Mastering Python

Master the art of writing beautiful and powerful Python by using all of the features that Python 3.5 offersAbout This BookBecome familiar with the most important and advanced parts of the Python code styleLearn the trickier aspects of Python and put it in a structured context for deeper understanding of the languageOffers an expert''s-eye overview of how these advanced tasks fit together in Python as a whole along with practical examplesWhat You Will LearnCreate a virtualenv and start a new projectUnderstand how and when to use the functional programming paradigmGet familiar with the different ways the decorators can be written inUnderstand the power of generators and coroutines without digressing into lambda calculusCreate metaclasses and how it makes working with Python far easierGenerate HTML documentation out of documents and code using SphinxLearn how to track and optimize application performance both memory and cpuUse the multiprocessing library not just locally but also across multiple machinesGet a basic understanding of packaging and creating your own libraries/applicationsIn DetailPython is a dynamic programming language. It is known for its high readability and hence it is often the first language learned by new programmers. Python being multi-paradigm it can be used to achieve the same thing in different ways and it is compatible across different platforms. Even if you find writing Python code easy writing code that is efficient easy to maintain and reuse is not so straightforward.This book is an authoritative guide that will help you learn new advanced methods in a clear and contextualised way. It starts off by creating a project-specific environment using venv introducing you to different Pythonic syntax and common pitfalls before moving on to cover the functional features in Python. It covers how to create different decorators generators and metaclasses. It also introduces you to functools.wraps and coroutines and how they work. Later on you will learn to use asyncio module for asynchronous clients and servers. You will also get familiar with different testing systems such as py.test doctest and unittest and debugging tools such as Python debugger and faulthandler. You will learn to optimize application performance so that it works efficiently across multiple machines and Python versions. Finally it will teach you how to access C functions with a simple Python call. By the end of the book you will be able to write more advanced scripts and take on bigger challenges.Style and ApproachThis book is a comprehensive guide that covers advanced features of the Python language and communicate them with an authoritative understanding of the underlying rationale for how when and why to use them.Table of ContentsGetting Started - One Environment per ProjectPythonic Syntax Common Pitfalls and Style GuideContainers and Collections - Storing Data the Right WayFunctional Programming - Readability Versus BrevityDecorators - Enabling Code Reuse by DecoratingGenerators and Coroutines - Infi nity One Step at a TimeAsync IO - Multithreading without ThreadsMetaclasses - Making Classes (Not Instances) SmarterDocumentation - How to Use Sphinx and reStructuredTextTesting and Logging - Preparing for BugsDebugging - Solving the BugsPerformance - Tracking and Reducing Your Memory and CPU UsageMultiprocessing - When a Single CPU Core Is not EnoughExtensions in C/C System Calls and C/C LibrariesPackaging - Creating Your Own Libraries or Applications