Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 2nd Edition: Practical Programming for Total Beginners - Softcover

Sweigart, Al

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593279922 ISBN 13: 9781593279929

Publisher: No Starch Press, 2019

Synopsis

The second edition of this best-selling Python book (100,000+ copies sold in print alone) uses Python 3 to teach even the technically uninclined how to write programs that do in minutes what would take hours to do by hand. There is no prior programming experience required and the book is loved by liberal arts majors and geeks alike.

If you've ever spent hours renaming files or updating hundreds of spreadsheet cells, you know how tedious tasks like these can be. But what if you could have your computer do them for you?

In this fully revised second edition of the best-selling classic Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, you'll learn how to use Python to write programs that do in minutes what would take you hours to do by hand--no prior programming experience required. You'll learn the basics Python and explore Python's rich library of modules for performing specific tasks, like scraping data off websites, reading PDF and Word documents, and automating clicking and typing tasks.

The second edition of this international fan favorite includes a brand-new chapter on input validation, as well as tutorials on automating Gmail and Google Sheets, plus tips on automatically updating CSV files. You'll learn how to create programs that effortlessly perform useful feats of automation to:

  ·  Search for text in a file or across multiple files
  ·  Create, update, move, and rename files and folders
  ·  Search the Web and download online content
  ·  Update and format data in Excel spreadsheets of any size
  ·  Split, merge, watermark, and encrypt PDFs
  ·  Send email responses and text notifications
  ·  Fill out online forms

Step-by-step instructions walk you through each program, and updated practice projects at the end of each chapter challenge you to improve those programs and use your newfound skills to automate similar tasks.

Don't spend your time doing work a well-trained monkey could do. Even if you've never written a line of code, you can make your computer do the grunt work. Learn how in Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 2nd Edition.

About this title

About the Author

Al Sweigart is a professional software developer who teaches programming to kids and adults. Sweigart has written several bestselling programming books for beginners, including Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python, Cracking Codes with Python, and Coding with Minecraft (all from No Starch Press).

Review

Praise for the first edition of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python:

"The best part of programming is the triumph of seeing the machine do something useful. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python frames all of programming as these small triumphs; it makes the boring fun.”
—Hilary Mason, Founder of Fast Forward Labs and Data Scientist in Residence at Accel
 
“Do you need Automate the Boring Stuff with Python? Yes, if you want to enhance your workflow by using automation, this is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended.”
—Network World
 
“Valuable to have on your shelf...an extremely useful book.”
—Kids, Code, and Computer Science Magazine
 
"Automate the Boring Stuff with Python is perfect for anyone who has menial tasks they don't want to spend hours doing."
—GeekMom

Edition details

• Publisher: No Starch Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1593279922
• ISBN 13: 9781593279929
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 592