Useful Python (ePub)

Python is a versatile and powerful language that can be used for a wide variety of tasks. In this book, we'll look at how Python can be used for various tasks that will make your life easier:

• Python as a “glue” language: it helps us combine skills and programs we already know how to use by allowing us to easily convert data from one format to another. This means that we can take data in one format that we don't have tools to manipulate and change it into data for tools that we're comfortable with. Whether we need to process a CSV, web page, or JSON file, Python can help us get the data into a format we can use.
• Python for stitching together other things. Sometimes we need to do more than process the data in an Excel file we've been sent. For example, we may want to fetch some pages from the Web, or work with an online API, or control our computer itself (such as renaming a batch of files, or changing how our operating system works). Python is great at these tasks.
• Words and numbers. Python is a powerful tool that can be used to solve a wide variety of problems, both big and small. In this tutorial, we'll explore how to use Python to answer questions, solve puzzles, and simulate various scenarios.
• Running someone else's Python code. Unlike many other languages, Python actually comes with modules for all sorts of useful functions. But for the times when we want to do things not covered by the standard library, we can use PyPI, a vast collection of open-source software libraries, frameworks and applications that can be easily installed and used in Python projects. We'll look at some examples.

We're also going to assume a little knowledge of Python and programming already—such as what a variable is, what a dictionary is, and how to import a module.