Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners: Sweigart, Al: 9781593275990: Amazon.com: Books (original) (raw)
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Customers say
Customers find this Python programming book fantastic for getting up to speed, providing enough basics to get started and offering lots of practice examples. Moreover, the book is easy to read and understand, with a simple writing style that makes it accessible to beginners. Additionally, customers appreciate the humor that keeps readers engaged, and one customer notes how it simplifies computing tasks. Customers consider the book well worth the money.
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161 customers mention content, 157 positive, 4 negative
Customers find the book fantastic for getting up to speed with Python, with one customer noting it serves as an excellent second Python book.
This is a great book, full of lucid explanations, great examples and exercises, and it covers a lot of useful skills and solutions.Read more
...Overall, this is good book; the foundation is great, while the examples are below average due to the outdated functions used in the examples.Read more
Excellent book. Plain language. good examples. Brief and coincise. Good both for beginner and intermediate studentsRead more
very good book, I love all the sample programs in this book, very easy to understand. I hope to see more books for Python from this AuthorRead more
110 customers mention suitable for beginners, 98 positive, 12 negative
Customers find the book suitable for beginners, providing a great introduction to Python with clear explanations of concepts and enough basics to get started.
...A+. Great for beginners. I highly recommend.Read more
Great For Learning Python Or Starting With ProgrammingRead more
Great introduction with numerious discussions on using python to automate boring activities.Read more
...The Pros: -easy to read, to the point but with enough description to teach you the concepts....Read more
109 customers mention informative, 107 positive, 2 negative
Customers find the book very helpful and informative, providing lots of practice examples and focusing on practical implementations of Python.
...if there was a bit more about gui building, but it's easy and has great examples explainedRead more
This book is very informative and useful for a beginner like myself. Also covers a lot of useful example codes....Read more
...The content is very simple and practical. If you are a developer and want to get started with python, this book is definitely for you.Read more
Love this book. Easy & concise to understand. Very useful yet, simple programs. Buy it if you desire to learn a great programming language.Read more
60 customers mention readability, 58 positive, 2 negative
Customers find the book easy to understand and simple to follow along, making it accessible to complete beginners.
...I have basic usage knowledge of Python. But this book is so easy to read that a high school student can learn to use Python from the first six...Read more
...This book is very approachable, is an easy read, and gives the reader confidence to keep forging ahead....Read more
This is exactly what I needed to start learning python. It is very easy to understand and explains the background information of what your trying...Read more
...the explanation of regular expressions is enlightening, clear and simple. Better intro than several other books. *...Read more
30 customers mention writing style, 28 positive, 2 negative
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it simply written with practical examples that help readers learn scripting.
...It has helped me develop many programs. It's well written and easy to understand. It gives you many ideas on ways to use Python.Read more
...Al S. has a writing style that I enjoy - hope you do too.Read more
...It's very relaxing and easy to read because it's written so well. This is the Python book to get above all others. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!...Read more
23 customers mention entertaining, 19 positive, 4 negative
Customers find the book entertaining, with humor that keeps readers engaged, and one customer notes it includes numerous discussions on using Python to automate boring activities.
This book quickly helps you get going with projects that are interesting and fun....Read more
Really enjoyed reading the book, very informativeRead more
Really fun book. Easy to apply examples to your own work problems. Highly recommend.Read more
19 customers mention value for money, 18 positive, 1 negative
Customers find the book well worth the money, with one customer noting it's a low-cost solution for educators and parents.
...It's truly a work of art and worth every penny.Read more
...Great reread value and I will likely use it as reference for years to come....Read more
...Well worth the money if you want to control repetitive tasks in a straightforward way.Read more
15 customers mention automation, 15 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the book's approach to automation, particularly its GUI automation capabilities, with one customer noting how it simplifies computing tasks and another highlighting its usefulness for non-programmers.
...In addition to automating tasks like moving, copying, and cleaning up your directories, he shows how you can use Python to make .pdf and Word files,...Read more
...python is important and gives so many ideas on how computing tasks can be greatly simplified, by accessing API's from software (like MS Office) that...Read more
...the basics and gives real world examples that you can actually use in everyday programming. Definitely a great beginner to intermediate level book.Read more
This book is a great beginner's guide to python and computing in general, and also available online for free....Read more
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Reviews with images
Brilliantly written and illustrated for absolute Python Beginners, perfect starting step!
Perfect for Python Beginners, the illustrations make it easy to understand the code just by seeing the picture, cannot recommend enough. If you want to learn Python, this book is as smooth a transition as you can get!
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2020
I am only a chapter into this book, but it has so far been the best programming book I have yet read. His examples are clear, and he does not just say, "now add x between a and b" as previous coding books have done, instead he lays out the code line by line, notes the line which code is on, and references the lines as he goes through it. He even repeats the code several times in examples in order to address different issues and explains why some things don't work. I feel as if, unlike other books I have read from other publishing companies, that No Starch Press actually proofreads and tests what they are putting into the world, and I think this author actually understands how to communicate and teach via a written medium.
As I have moved further into this book, I can re-confirm my thoughts on it: It is by far the best programming book I have read. I have not yet encountered any errors or mistakes in it, and the author wrote his code and explained it line by line so that even someone as inexperienced as I am can learn from the code. I will absolutely be purchasing future books from No Starch Press as they publish quality material.
I have moved further into this book, and I am still convinced that it is the best programming book I have read. While there are still points at which I am confused, or stumble, these are no way the fault of the author; but rather my own shortcomings and lack of experience with various aspects of computer programming. I plan on purchasing the second edition of this book so as to support the author for his incredible work in teaching and software development.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015
Finally, an intro programming book that is entertaining. The example projects are useful. Actually useful. And, quick to program.
I have been programming for many years. I have been working with databases for the past 8 years, so my other programming skills have not kept pace mostly because I have no specific day to day use for Python or any other non-database language in my job. But, for some unknown reason, I wanted to learn Python. So, I tried a number of the usual "Learn Python in 36 Seconds" intro methods -- books and on-line tutorials. Boring. So, I would put in a one or two hours and never return.
When I got "Automate the Boring Stuff", I skimmed over the intro: basic Python syntax chapters. Then, I hit the projects. I quickly realized my error when I could not remember basic syntax: like put that dreaded colon at the end of an IF or FOR statement. Every language wants to do that differently for some reason. So, I re-started the intro chapters. But, I quickly got back to the projects. First project was a copy to the clipboard task. Cool technology. Not exceptionally useful, but entertaining. And, it sure beat the heck out of the usual intro chapters of beginner books. By the time I hit the Excel chapter, I was hooked. And, automating data into and out Excel had a very high appeal to me. I have now completed 2 Excel projects of my own complete with modules to support the code. Each of my projects will save hours of tedious work every month. Also, I learned the limits of the Python Excel module: openpyxl. That was frustrating -- but a very good indicator that I had actually learned it. And, that pesky colon syntax now naturally comes at the end of IF and FOR statements -- another good indicator that I had learned something.
I have to recommend this book to anyone who gets bored trying to learn a new language. Based on how the material is presented, this book should also serve well for first time programmers. And, automating a few tedious tasks does not hurt.
10 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2017
This is a great book for those who know how to use computer basics but are super beginners to programming in general.
There are some issues I have with the book's methods, but I am giving it 5 stars because the author explicitly mentions these defects as an intentional part of the book, and the methods still really helped me get to the "meat" of programing basics.
The book takes you through the basics of programming with python, a bit of history about the language, and takes the user through some of the most common functions. Sweigart explains the definitions of basic concepts, such as strings, integers, functions...etc...
There are lots of review sessions and the projects at the end of the chapters really help you work out the syntax on your own.
As the book progresses into more and more complex usages of the language all the while giving the user great examples of potential uses for programming for general office use, or as time saving techniques.
The Pros:
-easy to read, to the point but with enough description to teach you the concepts.
-great introduction to programming in general, as well as the language
-a supplemental website and reddit forum that can really help users with some of the concepts of the book.
The Cons:
-the style leaves out some common programming rules I discovered with supplemental work (he openly admits this is done to keep to the basics of syntax and language usage, it is an effective way to teach newbies).
-some things should have had a little more attention. I feel the role of functions is so big, there should have been a little more emphasis on the scope of the use of the functions
I would highly recommend this book if you:
A. are looking to do programming but do not know where to start
and
B. are comfortable with computers (you don't have to know the command line or be able ot build one from the ground up, but know how to use basic functions)
C. Don't mind the stripped down explanation of things, sticking to concepts rather than form, or the "do's and don'ts" of proper usage
15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
5.0 out of 5 stars Buenisimo para una aplicación directa del contenido
Reviewed in Spain on May 25, 2016
Es mejor tener alguna idea de los conceptos básicos de Python antes de empezar a leerlo, porque si no igual los primeros capitulos, que están dedicados a esto, se pueden hacer algo pesados.
Los capitulos de usos de módulos específicos para diferentes tareas son muy buenos
5.0 out of 5 stars Das beste Buch um Python zu lernen!
Reviewed in Germany on May 6, 2020
Nachdem ich verschiedenste Bücher und Kurse begonnen habe um Python zu lernen und jedesmal nach kürzester Zeit wieder aufgehört habe, bin ich über dieses Buch gestolpert.
Es ist wahnsinnig unterhaltsam und kurzweilig geschrieben. Der erste Teil ist eine kurze aber umfassende Einführung in die Programmiersprache, der zweite dann (wie der Titel schon sagt) über verschiedene Automatisierungensprozesse. Die Beispiele sind kurz genug um nicht überfordert zu sein und sehr geanu und ausführlich erklärt.
Diesem Buch habe ich es zu vedanken, dass ich Programmieren gelernt habe.
Auf jeden Fall eine ganz klare Kaufempfehlung!
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book for beginners
Reviewed in India on December 30, 2020
Excellent book on python for beginners. Easy to understand layout and flow
5.0 out of 5 stars bom e pratico
Reviewed in Brazil on August 14, 2019
É um ótimo livro introdutório. bem pratico.
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Python Book If You Really Want To Learn
Reviewed in Canada on March 24, 2017
If you are really looking to learn Python and you already have a good level of computer knowledge this book is for you. It takes you through the basics and gets you doing work that you do in real life (spreadsheets, lists, databases, web).. By the time you are in the second half of the book you are doing "useful" projects such as a password wallet.
I know how to program - but I am constantly having to lean new languages and ways of doing things. I bought this particular book - I wrote in the margins - I studied it for a month. The most important advice I can give is alter their examples so that it reflects something you are interested in. For example - there is a magic 8-ball program.. I changed it into a prayer bot then I changed it into something that mimicked a bit of "artificial intelligence".
If you are looking for a job I recommend spending a lot of time on spreadsheets. Python is usually one of the languages used at a company - it doesnt do a good job at web work - Angular JS would be a good framework to learn in conjunction.