Al Sweigart's Books

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

Practical Programming for Total Beginners

By: Al Sweigart

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Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

Practical Programming for Total Beginners

By: Al Sweigart

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 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. Once you’ve mastered the basics of programming, you’ll create Python programs that effortlessly perform useful and impressive feats of automation to: Search for text in a file or across multiple filesCreate, update, move, and rename files and foldersSearch the Web and download online contentUpdate and format data in Excel spreadsheets of any sizeSplit, merge, watermark, and encrypt PDFsSend reminder emails and text notificationsFill out online forms Step-by-step instructions walk you through each program, and 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. Note: The programs in this book are written to run on Python 3.

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505

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No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593275994

ISBN 13

9781593275990

Coding with Minecraft

Build Taller, Farm Faster, Mine Deeper, and Automate the Boring Stuff

By: Al Sweigart

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Coding with Minecraft

Build Taller, Farm Faster, Mine Deeper, and Automate the Boring Stuff

By: Al Sweigart

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.

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Page Count

258

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No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593278543

ISBN 13

9781593278540

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 2nd Edition

Practical Programming for Total Beginners

By: Al Sweigart

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Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 2nd Edition

Practical Programming for Total Beginners

By: Al Sweigart

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!

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Page Count

593

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593279922

ISBN 13

9781593279929

Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python

Best Practices for Writing Clean Code

By: Al Sweigart

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Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python

Best Practices for Writing Clean Code

By: Al Sweigart

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

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Page Count

385

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593279663

ISBN 13

9781593279660

Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python

Best Practices for Writing Clean Code

By: Al Sweigart

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Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python

Best Practices for Writing Clean Code

By: Al Sweigart

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385

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No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593279671

ISBN 13

9781593279677

Scratch 3 Programming Playground

Learn to Program by Making Cool Games

By: Al Sweigart

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Scratch 3 Programming Playground

Learn to Program by Making Cool Games

By: Al Sweigart

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

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Page Count

226

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1718500211

ISBN 13

9781718500211

Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python, 4th Edition

By: Al Sweigart

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Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python, 4th Edition

By: Al Sweigart

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.

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377

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No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593277954

ISBN 13

9781593277956

Scratch Programming Playground

Learn to Program by Making Cool Games

By: Al Sweigart

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Scratch Programming Playground

Learn to Program by Making Cool Games

By: Al Sweigart

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

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289

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593277962

ISBN 13

9781593277963

The Big Book of Small Python Projects

81 Easy Practice Programs

By: Al Sweigart

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The Big Book of Small Python Projects

81 Easy Practice Programs

By: Al Sweigart

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!

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Page Count

433

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1718501242

ISBN 13

9781718501249

The Recursive Book of Recursion

Ace the Coding Interview with Python and JavaScript

By: Al Sweigart

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The Recursive Book of Recursion

Ace the Coding Interview with Python and JavaScript

By: Al Sweigart

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.

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Page Count

330

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1718502028

ISBN 13

9781718502024

Coding with Minecraft

Build Taller, Farm Faster, Mine Deeper, and Automate the Boring Stuff

By: Al Sweigart

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Coding with Minecraft

Build Taller, Farm Faster, Mine Deeper, and Automate the Boring Stuff

By: Al Sweigart

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Page Count

258

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593278535

ISBN 13

9781593278533

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

Practical Programming for Total Beginners

By: Al Sweigart

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Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

Practical Programming for Total Beginners

By: Al Sweigart

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

505

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593275994

ISBN 13

9781593275990

Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python, 4th Edition

By: Al Sweigart

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Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python, 4th Edition

By: Al Sweigart

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

377

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1593277954

ISBN 13

9781593277956

The Big Book of Small Python Projects

81 Easy Practice Programs

By: Al Sweigart

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The Big Book of Small Python Projects

81 Easy Practice Programs

By: Al Sweigart

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

433

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1718501250

ISBN 13

9781718501256

The Recursive Book of Recursion

Ace the Coding Interview with Python and JavaScript

By: Al Sweigart

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The Recursive Book of Recursion

Ace the Coding Interview with Python and JavaScript

By: Al Sweigart

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

330

Publisher

No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1718502036

ISBN 13

9781718502031

Scratch 3 Programming Playground

Learn to Program by Making Cool Games

By: Al Sweigart

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Scratch 3 Programming Playground

Learn to Program by Making Cool Games

By: Al Sweigart

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Page Count

226

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No Starch Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

171850022X

ISBN 13

9781718500228

Cracking Codes with Python

An Introduction to Building and Breaking Ciphers

By: Al Sweigart

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Cracking Codes with Python

An Introduction to Building and Breaking Ciphers

By: Al Sweigart

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!

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