Intermediate Python
By Al Lukaszewski, About.com Guide to Python
This set of guides is for the person who knows the basics of Python but is trying to use it for everyday tasks. The guides offered cover file analysis, regular expressions, Python's built-in functions, major modules from the Python library, and tips on improving your code.
- File Analysis
- Regular Expressions
- Built-in Functions and Types
- Python Library Modules
- Improving Your Code
File Analysis
One of the most practical uses of Python is text analysis. How you go about parsing and analysing a file can mean the difference between your computer being hung up for hours or returning the answer within minutes, if not seconds. This series of guides looks at several ways to analyse files in Python and when to use which.
- Analysing a File Line-By-Line
- Processing a File All-At-Once
- Reading a Single Line
- Moving Around in a File
Regular Expressions
Any program beyond 'print 2+2' will inevitably use a regular expression. In this series of guides, we look at what regex are, how to form them, and how to use them effectively.
- What is a Regular Expression?
- Forming RegEx
- RegEx Examples
- RegEx Glossary
- Using Regular Expression Objects
Built-in Functions and Types
While Python programming is very object-oriented, it naturally makes heavy use of functions and data types. This series of guides looks at how to use each effectively.
Python Library Modules
Like C++, Perl or Java, Python has a fantastic amount of pre-written code that comes in the Python Standard Library. This series of guides looks at how to use many of the core modules.
Improving Your Code
Good code should have two major aspects: (1) effectively accomplish its task and (2) be readable by someone else 6 months or more after you have written it. This section looks at helps to make your code effective and useable.
