This is the book to reach for when you're coding on the fly and need an answer now. It's an easy-to-use reference to the core language, with descriptions of commonly used modules and toolkits, and a guide to recent changes, new features, and upgraded built-ins -- all updated to cover Python 3.x as well as version 2.6. You'll also quickly find exactly what you need with the handy index.

Written by Mark Lutz, who is widely recognized as today's leading Python trainer, Python Pocket Reference, Fourth Edition, is the perfect companion to O'Reilly's classic Python tutorials, Learning Python and Programming Python.

This edition covers:

• Built-in object types, including numbers, lists, dictionaries, and more
• Statements and syntax for creating and processing objects
• Functions and modules for structuring and reusing code
• Python's object-oriented programming tools
• The exception-handling model
• Built-in functions, exceptions, and attributes
• Special operator overloading methods
• Widely used standard library modules and extensions
• Command-line options and development tools
• Python idioms and hints

Already the industry standard for Python users, Programming Python from O'Reilly just got even better. This third edition has been updated to reflect current best practices and the abundance of changes introduced by the latest version of the language, Python 2.5.

Whether you're a novice or an advanced practitioner, you'll find this refreshed book more than lives up to its reputation. Programming Python, 3rd Edition, teaches you the right way to code. It explains Python language syntax and programming techniques in a clear and concise manner, with numerous examples that illustrate both correct usage and common idioms. By reading this comprehensive guide, you'll learn how to apply Python in real-world problem domains such as:

• GUI programming
• Internet scripting
• Parallel processing
• Database management
• Networked applications

Programming Python, Third Edition covers each of these target domains gradually, beginning with in-depth discussions of core concepts and then progressing toward complete programs. Large examples do appear, but only after you've learned enough to understand their techniques and code.

Along the way, you'll also learn how to use the Python language in realistically scaled programs--concepts such as Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and code reuse are recurring side themes throughout this text. If you're interested in Python programming, then this O'Reilly classic needs to be within arm's reach. The wealth of practical advice, snippets of code, and patterns of program design can all be put into use on a daily basis--making your life easier and more productive.

Reviews of the second edition:

"...about as comprehensive as any book can be."
--Dr. Dobb's Journal

"If the language had manuals, they would undoubtedly be the texts from O'Reilly...'Learning Python' and 'Programming Python' are definitive treatments."
--SD Times

Python is optimized for quality, productivity, portability, and integration. Hundreds of thousands of Python developers around the world rely on Python for general-purpose tasks, Internet scripting, systems programming, user interfaces, and product customization. Available on all major computing platforms, including commercial versions of Unix, Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X, Python is portable, powerful and remarkable easy to use.

With its convenient, quick-reference format, Python Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition is the perfect on-the-job reference. More importantly, it's now been refreshed to cover the language's latest release, Python 2.4. For experienced Python developers, this book is a compact toolbox that delivers need-to-know information at the flip of a page. This third edition also includes an easy-lookup index to help developers find answers fast!

Python 2.4 is more than just optimization and library enhancements; it's also chock full of bug fixes and upgrades. And these changes are addressed in the Python Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition. New language features, new and upgraded built-ins, and new and upgraded modules and packages--they're all clarified in detail.

The Python Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition serves as the perfect companion to Learning Python and Programming Python.