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.
Getting Started
Chapter 1 A Python Q&A Session
Chapter 2 How Python Runs Programs
Chapter 3 How You Run Programs
Types and Operations
Chapter 4 Introducing Python Object Types
Chapter 5 Numeric Types
Chapter 6 The Dynamic Typing Interlude
Chapter 7 String Fundamentals
Chapter 8 Lists and Dictionaries
Chapter 9 Tuples, Files, and Everything Else
Statements and Syntax
Chapter 10 Introducing Python Statements
Chapter 11 Assignments, Expressions, and Prints
Chapter 12 if Tests and Syntax Rules
Chapter 13 while and for Loops
Chapter 14 Iterations and Comprehensions
Chapter 15 The Documentation Interlude
Functions and Generators
Chapter 16 Function Basics
Chapter 17 Scopes
Chapter 18 Arguments
Chapter 19 Advanced Function Topics
Chapter 20 Comprehensions and Generations
Chapter 21 The Benchmarking Interlude
Modules and Packages
Chapter 22 Modules: The Big Picture
Chapter 23 Module Coding Basics
Chapter 24 Module Packages
Chapter 25 Advanced Module Topics
Classes and OOP
Chapter 26 OOP: The Big Picture
Chapter 27 Class Coding Basics
Chapter 28 A More Realistic Example
Chapter 29 Class Coding Details
Chapter 30 Operator Overloading
Chapter 31 Designing with Classes
Chapter 32 Advanced Class Topics
Exceptions and Tools
Chapter 33 Exception Basics
Chapter 34 Exception Coding Details
Chapter 35 Exception Objects
Chapter 36 Designing with Exceptions
Advanced Topics
Chapter 37 Unicode and Byte Strings
Chapter 38 Managed Attributes
Chapter 39 Decorators
Chapter 40 Metaclasses
Chapter 41 All Good Things
Appendixes
Appendix Installation and Configuration
Appendix The Python 3.3 Windows Launcher
Appendix Python Changes and This Book
Appendix Solutions to End-of-Part Exercises
