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Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners 1st Edition
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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.
- ISBN-101593275994
- ISBN-13978-1593275990
- Edition1st
- PublisherNo Starch Press
- Publication dateMay 1, 2015
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions7 x 1.19 x 9.25 inches
- Print length504 pages
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Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to ProgrammingPaperback
From the Publisher
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'A Lot of Fun'“I’m having a lot of fun breaking things and then putting them back together, and just remembering the joy of turning a set of instructions into something useful and fun, like I did when I was a kid.” —Wil Wheaton, Actor, Writer, and Geek Icon |
'Highly Recommended'“Do you need Automate the Boring Stuff with Python? Yes, if you want to enhance your workflow by using automation, this is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended.” —Network World |
'A Stellar Resource'"A stellar resource for office workers, academics, and administrators." —Mashable |
About the Author
Al Sweigart is a software developer and tech book author. Python is his favorite programming language, and he is the developer of several open source modules for it. His other books are freely available under a Creative Commons license on his website. His cat now weighs 11 pounds.
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| Python for Kids, 2nd edition by Jason Briggs | Python Crash Course 3rd edition by Eric Matthes | Automate the Boring Stuff 2nd edition by Al Sweigart | Python Flash Cards by Eric Matthes | Impractical Python Projects by Lee Vaughan | Serious Python by Julien Danjou | |
| User experience level | Beginner | Beginner | Beginner | Beginner to Intermediate | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| For readers who want | A gentle, kid-friendly introduction to Python | A fast-paced, thorough introduction to Python | A practical guide to using Python for automating tedious tasks | A quick and easy way to review Python fundamentals, vocabulary, syntax and more | Fun, entertaining projects to take your Python skills to the next level | Expert, practical advice and tutorials to perfect your professional Python skills |
| Compatible with Python version | Python 3 | Python 3 | Python 3 | Python 3 | Python 3 | Python 2 & 3 |
| Special features | Kid-friendly, full-color code and illustrations | Covers Django, matplotlib and plotly, and pygame | Covers working with files en masse, automating emails and texts, scraping the web, and more | Flash card format; includes exercises and challenges to test and hone your skills | Covers modules like pygame, Pylint, pydocstyle, tkinter, python-docx, matplotlib, and pillow | Covers powerful techniques like using generators, handling time zones, and applying functional programming |
| Page count | 368 pages | 511 pages | 592 pages | 101 cards | 424 pages | 240 pages |
About the Publisher
No Starch Press has published the finest in geek entertainment since 1994, creating both timely and timeless titles like Python Crash Course, Python for Kids, How Linux Works, and Hacking: The Art of Exploitation. An independent, San Francisco-based publishing company, No Starch Press focuses on a curated list of well-crafted books that make a difference. They publish on many topics, including computer programming, cybersecurity, operating systems, and LEGO. The titles have personality, the authors are passionate experts, and all the content goes through extensive editorial and technical reviews. Long known for its fun, fearless approach to technology, No Starch Press has earned wide support from STEM enthusiasts worldwide.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Do you need Automate the Boring Stuff with Python? Yes, if you want to enhance your workflow by using automation, this is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended."—Network World
About the Author
Al Sweigart is a software developer and teaches programming to kids and adults. He has written several Python books for beginners, including Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python, Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python, and Making Games with Python & Pygame.
Product details
- Publisher : No Starch Press; 1st edition (May 1, 2015)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 504 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1593275994
- ISBN-13 : 978-1593275990
- Item Weight : 2.14 pounds
- Dimensions : 7 x 1.19 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #345,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #407 in Python Programming
- #449 in Software Development (Books)
- #507 in Introductory & Beginning Programming
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Al Sweigart is a software developer and tech book author living in Houston. He has written several programming books for beginners, including Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. His books are freely available under a Creative Commons license at his website https://inventwithpython.com.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United States on June 9, 2019
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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.
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.
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
Top reviews from other countries
Learning a lot from it.
Using a udemy course and this is my reference for when the course doesn’t communicate what I need to know.
Fun to read and easy to work through.
I’m recovering from a head injury that stole my programming so this is more fun the second time around.
More python to play with makes lots of female programmers happier.
This is the one I'll be using from now on.
There are some things lacking, but it is for total beginners and fills that roll very nicely.
I have used Python on and off for some time but this book is underlining and increasing
my knowledge of Python, I'm using 3.5.2 at the moment.
If you've never used Python you should give it a try, it's an amazing language, especially
if you have lots of data to search through and collate into reports for the boss.
You have a database and need to get meaningful reports out of all that data, use Python.
This book will give you a head start. It works on Windows and Linux another plus for me.
















