A friendly guide that teaches complete beginners to write Python programs that handle tedious computer tasks automatically
Let the computer do the chores
Most office workers spend hours on repetitive tasks: renaming files, copying data between spreadsheets, filling in forms, checking websites. Al Sweigart's book shows complete beginners how to write small Python programs that do this work for them. The first half covers programming basics; the second half turns them into practical scripts for files, spreadsheets, documents, emails and more.
Who will enjoy it
Office workers, students and hobbyists with no coding experience who want practical results quickly, and anyone tired of repetitive computer work.
What you will get
A friendly, practical introduction to programming that teaches total beginners to write Python scripts that handle boring computer chores automatically.
Automate the Boring Stuff with Python Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Nonfiction · Python · Automation · Beginner coding
Length
592 pages · ≈ 17 h
More about this book
The early chapters teach Python basics with plenty of short examples and no assumed knowledge. From there, each chapter tackles a real-world task: searching text with regular expressions, organising folders of files, pulling information from websites, editing Excel and Google Sheets, working with PDFs and Word documents, scheduling tasks, sending emails and even controlling the mouse and keyboard.
Sweigart's tone is relaxed and encouraging, and his projects are immediately useful, which keeps motivation high. Each chapter ends with practice questions and project ideas, so readers can adapt what they have learned to their own jobs. The author also makes the full text freely available online under an open licence, which is unusually generous.
Because it focuses on practical scripting, it does not go deep into software design or computer science, and some library details change over time. A newer edition is available. For anyone who wants their first program to save real time at work, it is ideal. Clear screenshots, complete code listings and step-by-step instructions help nervous beginners keep going. About 592 pages in the No Starch Press second edition.
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