Python: Essential Reference - Softcover

Beazley, David

4.22

475 ratings by Goodreads

9780672328626: Python: Essential Reference

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0672328623 ISBN 13: 9780672328626

Publisher: Sams, 2006

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Python Essential Reference, 3rd Edition, is a comprehensive reference to the Python programming language. The focus of this latest edition is to add coverage of significant new features and new library modules added to the language over the past five years. Clearly written with concise organization, the new features covered include new style classes, unification of types and classes, xmlrpclip, intertools, bz2 and optparse, making it the most up-to-date Python book on the market.

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Review:

For anyone who programs in Python, David M. Beazley's Python Essential Reference, Second Edition will serve as a capable and exceptionally competent guide to current Python syntax and library modules. Concise, yet authoritative, this book sets a high standard as a one-volume reference to this powerful object-oriented programming language.

Although the author claims that this title is not really a tutorial, the first 100 pages actually provide an excellent guide to the basics of Python as a language. Geared especially to the experienced programmer seeking to see what's different (and potentially better) about Python, sections on the language itself will let you ramp up on the basic and advanced topics. Short sections with code excerpts that show off essential language features will help you learn or enhance your knowledge of Python quickly. Standout sections here include excellent coverage of object-oriented features, like "special methods" that will let you add custom classes to Python that are just as flexible as built-in classes.

The heart of this book is the 250-page reference section. The author concentrates on all current Python modules (eschewing deprecated or obsolete APIs). Starting with basic modules for Python services and operating system functions, and including handling strings and math functions, the author explains and illustrates each module with short sample code, along with a full listing of APIs. Sections on Python's impressive support for virtually all networking protocols (including sockets, HTTP, FTP, and e-mail) are a standout and will arguably justify the cost of this title for many Python developers. Later modules look at undocumented functions, plus there's an in-depth guide to integrating Python and C code. (This material can even help you build custom Python modules.)

With a remarkably clear presentation style, this well-organized reference offers a compact and worthy guide to today's Python that's sure to meet the needs of many working programmers. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

Reference (and expert-level tutorial) for Python 2.1
Quick overview of Python essentials (including basic syntax, reserved words, and operators)
Types and objects (including built-in types, modules, classes, and special methods)
Operators and expressions (operations on numbers, sequences and dictionaries, type conversion, conditionals and loops)
Control flow
Functions and functional programming idioms
Classes and object-oriented programming tips
Modules and packages
Input and output (including files and persistence)
The Python execution environment
Python library reference
Python services (including garbage collection and "pickling")
Mathematical functions
Strings
Data management and object persistence APIs
Operating system services (including Mac OS and Windows-specific functions)
Python threads
Network programming (including HTTP, FTP, NNTP, and other Web protocols, socket programming, retrieving URLs)
Internet data handling and encoding (including mail attachment and MIME support)
Restricted execution and security modules
Undocumented modules
Extending and embedding Python and C
Summary of changes between Python 1.6, 2.0, and 2.1

From the Publisher:

David is a Python wiz! This well crafted book will bring you not only insightful information for your Python programming but also hidden pieces of fun. David is one of our top authors and a VOICE THAT MATTERS. Readers just love his work! He brings both passion and perfection to this work and it really shows through. If you're a Python programmer, you just simply can not be without this book. It's important to me that I hear what you think about this book. Please email me and share your comments at nrfeedback@newriders.com.

~Stephanie Wall, Executive Editor

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