Python Tips and Tricks
Be the best Python programmer you can be. Your guide to writing cleaner, quicker and neater Python code. Plus some handy Python tricks!
Select a random item from a list/tuple/data stucture in Python
One of the most common tasks that requires random action is selecting one item from a group, be it a character from a string, unicode, or buffer, a byte from a bytearray, or an item from a list, tuple, set, or xrange. It’s also common to want a sample of more than one item. Don’t […]
Read MoreHow to Check if a File Exists in a Directory with Python
With Python there are several methods which can be used to check if a file exists, in a certain directory. When checking if a file exists, often it is performed right before accessing (reading and/or writing) a file. Below we will go through each method of checking if a file exists (and whether it is […]
Read MoreIntroduction to Python Classes (Part 1 of 2)
Classes are a way of grouping related bits of information together into a single unit (also known as an object), along with functions that can be called to manipulate that object (also known as methods). For example, if you want to track information about a person, you might want to record their name, address and […]
Read MoreThe Odds & Ends of Python Regular Expressions
In the first two parts of this series, we looked at some fairly advanced usage of regular expressions. In this part, we take a step back and look at some of the other functions Python offers in the re module, then we talk about some common mistakes people regularly (ha!) make. Useful Python Regular Expression […]
Read MoreFun With Python Function Parameters
Virtually every programming language has functions and procedures, a way of separating out a block of code that can be called many times from different places in your program, and a way to pass parameters into them. Python is no different, so we’ll quickly run over the standard stuff that most languages have, then take […]
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