Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 2nd Edition: Practical Programming for Total Beginners

Ever spent way too much time renaming a folder full of files, or updating hundreds of cells in Excel by hand? You might not be a programmer, but even non-programmers can benefit from knowing how to write simple time-saving scripts. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python teaches you just enough Python for you to start automating your own tedious computer tasks. Starting from zero, author Al Sweigart gets you up and running with the beginner-friendly Python programming language as quickly as possible, without a lot of unnecessary theory. You start with the basics, learning from code examples that are as practical as they are illustrative. Soon you're using powerful pieces of pre-existing code (Python's "modules") to effortlessly perform truly impressive--and useful--feats of scripting prowess. In particular, this book teaches you how to: Search for any pattern of text in a file, or across multiple filesOrganize your life (and computer) by creating, updating, moving, and renaming files and foldersScrape the web for data and informationInstantly update Excel spreadsheets of any sizeAutomatically send out emails or text messagesSchedule your computer to perform tasks at regular intervalsIt turns out that you don't need to be a programmer to get your computer to work for you. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python really is the practical programming guide for the rest of us. The second edition of this best-selling Python book (100,000 copies sold in print alone) uses Python 3 to teach even the technically uninclined how to write programs that do in minutes what would take hours to do by hand. There is no prior programming experience required and the book is loved by liberal arts majors and geeks alike. 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 this fully revised second edition of the best-selling classic 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. You'll learn the basics Python and explore Python's rich library of modules for performing specific tasks, like scraping data off websites, reading PDF and Word documents, and automating clicking and typing tasks. The second edition of this international fan favorite includes a brand-new chapter on input validation, as well as tutorials on automating Gmail and Google Sheets, plus tips on automatically updating CSV files. You'll learn how to create programs that effortlessly perform useful feats of automation to: " Search for text in a file or across multiple files " Create, update, move, and rename files and folders " Search the Web and download online content " Update and format data in Excel spreadsheets of any size " Split, merge, watermark, and encrypt PDFs " Send email responses and text notifications " Fill out online forms Step-by-step instructions walk you through each program, 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. 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, 2nd Edition "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 this fully revised second edition of the best-selling classic 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. You'll learn the basics Python and explore Python's rich library of modules for performing specific tasks, like scraping data off websites, reading PDF and Word documents, and automating clicking and typing tasks. The second edition of this international fan favorite includes a brand-new chapter on input validation, as well as tutorials on automating Gmail and Google Sheets, plus tips on automatically updating CSV files. You'll learn how to create programs that effortlessly perform useful feats of automation to: Search for text in a file or across multiple files Create, update, move, and rename files and folders Search the Web and download online content Update and format data in Excel spreadsheets of any size Split, merge, watermark, and encrypt PDFs Send email responses and text notifications Fill out online forms Step-by-step instructions walk you through each program, 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. 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, 2nd Edition." -- Site web de l'éditeur 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 files - Create, update, move, and rename files and folders - Search the Web and download online content - Update and format data in Excel spreadsheets of any size - Split, merge, watermark, and encrypt PDFs - Send reminder emails and text notifications - Fill 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.[ (Source)][1] [1]: http://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994