2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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.. _tut-brieftour:
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**********************************
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Brief Tour of the Standard Library
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**********************************
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.. _tut-os-interface:
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Operating System Interface
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==========================
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The :mod:`os` module provides dozens of functions for interacting with the
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operating system::
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>>> import os
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>>> os.getcwd() # Return the current working directory
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2018-01-31 18:44:09 -04:00
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'C:\\Python38'
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2010-11-26 08:12:14 -04:00
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>>> os.chdir('/server/accesslogs') # Change current working directory
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>>> os.system('mkdir today') # Run the command mkdir in the system shell
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0
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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Be sure to use the ``import os`` style instead of ``from os import *``. This
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2009-02-21 16:59:32 -04:00
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will keep :func:`os.open` from shadowing the built-in :func:`open` function which
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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operates much differently.
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.. index:: builtin: help
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2009-02-21 16:59:32 -04:00
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The built-in :func:`dir` and :func:`help` functions are useful as interactive
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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aids for working with large modules like :mod:`os`::
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>>> import os
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>>> dir(os)
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<returns a list of all module functions>
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>>> help(os)
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<returns an extensive manual page created from the module's docstrings>
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For daily file and directory management tasks, the :mod:`shutil` module provides
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a higher level interface that is easier to use::
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>>> import shutil
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>>> shutil.copyfile('data.db', 'archive.db')
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2014-05-22 19:37:09 -03:00
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'archive.db'
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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>>> shutil.move('/build/executables', 'installdir')
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2014-05-22 19:37:09 -03:00
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'installdir'
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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.. _tut-file-wildcards:
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File Wildcards
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==============
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The :mod:`glob` module provides a function for making file lists from directory
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wildcard searches::
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>>> import glob
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>>> glob.glob('*.py')
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['primes.py', 'random.py', 'quote.py']
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.. _tut-command-line-arguments:
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Command Line Arguments
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======================
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Common utility scripts often need to process command line arguments. These
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arguments are stored in the :mod:`sys` module's *argv* attribute as a list. For
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instance the following output results from running ``python demo.py one two
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three`` at the command line::
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>>> import sys
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2007-08-31 00:25:11 -03:00
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>>> print(sys.argv)
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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['demo.py', 'one', 'two', 'three']
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2019-08-01 11:34:57 -03:00
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The :mod:`argparse` module provides a mechanism to process command line arguments.
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It should always be preferred over directly processing ``sys.argv`` manually.
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Take, for example, the below snippet of code::
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>>> import argparse
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>>> from getpass import getuser
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>>> parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='An argparse example.')
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>>> parser.add_argument('name', nargs='?', default=getuser(), help='The name of someone to greet.')
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>>> parser.add_argument('--verbose', '-v', action='count')
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>>> args = parser.parse_args()
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>>> greeting = ["Hi", "Hello", "Greetings! its very nice to meet you"][args.verbose % 3]
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>>> print(f'{greeting}, {args.name}')
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>>> if not args.verbose:
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>>> print('Try running this again with multiple "-v" flags!')
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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.. _tut-stderr:
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Error Output Redirection and Program Termination
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================================================
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The :mod:`sys` module also has attributes for *stdin*, *stdout*, and *stderr*.
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The latter is useful for emitting warnings and error messages to make them
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visible even when *stdout* has been redirected::
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>>> sys.stderr.write('Warning, log file not found starting a new one\n')
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Warning, log file not found starting a new one
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The most direct way to terminate a script is to use ``sys.exit()``.
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.. _tut-string-pattern-matching:
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String Pattern Matching
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=======================
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The :mod:`re` module provides regular expression tools for advanced string
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processing. For complex matching and manipulation, regular expressions offer
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succinct, optimized solutions::
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>>> import re
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>>> re.findall(r'\bf[a-z]*', 'which foot or hand fell fastest')
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['foot', 'fell', 'fastest']
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>>> re.sub(r'(\b[a-z]+) \1', r'\1', 'cat in the the hat')
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'cat in the hat'
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When only simple capabilities are needed, string methods are preferred because
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they are easier to read and debug::
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>>> 'tea for too'.replace('too', 'two')
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'tea for two'
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.. _tut-mathematics:
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Mathematics
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===========
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The :mod:`math` module gives access to the underlying C library functions for
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floating point math::
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>>> import math
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2008-02-01 07:56:49 -04:00
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>>> math.cos(math.pi / 4)
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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0.70710678118654757
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>>> math.log(1024, 2)
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10.0
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The :mod:`random` module provides tools for making random selections::
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>>> import random
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>>> random.choice(['apple', 'pear', 'banana'])
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'apple'
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>>> random.sample(range(100), 10) # sampling without replacement
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[30, 83, 16, 4, 8, 81, 41, 50, 18, 33]
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>>> random.random() # random float
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0.17970987693706186
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>>> random.randrange(6) # random integer chosen from range(6)
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2009-01-03 17:18:54 -04:00
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4
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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2015-04-09 23:20:01 -03:00
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The :mod:`statistics` module calculates basic statistical properties
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(the mean, median, variance, etc.) of numeric data::
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>>> import statistics
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>>> data = [2.75, 1.75, 1.25, 0.25, 0.5, 1.25, 3.5]
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>>> statistics.mean(data)
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1.6071428571428572
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>>> statistics.median(data)
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1.25
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>>> statistics.variance(data)
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1.3720238095238095
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2016-05-07 04:49:07 -03:00
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The SciPy project <https://scipy.org> has many other modules for numerical
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2007-08-31 00:25:11 -03:00
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computations.
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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.. _tut-internet-access:
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Internet Access
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===============
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There are a number of modules for accessing the internet and processing internet
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2008-06-23 01:41:59 -03:00
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protocols. Two of the simplest are :mod:`urllib.request` for retrieving data
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2012-09-24 11:07:39 -03:00
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from URLs and :mod:`smtplib` for sending mail::
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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2008-06-23 08:23:31 -03:00
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>>> from urllib.request import urlopen
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2015-04-12 07:52:49 -03:00
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>>> with urlopen('http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/timer.pl') as response:
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... for line in response:
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... line = line.decode('utf-8') # Decoding the binary data to text.
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... if 'EST' in line or 'EDT' in line: # look for Eastern Time
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... print(line)
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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<BR>Nov. 25, 09:43:32 PM EST
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>>> import smtplib
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>>> server = smtplib.SMTP('localhost')
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>>> server.sendmail('soothsayer@example.org', 'jcaesar@example.org',
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2007-08-17 15:30:38 -03:00
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... """To: jcaesar@example.org
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... From: soothsayer@example.org
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...
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... Beware the Ides of March.
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... """)
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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>>> server.quit()
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2007-08-17 15:30:38 -03:00
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(Note that the second example needs a mailserver running on localhost.)
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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.. _tut-dates-and-times:
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Dates and Times
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===============
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The :mod:`datetime` module supplies classes for manipulating dates and times in
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both simple and complex ways. While date and time arithmetic is supported, the
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focus of the implementation is on efficient member extraction for output
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formatting and manipulation. The module also supports objects that are timezone
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aware. ::
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2009-11-12 06:38:55 -04:00
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>>> # dates are easily constructed and formatted
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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>>> from datetime import date
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>>> now = date.today()
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>>> now
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datetime.date(2003, 12, 2)
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>>> now.strftime("%m-%d-%y. %d %b %Y is a %A on the %d day of %B.")
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'12-02-03. 02 Dec 2003 is a Tuesday on the 02 day of December.'
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2009-11-12 06:38:55 -04:00
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>>> # dates support calendar arithmetic
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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>>> birthday = date(1964, 7, 31)
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>>> age = now - birthday
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>>> age.days
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14368
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.. _tut-data-compression:
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Data Compression
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================
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Common data archiving and compression formats are directly supported by modules
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2012-10-26 13:33:07 -03:00
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including: :mod:`zlib`, :mod:`gzip`, :mod:`bz2`, :mod:`lzma`, :mod:`zipfile` and
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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:mod:`tarfile`. ::
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>>> import zlib
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2010-11-30 04:20:16 -04:00
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>>> s = b'witch which has which witches wrist watch'
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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>>> len(s)
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41
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>>> t = zlib.compress(s)
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>>> len(t)
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37
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>>> zlib.decompress(t)
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2010-11-30 04:20:16 -04:00
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b'witch which has which witches wrist watch'
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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>>> zlib.crc32(s)
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226805979
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.. _tut-performance-measurement:
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Performance Measurement
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=======================
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Some Python users develop a deep interest in knowing the relative performance of
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different approaches to the same problem. Python provides a measurement tool
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that answers those questions immediately.
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For example, it may be tempting to use the tuple packing and unpacking feature
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instead of the traditional approach to swapping arguments. The :mod:`timeit`
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module quickly demonstrates a modest performance advantage::
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>>> from timeit import Timer
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>>> Timer('t=a; a=b; b=t', 'a=1; b=2').timeit()
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0.57535828626024577
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>>> Timer('a,b = b,a', 'a=1; b=2').timeit()
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0.54962537085770791
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In contrast to :mod:`timeit`'s fine level of granularity, the :mod:`profile` and
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:mod:`pstats` modules provide tools for identifying time critical sections in
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larger blocks of code.
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.. _tut-quality-control:
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Quality Control
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===============
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One approach for developing high quality software is to write tests for each
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function as it is developed and to run those tests frequently during the
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development process.
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The :mod:`doctest` module provides a tool for scanning a module and validating
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tests embedded in a program's docstrings. Test construction is as simple as
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cutting-and-pasting a typical call along with its results into the docstring.
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This improves the documentation by providing the user with an example and it
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allows the doctest module to make sure the code remains true to the
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documentation::
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def average(values):
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"""Computes the arithmetic mean of a list of numbers.
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2007-08-31 00:25:11 -03:00
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>>> print(average([20, 30, 70]))
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40.0
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"""
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2008-02-01 07:56:49 -04:00
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return sum(values) / len(values)
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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import doctest
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doctest.testmod() # automatically validate the embedded tests
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The :mod:`unittest` module is not as effortless as the :mod:`doctest` module,
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but it allows a more comprehensive set of tests to be maintained in a separate
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file::
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import unittest
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class TestStatisticalFunctions(unittest.TestCase):
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def test_average(self):
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self.assertEqual(average([20, 30, 70]), 40.0)
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self.assertEqual(round(average([1, 5, 7]), 1), 4.3)
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2013-03-22 11:26:18 -03:00
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with self.assertRaises(ZeroDivisionError):
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average([])
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with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
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average(20, 30, 70)
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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2016-05-10 06:01:23 -03:00
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unittest.main() # Calling from the command line invokes all tests
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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.. _tut-batteries-included:
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Batteries Included
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==================
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Python has a "batteries included" philosophy. This is best seen through the
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sophisticated and robust capabilities of its larger packages. For example:
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|
2008-05-26 08:14:17 -03:00
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* The :mod:`xmlrpc.client` and :mod:`xmlrpc.server` modules make implementing
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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remote procedure calls into an almost trivial task. Despite the modules
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names, no direct knowledge or handling of XML is needed.
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* The :mod:`email` package is a library for managing email messages, including
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2018-05-31 01:39:00 -03:00
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MIME and other :rfc:`2822`-based message documents. Unlike :mod:`smtplib` and
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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:mod:`poplib` which actually send and receive messages, the email package has
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a complete toolset for building or decoding complex message structures
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(including attachments) and for implementing internet encoding and header
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protocols.
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2015-04-09 23:20:01 -03:00
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* The :mod:`json` package provides robust support for parsing this
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popular data interchange format. The :mod:`csv` module supports
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direct reading and writing of files in Comma-Separated Value format,
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commonly supported by databases and spreadsheets. XML processing is
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supported by the :mod:`xml.etree.ElementTree`, :mod:`xml.dom` and
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:mod:`xml.sax` packages. Together, these modules and packages
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greatly simplify data interchange between Python applications and
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other tools.
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* The :mod:`sqlite3` module is a wrapper for the SQLite database
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library, providing a persistent database that can be updated and
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accessed using slightly nonstandard SQL syntax.
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2007-08-15 11:28:22 -03:00
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* Internationalization is supported by a number of modules including
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:mod:`gettext`, :mod:`locale`, and the :mod:`codecs` package.
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