> Beginning Python

Python Editors (4)

What is Python?
This series of pages discusses what Python is, why one would want to use it, and how it differs from other programming languages.

Python Tutorials For Beginners
This series of tutorials is intended to help anyone learn to program in Python. If you are new to computers, however, you may benefit from the absolute beginner's tutorial: How a Computer Looks at Your Program.

How a Computer "Reads" a Program
Are you new to the world of computing? If so, this tutorial is for you. It is not about Python specifically. Instead, it addresses the basic parts of any programming language and how the computer "sees" them. Understanding how the computer "reads" what you write will help you to write better code and to find problems faster.

Execution: The Shell vs The File
In Python, there are two ways to create a program: the Python shell and the text file. This article offers a brief overview of each and discusses their advantages and disadvantages.

The Zen of Python
While Python is incredibly intuitive, many people do not comprehend the basics of Python development. For them, I include here the "Zen of Python."

Python Encodings
Python's encoding functions offer a means of encoding ASCII in Unicode and vice versa. Any program that might be used on the internet someday will need to work with multiple character sets. Here is how.

Programming Glossary
This is a glossary of the more technical terms used on About.com's Python site.

"Hello, World!": A Quick Tour of Python
In this tutorial, we take a simple program and build upon it to illustrate the various elements of the Python language. You would never write a program like this in real life, but you certainly will use the concepts illustrated here in 90% of the programs you write. If you find this tutorial hard to follow, I encourage you to read "Beginning Python" instead.

Python 2.5's 'with' Statement
One of the new features that was released with Python 2.5 last month is the 'with' statement. For those of you who are used to Python's try...except statement, you may find this to be the biggest boon of upgrading.

Python Decorators, Methods, and Functions
Decorators help the Python program with maintaining and extending Python programs.

Producing Python Documentation With Docstrings
Python has built-in documentation features that are easy to use. Here is how to write self-documenting functions.