Programming:Python

Module Structure and Layout

From Core Python Programming , 2E (3.4.1)

1. Startup line (Unix)
2. module documentation
3. module imports
4. variable declarations (Global)
5. class declarations
6. function declarations
7. "main" body

Generating GUIDs

  import uuid
  uuid.uuid4()

Evaluated only once

From the [Python documentation]:

Important warning: The default value is evaluated only once. This makes a difference when the default is a mutable object such as a list, dictionary, or instances of most classes. For example, the following function accumulates the arguments passed to it on subsequent calls:

def f(a, L=[]):
    L.append(a)
    return L

print f(1)
print f(2)
print f(3)

This will print:

[1]
[1, 2]
[1, 2, 3]

If you don’t want the default to be shared between subsequent calls, you can write the function like this instead:

def f(a, L=None):
    if L is None:
        L = []
    L.append(a)
    return L

Mutable defaults trap

From: Python Gotchas, Mutable defaults for function/method arguments

You should never, never, NEVER use a list or a dictionary as a default value for an argument to a class method. Unless, of course, you really, really, REALLY know what you're doing

Style

• PEP 8 - Style Guide for Python Code, Official Python Style Guide
• Code Like a Pythonista: Idiomatic Python
• Python Coding Guidelines
• Python Coding Style & Standards

Gotchas

 * Python Gotchas ([[1]] or [[2]])
 * [Pitfalls]
 * [Pythons Attack]

Online Resources

//Various resources in no particular order (I'll eventually organize them)//

 * [Homepage]
 * [[wp>Python_(programming_language)|Python Wikipedia entry]]
 * [Gruet's Python page] - Python Quick Reference, modules, etc.
 * [Pythons Attack, Common Mistakes of Python Programmers]
 * [documentation]
 * [pysqlite wiki]
 * [Lee's Python Cookbook]
 * [Module of the Week] - tour of the Python standard library through short examples.

Not directly related, but useful

 * [[3]]

Windows specific

 * [Win32 Extensions] - Win32api, COM, etc.
   * [project page]

Current

 * [[amazon>0132269937|Core Python Programming]]
   * [Support, Info]

Queued

 * Most of the Python books listed here.

 * [Your Own Computer Games with Python] ((Free, Open Source book/ebook))

IDEs and Compilers

//The descriptions are borrowed from the tool websites//

 * [[4]] is a free and open-source Python Integrated Development Environment (IDE) created with the ambition to become competitive in functionality with commercial Windows-based IDEs available for other languages