best system for learning Python 3. Follow it and you will succeed—just like the millions of beginners Zed has taught to date! You bring the discipline, commitment, and persistence; the author supplies everything else. In Learn Python 3 the Hard Way, you’ll learn Python by working through 52 brilliantly crafted exercises. Read them. Type their code precisely. (No copying and pasting!) Fix your mistakes. Watch the programs run. As you do, you’ll learn how a computer works; what good programs look like; and how to read, write, and think about code. Zed then teaches you even more in 5+ hours of video where he shows you how to break, fix, and debug your code—live, as he’s doing the exercises. Install a complete Python environment Organize and write code Fix and break code Basic mathematics Variables Strings and text Interact with users Work with files Looping and logic Data structures using lists and dictionaries Program design Object-oriented programming Inheritance and composition Modules, classes, and objects Python packaging Automated testing Basic game development Basic web development It’ll be hard at first. But soon, you’ll just get it—and that will feel great! This course will reward you for every minute you put into it. Soon, you’ll know one of the world’s most powerful, popular programming languages. You’ll be a Python programmer. This Book Is Perfect For Total beginners with zero programming experience Junior developers who know one or two languages Returning professionals who haven’t written code in years Seasoned professionals looking for a fast, simple, crash course in Python 3




Program Arcade Games


Book Description

Learn and use Python and PyGame to design and build cool arcade games. In Program Arcade Games: With Python and PyGame, Second Edition, Dr. Paul Vincent Craven teaches you how to create fun and simple quiz games; integrate and start using graphics; animate graphics; integrate and use game controllers; add sound and bit-mapped graphics; and build grid-based games. After reading and using this book, you'll be able to learn to program and build simple arcade game applications using one of today's most popular programming languages, Python. You can even deploy onto Steam and other Linux-based game systems as well as Android, one of today's most popular mobile and tablet platforms. You'll learn: How to create quiz games How to integrate and start using graphics How to animate graphics How to integrate and use game controllers How to add sound and bit-mapped graphics How to build grid-based games Audience“div>This book assumes no prior programming knowledge.




Impractical Python Projects


Book Description

Impractical Python Projects is a collection of fun and educational projects designed to entertain programmers while enhancing their Python skills. It picks up where the complete beginner books leave off, expanding on existing concepts and introducing new tools that you'll use every day. And to keep things interesting, each project includes a zany twist featuring historical incidents, pop culture references, and literary allusions. You'll flex your problem-solving skills and employ Python's many useful libraries to do things like: - Help James Bond crack a high-tech safe with a hill-climbing algorithm - Write haiku poems using Markov Chain Analysis - Use genetic algorithms to breed a race of gigantic rats - Crack the world's most successful military cipher using cryptanalysis - Derive the anagram, "I am Lord Voldemort" using linguistical sieves - Plan your parents' secure retirement with Monte Carlo simulation - Save the sorceress Zatanna from a stabby death using palingrams - Model the Milky Way and calculate our odds of detecting alien civilizations - Help the world's smartest woman win the Monty Hall problem argument - Reveal Jupiter's Great Red Spot using optical stacking - Save the head of Mary, Queen of Scots with steganography - Foil corporate security with invisible electronic ink Simulate volcanoes, map Mars, and more, all while gaining valuable experience using free modules like Tkinter, matplotlib, Cprofile, Pylint, Pygame, Pillow, and Python-Docx. Whether you're looking to pick up some new Python skills or just need a pick-me-up, you'll find endless educational, geeky fun with Impractical Python Projects.