Most Popular Books by Al Sweigart

The bestselling introduction to Python programming, revised to include the latest Python features, improved explanations, and new chapters about databases and sound files. 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 this work for you? In this fully revised third edition of 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. Early chapters will teach you the fundamentals of Python through clear explanations and engaging examples. You’ll write your first Python program; work with strings, lists, dictionaries, and other data structures; then use regular expressions to find and manipulate text patterns. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll tackle projects that teach you to use Python to automate tasks like: Searching the web, downloading content, and filling out forms Finding, extracting, and manipulating text and data in files and spreadsheets Copying, moving, renaming, or compressing saved files on your computerSplitting, merging, and extracting text from PDFs and Word documents Interacting with applications through custom mouse and keyboard macros Managing your inbox, unsubscribing from lists, and sending email or text notifications New to this edition: All code and examples have been thoroughly updated. You’ll also find four new chapters on database integration, speech recognition, and audio and video editing, as well as 16 new programming projects and expanded coverage of developer techniques like creating command line programs. Don’t spend your time on work a well-trained monkey could do. Even if you’ve never written a line of code, you can pass off that grunt work to your computer. Learn how in Automate the Boring Stuff with Python.

Learn how to code while you write programs that effortlessly perform useful feats of automation! The second edition of this international fan favorite includes a brand-new chapter on input validation, Gmail and Google Sheets automations, tips for updating CSV files, and more. If you''ve ever spent hours renaming files or updating spreadsheet cells, you know how tedious tasks like these can be. But what if you could have your computer do them for you? Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 2nd Edition teaches even the technically uninclined how to write programs that do in minutes what would take hours to do by hand—no prior coding experience required! This new, fully revised edition of Al Sweigart’s bestselling Pythonic classic, Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, covers all the basics of Python 3 while exploring its rich library of modules for performing specific tasks, like scraping data off the Web, filling out forms, renaming files, organizing folders, sending email responses, and merging, splitting, or encrypting PDFs. There’s also a brand-new chapter on input validation, tutorials on automating Gmail and Google Sheets, tips on automatically updating CSV files, and other recent feats of automations that improve your efficiency. Detailed, step-by-step instructions walk you through each program, allowing you to create useful tools as you build out your programming skills, 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. Boring tasks no longer have to take to get through—and neither does learning Python!

You''ve seen what Python can do. Now go deeper. This workbook transforms Al Sweigart’s best-selling guide from a reading experience into a coding experience. Following Automate the Boring Stuff with Python chapter by chapter, this workbook will help you turn concepts into muscle memory through carefully designed exercises, projects, and real Python scripts. Every concept from Automate is reinforced through carefully sequenced questions, exercises, and projects that help you think like a programmer and prove to yourself that you really get it. At the end of each chapter, you’ll tackle miniprojects that bring everything together. Whether you’re renaming files, scraping websites, converting text to speech, modifying spreadsheets, or sending emails, you’ll build scripts that do real work. Fun projects like image generators and word games are in the mix too, not just boring stuff. Every question and project come with a solution at the back of the book, so you’re never stuck. Inside, you’ll find: Fill-in-the-blank and short-answer questions that reinforce key concepts Targeted exercises to build fluency with variables, loops, functions, regular expressions, and more Real Python scripts to run, tweak, and debug Projects that automate common tasks like organizing files, backing up data, and scheduling programs Full working code for every project so you can check your work and learn by example With over 500,000 copies sold worldwide, Automate the Boring Stuff with Python has become the go-to guide for learning Python. This workbook gives you the structure, feedback, and smart reinforcement to go from reading code to writing it with confidence.

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

A project-filled introduction to coding that shows kids how to build programs by making cool games. Scratch, the colorful drag-and-drop programming language, is used by millions of first-time learners worldwide. Scratch 3 features an updated interface, new programming blocks, and the ability to run on tablets and smartphones, so you can learn how to code on the go. In Scratch 3 Programming Playground, you''ll learn to code by making cool games. Get ready to destroy asteroids, shoot hoops, and slice and dice fruit! Each game includes easy-to-follow instructions with full-color images, review questions, and creative coding challenges to make the game your own. Want to add more levels or a cheat code? No problem, just write some code. You''ll learn to make games like: Maze Runner: escape the maze! Snaaaaaake: gobble apples and avoid your own tail Asteroid Breaker: smash space rocks Fruit Slicer: a Fruit Ninja clone Brick Breaker: a remake of Breakout, the brick-breaking classic Platformer: a game inspired by Super Mario Bros Learning how to program shouldn''t be dry and dreary. With Scratch 3 Programming Playground, you''ll make a game of it! Covers: Scratch 3

Best-selling author Al Sweigart shows you how to easily build over 80 fun programs with minimal code and maximum creativity. If you’ve mastered basic Python syntax and you’re ready to start writing programs, you’ll find The Big Book of Small Python Projects both enlightening and fun. This collection of 81 Python projects will have you making digital art, games, animations, counting pro- grams, and more right away. Once you see how the code works, you’ll practice re-creating the programs and experiment by adding your own custom touches. These simple, text-based programs are 256 lines of code or less. And whether it’s a vintage screensaver, a snail-racing game, a clickbait headline generator, or animated strands of DNA, each project is designed to be self-contained so you can easily share it online. You’ll create: • Hangman, Blackjack, and other games to play against your friends or the computer • Simulations of a forest fire, a million dice rolls, and a Japanese abacus • Animations like a virtual fish tank, a rotating cube, and a bouncing DVD logo screensaver • A first-person 3D maze game • Encryption programs that use ciphers like ROT13 and Vigenère to conceal text If you’re tired of standard step-by-step tutorials, you’ll love the learn-by-doing approach of The Big Book of Small Python Projects. It’s proof that good things come in small programs!

An accessible yet rigorous crash course on recursive programming using Python and JavaScript examples. Recursion has an intimidating reputation: it’s considered to be an advanced computer science topic frequently brought up in coding interviews. But there’s nothing magical about recursion. The Recursive Book of Recursion uses Python and JavaScript examples to teach the basics of recursion, exposing the ways that it’s often poorly taught and clarifying the fundamental principles of all recursive algorithms. You’ll learn when to use recursive functions (and, most importantly, when not to use them), how to implement the classic recursive algorithms often brought up in job interviews, and how recursive techniques can help solve countless problems involving tree traversal, combinatorics, and other tricky topics. This project-based guide contains complete, runnable programs to help you learn: How recursive functions make use of the call stack, a critical data structure almost never discussed in lessons on recursion How the head-tail and “leap of faith” techniques can simplify writing recursive functions How to use recursion to write custom search scripts for your filesystem, draw fractal art, create mazes, and more How optimization and memoization make recursive algorithms more efficient Al Sweigart has built a career explaining programming concepts in a fun, approachable manner. If you’ve shied away from learning recursion but want to add this technique to your programming toolkit, or if you’re racing to prepare for your next job interview, this book is for you.

Making Games with Python & Pygame is a programming book that covers the Pygame game library for the Python programming language. Each chapter gives you the complete source code for a new game and teaches the programming concepts from these examples. The book is available under a Creative Commons license and can be downloaded in full for free from http: //inventwithpython.com/pygame This book was written to be understandable by kids as young as 10 to 12 years old, although it is great for anyone of any age who has some familiarity with Python.

Scratch, the colorful drag-and-drop programming language, is used by millions of first-time learners, and in Scratch Programming Playground, you’ll learn to program by making cool games. Get ready to destroy asteroids, shoot hoops, and slice and dice fruit! Each game includes easy-to-follow instructions, review questions, and creative coding challenges to make the game your own. Want to add more levels or a cheat code? No problem, just write some code. You’ll learn to make games like: –Maze Runner: escape the maze! –Snaaaaaake: gobble apples and avoid your own tail –Asteroid Breaker: smash space rocks –Fruit Slicer: a Fruit Ninja clone –Brick Breaker: a remake of Breakout, the brick-breaking classic –Platformer: a game inspired by Super Mario Bros. Learning how to program shouldn’t be dry and dreary. With Scratch Programming Playground, you’ll make a game of it! Uses Scratch 2

Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python will teach you how to make computer games using the popular Python programming language—even if you’ve never programmed before! Begin by building classic games like Hangman, Guess the Number, and Tic-Tac-Toe, and then work your way up to more advanced games, like a text-based treasure hunting game and an animated collision-dodging game with sound effects. Along the way, you’ll learn key programming and math concepts that will help you take your game programming to the next level. Learn how to: –Combine loops, variables, and flow control statements into real working programs –Choose the right data structures for the job, such as lists, dictionaries, and tuples –Add graphics and animation to your games with the pygame module –Handle keyboard and mouse input –Program simple artificial intelligence so you can play against the computer –Use cryptography to convert text messages into secret code –Debug your programs and find common errors As you work through each game, you’ll build a solid foundation in Python and an understanding of computer science fundamentals. What new game will you create with the power of Python? The projects in this book are compatible with Python 3.

Learn how to program in Python while making and breaking ciphers—algorithms used to create and send secret messages! After a crash course in Python programming basics, you’ll learn to make, test, and hack programs that encrypt text with classical ciphers like the transposition cipher and Vigenère cipher. You’ll begin with simple programs for the reverse and Caesar ciphers and then work your way up to public key cryptography, the type of encryption used to secure today’s online transactions, including digital signatures, email, and Bitcoin. Each program includes the full code and a line-by-line explanation of how things work. By the end of the book, you’ll have learned how to code in Python and you’ll have the clever programs to prove it! You’ll also learn how to: - Combine loops, variables, and flow control statements into real working programs - Use dictionary files to instantly detect whether decrypted messages are valid English or gibberish - Create test programs to make sure that your code encrypts and decrypts correctly - Code (and hack!) a working example of the affine cipher, which uses modular arithmetic to encrypt a message - Break ciphers with techniques such as brute-force and frequency analysis There’s no better way to learn to code than to play with real programs. Cracking Codes with Python makes the learning fun!

A hands-on introduction to coding that teaches you how to program bots to do cool things in the game you love--Minecraft! This book takes the robotic "turtle" method, and extends it to the 3D, interactive world of Minecraft. You''ve mined for diamonds, crafted dozens of tools, and built all sorts of structures--but what if you could program robots to do all of that for you in a fraction of the time? In Coding with Minecraft®, you''ll create a virtual robot army with Lua, a programming language used by professional game developers. Step-by-step coding projects will show you how to write programs that automatically dig mines, collect materials, craft items, and build anything that you can imagine. Along the way, you''ll explore key computer science concepts like data types, functions, variables, and more. Learn how to: - Program robots that make smart decisions with flow control - Reuse code so that your robots can farm any crop you want, including wheat, sugar cane, and even cacti! - Program a factory that generates infinite building supplies - Design an algorithm for creating walls and buildings of any size - Code yourself a pickaxe-swinging robotic lumberjack! - Create a robot that digs mine shafts with stairs so you can explore safely Bonus activities in each chapter will help you take your coding skills to the next level. By the end of the book, you''ll understand how powerful coding can be and have plenty of robots at your beck and call.

* * * This is the old edition! The new edition is under the title "Cracking Codes with Python" by Al Sweigart * * *Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python not only teaches you how to write in secret ciphers with paper and pencil. This book teaches you how to write your own cipher programs and also the hacking programs that can break the encrypted messages from these ciphers. Unfortunately, the programs in this book won''t get the reader in trouble with the law (or rather, fortunately) but it is a guide on the basics of both cryptography and the Python programming language. Instead of presenting a dull laundry list of concepts, this book provides the source code to several fun programming projects for adults and young adults.

APRENDA PYTHON. FAÇA O QUE TEM DE SER FEITO. Se você já passou horas renomeando arquivos ou atualizando centenas de células de planilhas, sabe quão maçantes podem ser esses tipos de tarefa. Que tal se você pudesse fazer o seu computador executá-las para você? Em Automatize tarefas maçantes com Python, você aprenderá a usar o Python para criar programas que farão em minutos o que exigiria horas para ser feito manualmente – sem que seja necessário ter qualquer experiência anterior com programação. Após ter dominado o básico sobre programação, você criará programas Python que realizarão proezas úteis e impressionantes de automação sem nenhum esforço: • Pesquisar texto em um arquivo ou em vários arquivos. • Criar, atualizar, mover e renomear arquivos e pastas. • Pesquisar na Web e fazer download de conteúdos online. • Atualizar e formatar dados em planilhas Excel de qualquer tamanho. • Separar, combinar, adicionar marcas-d''água e criptografar PDFs. • Enviar emails para lembretes e notificações textuais. • Preencher formulários online. Instruções passo a passo descreverão cada programa e projetos práticos no final de cada capítulo desafiarão você a aperfeiçoar esses programas e a usar suas habilidades recém-adquiridas para automatizar tarefas semelhantes. Não gaste seu tempo executando tarefas que um macaquinho bem treinado poderia fazer. Mesmo que não tenha jamais escrito uma linha de código, você poderá fazer o seu computador realizar o trabalho pesado. Saiba como em Automatize tarefas maçantes com Python.

"A beginner''s guide to computer programming in Python"--Cover.

本书的第一部分介绍了基本的Python编程概念,第二部分介绍了一些不同的任务,通过编写Python程序,可以让计算机自动完成它们.第二部分的每一章都有一些项目程序供读者学习.每章的末尾还提供了一些习题和深入的实践项目,帮助读者巩固所学的知识.附录部分提供了所有习题的解答.