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What you will learn in The Quick Python Book, Fourth Edition

by Naomi Ceder

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Chapter by chapter

Concepts explained in this book

• moduleA module is a distinct, bounded software unit that groups related code or functionality and provides an organizational or interaction boundary within a larger system.
• PythonPython is a high-level general-purpose programming language with an interpreted execution model and dynamic features.
• exceptionAn exception is an abnormal runtime event represented in Python by an object that can interrupt normal execution and be handled by exception-handling constructs.
• file pathA file path is a textual or structured identifier specifying the location of a file or directory in a filesystem.
• directory structureA directory is a filesystem container that organizes files and other directories under a named location.
• packageA package is a structured collection of software modules organized under a common namespace.
• list()The list function is a Python built-in constructor that creates a new list from an iterable or sequence of elements.
• MapA map is an associative data structure that stores key-value pairs and supports retrieving values by key.
• functionA function is a callable program unit that performs an operation, may accept inputs, and can produce a result or side effect.
• inheritanceInheritance is an object-oriented mechanism by which a class derives behavior and structure from another class, forming a hierarchy of related classes.
• word countA word count is the number of words identified in a text according to a specified word-segmentation rule.
• import statementAn import statement is a source-code declaration that makes names or definitions from another module, package, or namespace available in the current scope.
• pathlibpathlib is a Python standard-library module that provides object-oriented classes and operations for representing and manipulating filesystem paths.
• command-line argumentA command-line argument is a value supplied to a program when it is invoked through a command-line interface.
• newlineA newline is a character or character sequence that marks the boundary between consecutive lines of text.
• attributeAn attribute is a named value or behavior associated with an object and accessed through that object.
• input/output redirectionInput redirection is a shell mechanism that supplies a command's standard input from a file or another source instead of an interactive terminal.
• user-defined exceptionA custom exception is a programmer-defined exception class representing an application-specific abnormal condition.
• pandaspandas is an open-source Python library for data analysis that provides labeled data structures and operations for manipulating tabular and other structured data.
• generator expressionA generator expression is a Python expression that lazily produces values from an iteration specification without constructing the complete result collection in memory.
• constructor method__init__ is Python's conventional instance-initialization method invoked when an object is initialized.
• argparseargparse is Python's standard-library module for parsing command-line arguments and generating related help and error messages.
• regular expressionA regular expression is a formal pattern notation for matching and processing text strings.
• Class_Class_ is a book-specific example class containing methods and class variables for demonstrating namespace lookup.
• file renamingrename is a filesystem path operation that changes a file or directory name and can relocate it when the destination path differs.
• splitsplit is a string method that divides a string into a list of substrings according to a separator or, by default, whitespace.
• namespaceA global namespace is the namespace associated with a module, script, or interactive session and visible as the defining environment for its functions.
• promptA prompt is an instruction or input supplied to an AI system to elicit a particular response or generated output.
• bindingA binding is an association between an identifier and an object in a namespace.
• immutable collectionImmutability is the property of an object or data structure that prevents its contents from being changed after creation.
• code generationCode generation is the automated production of source code from prompts, specifications, templates, or other inputs.
• data cleaningData cleaning is the process of identifying and correcting, removing, or otherwise handling irregular, invalid, missing, or inconvenient data values and formats.
• stringA string is an immutable sequence of characters represented as a Python value.
• databaseA database is an organized collection of persistent data managed for storage, retrieval, and modification.
• indentationWhitespace placed at the beginning of source lines to visually align code and, in Python, delimit nested blocks.
• parsingParsing is the analysis of input according to structural or syntactic rules to identify its components and produce a structured, usable representation.
• standard inputsys.stdin is the Python standard-stream object that provides text input from the terminal or a redirected source.
• tupleA tuple is an ordered, immutable collection that can contain multiple values, including values of different types.
• shell scriptA shell script is a text program interpreted by a command shell to execute commands and control operating-system operations.
• IndexErrorIndexError is a Python exception raised when a sequence or indexed access is requested outside its valid range.
• comprehensionA list comprehension is a Python expression that constructs a list by iterating over an iterable and optionally filtering or transforming its elements.
• character countA character count is the number of characters contained in a file or text.
• delimiterA separator is a formatting character inserted between groups of digits in a structured text value.
• __setitem____setitem__ is a Python special method that defines how an object responds when an item or slice is assigned with subscription syntax.
• os.walkos.walk is a Python standard-library function that recursively traverses a directory tree and yields each directory's path, subdirectories, and files.
• static fieldA class variable is an attribute defined on a class and shared through that class's inheritance structure unless shadowed or otherwise restricted.
• replace methodreplace is a Python string method that returns a copy with occurrences of a specified substring replaced by another string, optionally limiting the number of replacements.
• refactoringRefactoring is the systematic restructuring of existing source code to improve its internal qualities without changing its externally observable behavior.
• file objectA data file is a stored file whose contents provide data for retrieval, processing, or analysis.
• osThe os module is a Python standard-library module that provides operating-system interfaces, including filesystem and pathname operations.
• recordA row is a horizontally aligned record of related values in a tabular data structure.
• special methodA special method is a Python method with a conventionally reserved name that defines object behavior for language operations or built-in functions.
• csvCSV is a Python library for reading and writing tabular data in comma-separated and other delimited formats.
• scopeA scope is a region of program execution in which name bindings can be resolved and accessed according to Python's lookup rules.
• data frameA data frame is a two-dimensional tabular data structure with labeled rows and columns that can hold and manipulate heterogeneous data.
• lines of codeA line count is the number of lines contained in a text file or text representation.
• try-catch statementA try-catch statement is a control-flow construct that executes code under exception handling and transfers control to a matching handler when an exception is raised.
• isinstanceisinstance is a Python built-in function that tests whether an object is an instance of a specified class or tuple of classes.
• type hintsA type hint is syntax that annotates the intended type of a value associated with a variable, parameter, return value, or similar program element.
• os.renameos.rename is an os-module function that changes a file or directory's pathname and can thereby move it.
• built-in namespaceThe built-in namespace is the namespace containing Python's predefined names, including built-in functions and exceptions.
• loopA for loop is a control-flow construct that iterates over the items supplied by an iterable.
• wc utilityThe wc utility is a Unix command-line tool that counts lines, words, and bytes in files or input streams and can report the maximum line length.
• raw string literalA raw string literal is a Python string literal in which backslashes are generally treated as literal characters rather than introducing escape sequences.
• argument parserArgumentParser is the argparse class that represents a command-line argument parser and defines how arguments are recognized and converted.
• type errorTypeError is a Python built-in exception class raised when an operation or function receives a value of an inappropriate type.
• self parameterself is the conventional first parameter name that refers to the instance on which a Python method is invoked.
• subpackageA subpackage is a package nested within another package's directory structure.
• __getitem____getitem__ is a Python special method that defines how an object responds when an item or slice is accessed with subscription syntax.
• Path.rglobPath.rglob is a pathlib method that recursively yields paths matching a glob pattern beneath a path.
• normalizationNormalization is the process of converting data into a consistent canonical representation.
• relative pathnameA relative pathname identifies a filesystem location in relation to an external anchor such as an absolute pathname or the current working directory.
• conversational aiA chatbot is software that conducts conversational interactions with users through natural-language input and output.
• __init__.pyAn __init__.py file is a Python package file that can contain initialization code executed when the package is imported.
• format stringA format string is a string containing replacement fields that specify how supplied values are incorporated into formatted text.
• symbolic linkA symbolic link, or symlink, is a filesystem object that refers to another filesystem path.
• requestsRequests is a Python library that provides a high-level interface for making HTTP requests.
• match objectA match object is a Python regular-expression result object that records the substring matched and provides access to captured groups and match positions.
• re.searchsearch is a regular-expression pattern method that looks for the first match of a pattern within a string and returns a match object or None.
• reloadreload is a Python operation that re-executes a previously imported module's code in an existing interpreter session.
• del statementA del statement is Python syntax for deleting names, items, or slices from objects that support deletion.
• methodA method is a function associated with a class or object and invoked in the context of that class or object.
• readlinesreadlines is a file-object method that reads all remaining lines from an open stream and returns them as a list.
• JSONJSON is a text-based data interchange format that represents structured values using objects, arrays, strings, numbers, booleans, and null.
• floating-point arithmeticA floating-point number is a numeric value represented using a finite-precision floating-point format.
• os.path.splitextos.path.splitext is a Python function that separates a pathname into its root portion and final dotted extension.
• binary modeBinary mode is a file-access mode in which file operations read or write raw bytes without text encoding or newline translation.
• regex groupingA capturing group is a parenthesized regular-expression subpattern whose matched text is retained for later retrieval.
• character classA character class is a regular-expression construct that matches one character from a specified set or range.
• file archivingFile archiving is the practice of collecting and preserving files in a managed archive for storage or later retrieval.
• superclassA base class is a class from which another class inherits attributes and behavior.
• groupgroup is a match-object method that retrieves the substring captured by a specified regular-expression group.
• maximum line lengthMaximum line length is the greatest number of characters or bytes in any single line of a text input.
• shutilshutil is a Python standard-library module providing high-level operations on files and collections of files.
• openopen() is Python's built-in function for opening a file and returning a file object.
• type checkingType checking is the analysis of program values and operations to detect whether they conform to expected types.
• punctuationPunctuation is the set of written symbols that structures or separates language apart from letters and digits.
• booleanA boolean value is a truth-valued value that is either true or false.
• __name__ attributeThe __name__ attribute of a class contains the class's defining name.
• items methodThe dictionary items method returns the dictionary's key-value pairs as iterable tuple-like items.
• Google ColabGoogle Colaboratory is a hosted notebook platform that provides browser-based interactive computing environments, commonly with Python support.
• translatetranslate is a Python string method that returns a copy of a string with characters transformed or removed according to a translation table.
• textText is written language represented as a sequence of characters, including content stored in plain-text files.
• RedisRedis is an in-memory data-structure server that provides network-accessible key-value storage and related operations.
• docstringA docstring is a string literal attached to a module, function, method, or class to provide documentation accessible to development tools and runtime introspection.
• global variableA global variable is a name bound at module or program level that can be accessed and modified by functions that explicitly declare it global.
• object-relational mapperObject-relational mapping is a technique for representing relational database tables and rows as programming-language objects and attributes.
• readlinereadline is a file-object method that reads and returns one line, including its terminating newline when present, or an empty string at end of file.
• local namespaceA local namespace is the namespace containing bindings created within the currently executing function or code block.
• jsonJSON is a Python library for encoding and decoding JSON data.
• slicingSlicing selects or partitions a portion of an indexed sequence or multidimensional array, often along specified indices or dimensions.
• commentA comment is source text ignored during program execution that explains or annotates code for human readers.
• string modulestring is a Python standard-library module providing constants and utilities for common string-processing tasks.
• MongoDBMongoDB is a document-oriented NoSQL database system designed for distributed storage and querying of structured data.
• wildcard importA wildcard import is an import statement form that brings the names exported by a module directly into the importing namespace.
• spreadsheetA spreadsheet file is a file that stores worksheet data, including cells, values, formulas, and related tabular structure.
• standard streamsStandard streams are the conventional input, output, and diagnostic communication channels provided to a running program.
• integerAn integer is a whole-number value with no fractional component and, in Python, arbitrary magnitude subject to available memory.
• setdefault methodThe setdefault method is a dictionary method that returns a key's value and inserts the key with a specified default value when the key is absent.
• atomic typeAn atomic type is a type whose supported accesses and operations are indivisible with respect to concurrent execution and provide defined synchronization semantics.
• UnicodeUnicode is a character-encoding standard that assigns code points to characters across the world's writing systems and many symbols.
• keyA dictionary key is a hashable identifier used to access an associated value in a Python dictionary.
• migrationExtract-transform-load is a data-integration process that extracts data from sources, transforms it into a suitable form, and loads it into a destination system.
• iteratorAn iterator is an object that provides successive values through the iteration protocol until its values are exhausted.
• key functionA key function is a callable that maps each item to a value used to determine that item's ordering during sorting.
• NoneNone is Python's singleton object representing the absence of a value.
• copyCopying is the creation of a separate representation of an existing value, object, or data, preserving some or all of its contents or state.
• sys.pathA module search path is the ordered set of directories that a language runtime searches to locate importable modules and packages.
• computational notebookJupyter Notebook is an interactive computational document format and web application that combines executable code, results, and explanatory text.
• sorting algorithmA sorting algorithm is a procedure that rearranges elements of a collection into an order determined by an ordering criterion.
• escape characterA backslash is the character used in Python string literals and regular-expression patterns to introduce escape sequences or special interpretations.
• joinjoin is a Python string method that concatenates strings from an iterable, placing the invoking string between adjacent elements.
• key-value storeA key-value store is a data-storage system that associates uniquely identified keys with values for retrieval and modification.
• with statementA with statement is a Python control-flow construct that establishes a context manager-controlled block and performs its exit actions when the block ends.
• blockA code block is a sequence of one or more statements grouped as a syntactic unit and executed under a common control structure.
• entry pointA main function, or controlling function, is a conventionally designated function that coordinates a program's execution and serves as its controlling entry point.
• conditional logicA conditional statement is a programming-language construct that selects code for execution based on a condition.
• __all____all__ is a module-level sequence that specifies the names exported by a wildcard import.
• os.path.joinos.path.join is a Python standard-library function that combines pathname components using the conventions of the current operating system.
• named capturing groupA named capturing group is a capturing group assigned an identifier that can be used to retrieve its matched text.
• one-or-more quantifierA one-or-more quantifier requires the preceding regular-expression element to occur at least once and permits additional occurrences.
• optional quantifierAn optional quantifier allows the preceding regular-expression element to occur zero or one time.
• complex floating-point typeA complex number is a number consisting of a real component and an imaginary component, represented in Python with an imaginary component suffixed by j.
• translation tableA translation table is a mapping from source characters to replacement characters used for character-by-character text translation.
• glob moduleThe glob module is a Python standard-library module that finds filesystem pathnames matching shell-style wildcard patterns.
• else clauseAn else clause is the optional part of a try statement that executes only when its try block completes without raising an exception.
• serializationSerialization is the transformation of an in-memory data structure or object into a representation suitable for storage or transmission.
• write operationwrite is a file-object method that writes text or bytes to an open file and returns the number of units written.
• cachingA cache is stored data containing previously computed results so that later requests can reuse them without repeating the computation.
• os.makedirsos.makedirs is an os-module function that creates a directory and any required intermediate directories.
• os.listdiros.listdir is a Python standard-library function that returns the names of entries in a filesystem directory.
• os.path.getsizeos.path.getsize is a Python os.path function that returns the size of the file or filesystem object at a path.
• os.path.islinkos.path.islink is a Python os.path function that returns whether a path identifies a symbolic link.
• globalsglobals is a Python built-in function that returns a dictionary representing the current global namespace bindings.
• localslocals is a Python built-in function that returns a dictionary representing the current local namespace bindings.
• encodingencode is a string method that converts text into a bytes object using a character encoding.
• meanA mean is a measure of central tendency, calculated as the arithmetic average of values or, for a random variable, as the probability-weighted average of its possible values.
• structured dataTabular data is data organized into rows and columns representing records and fields.
• binary dataBinary data is information represented as encoded bytes rather than directly as human-readable text characters.
• return valueA return value is the result supplied by a function to its caller when the function completes execution.
• xmlXML is a text-based markup and data-interchange format that represents structured information using nested elements and attributes.
• reversingThe reverse method is a Python list operation that reverses the order of elements in the list in place.
• redis-pyredis-py is a Python client library that provides an interface to Redis servers.
• rere is Python's standard-library module for matching and processing text with regular expressions.
• input()input() is Python's built-in function for obtaining a line of text from the user through standard input.
• dict.getThe dictionary get method retrieves the value associated with a key and can return a specified fallback when the key is absent.
• concatenationConcatenation is the operation of joining ordered sequences end to end to form a single sequence.
• writelineswritelines is a file-object method that writes the strings from an iterable consecutively without automatically inserting newline characters.
• Path.globPath.glob is a pathlib method that yields path objects matching a filesystem pathname pattern relative to a path.
• Path.mkdirPath.mkdir is a pathlib method that creates the directory represented by a path, optionally creating missing parent directories.
• membership operatorThe in operator is a Python comparison operator that tests whether a value is contained in a collection.
• columnColumn is a SQLAlchemy schema construct describing a column in a relational database table, including its name and data type.
• file extensionA file extension is a suffix in a filename, commonly separated by a dot, that conventionally indicates a file type.
• picklepickle is a Python standard-library serialization facility for converting Python objects to and from a byte stream.
• operatorAn operator is a language construct that performs an operation on one or more operands, including path construction with pathlib operands.
• evaluation suiteA regression test is a repeatable test that checks whether previously working behavior remains correct after code changes.
• HTMLHTML is the HyperText Markup Language, a standard markup language for structuring documents and elements on the web.
• scrapingWeb scraping is the automated extraction of data from content delivered by websites or other web resources.
• type functionThe Python type function returns an object's type or creates a new type when called with class-construction arguments.
• __class__ attributeThe __class__ attribute references the class object associated with a Python object.
• shelveshelve is a Python standard-library module that provides persistent dictionary-like storage for Python objects, typically backed by serialization.
• current working directoryThe current working directory is the process's filesystem directory used as the default reference point for resolving relative paths.
• BSONBSON is a binary-encoded data serialization format used by MongoDB for storing document data.
• collectionA collection is a MongoDB container that groups documents within a database.
• pymongoPyMongo is the official Python driver for connecting to and operating on MongoDB databases.
• multiple inheritanceMultiple inheritance is an object-oriented language feature in which a class derives attributes and behavior from more than one parent class.
• json.dump()json.dump() is a Python function that serializes a Python value as JSON and writes it to a file-like object.
• json.dumps()json.dumps() is a Python function that serializes a Python value as a JSON-formatted string.
• json.loads()json.loads() is a Python function that parses a JSON string or bytes object and returns the corresponding Python value.
• private memberA private instance variable is an instance attribute represented by a name-mangled identifier intended to restrict direct access from subclasses.
• whitespace characterWhitespace is non-printing character spacing, such as spaces, tabs, and line breaks, that can separate or structure source code.
• built-in functionappend is a Python list method that adds one object to the end of a list.
• raise statementA raise statement explicitly signals an exception during program execution, optionally supplying an exception instance or class.
• struct moduleThe struct module is a Python standard-library module for converting between Python values and packed binary representations.
• __str____str__ is Python's special method for producing an informal string representation of an object.
• escape sequenceAn escape sequence is a character sequence in a string literal that represents a character or control function using a backslash-based notation.
• ASCIIASCII is a character-encoding standard that assigns numeric codes to a defined set of English letters, digits, punctuation marks, and control characters.
• I/OI/O is the transfer of data into and out of a program through streams, files, devices, or other interfaces.
• HTTP GETGET is an HTTP method for requesting a representation of a resource without requesting a state-changing operation.
• positional argumentA positional parameter is a function argument identified by its ordinal position in the argument list.
• assignmentAssignment is a programming-language operation that binds or stores an evaluated value in a variable, property, or other assignable location.
• trimstrip is a Python string method that returns a copy of a string with specified characters removed from both ends, defaulting to whitespace.
• Hibernate sessionSession is a SQLAlchemy unit-of-work object that manages database interactions and transactional changes.
• SQLAlchemySQLAlchemy is a Python SQL toolkit and object-relational mapping library for connecting to and working with relational databases.
• Beautiful SoupBeautiful Soup is a Python library for parsing HTML and XML documents and navigating their parsed trees.
• qualificationQualification is the practice of accessing a name through a containing module or namespace qualifier.
• default valueA default parameter value is a value assigned to a function parameter and used when the corresponding argument is omitted from a call.
• statementA statement is a syntactic unit representing an executable instruction in a programming language.
• referenceAn object reference is a binding or pointer-like association through which a name identifies a runtime object.
• os.pathos.path is the Python standard-library pathname-manipulation interface for handling filesystem paths in an operating-system-specific way.
• mixinA mixin class is a class designed to provide reusable behavior to other classes through inheritance rather than to serve as a complete standalone type.
• basenameA basename is the final filename component of a pathname, excluding its preceding directory components.
• sortedsorted is a Python built-in function that returns a new list containing the items of an iterable in sorted order.
• virtual methodA virtual method is a method whose implementation can be dynamically selected according to the class of the object on which it is invoked.
• typed listA typed list is a list abstraction that restricts its elements to an allowed type or set of types.
• format operatorThe format operator is Python's percent operator when applied to a format string and values to produce formatted text.
• UTF-8UTF-8 is a variable-length character encoding that represents Unicode text while preserving the standard ASCII byte representations.
• standard libraryA standard library is the collection of libraries and modules distributed with a programming language implementation to provide commonly needed functionality.
• tab characterA tab character is a whitespace character that represents horizontal spacing in source text.
• name manglingName mangling is Python's transformation of names beginning with two underscores by prepending a class-based prefix to reduce accidental access and inheritance collisions.
• primitive data typeA primitive data type is a fundamental, language-provided type for representing a basic value, rather than a composite of multiple values.
• lambdaA lambda expression is an anonymous function expression that evaluates to a function value and returns the value of its expression body.
• missing valueA missing value is a data item for which the intended observation is unavailable, inapplicable, or not reported.
• dotted notationDot notation is syntax that accesses an attribute or method by placing its name after an object and a period.
• byte streamA byte stream is an ordered sequence of bytes representing serialized data or other binary content.
• unpicklingUnpickling is the deserialization of a byte stream into a Python object hierarchy.
• except blockAn except clause is a branch of a Python try statement that handles exceptions matching a specified exception type.
• os.path.basenameos.path.basename is a Python function that returns the final component of a filesystem pathname.
• os.path.dirnameos.path.dirname is a Python function that returns the directory portion of a filesystem pathname, excluding its final component.
• os.path.splitos.path.split is a Python function that separates a pathname into its directory portion and final path component.
• shelf objectA shelf object is a file-backed mapping that stores picklable Python objects under string keys and retrieves them through dictionary-like operations.
• shelve.openshelve.open is the shelve module function that opens or creates a file-backed shelf and returns a shelf object.
• AlembicAlembic is a lightweight database migration tool for SQLAlchemy-powered applications.
• virtual environmentA virtual environment is an isolated Python installation with its own interpreter and packages, stored in a self-contained directory structure.
• cellA notebook cell is a discrete unit in an interactive notebook containing executable code or formatted text.
• dir()dir() is Python's built-in function for listing names and attributes available in a namespace or associated with an object, module, or type.
• calcsizecalcsize is a struct-module function that returns the number of bytes required by a specified format string.
• struct.packstruct.pack is a struct-module function that converts supplied Python values into a packed byte sequence according to a format string.
• struct.unpackstruct.unpack is a struct-module function that parses a packed byte sequence according to a format string and returns the resulting Python values as a tuple.
• integer divisionInteger division is division whose result is truncated to an integer value.
• dependencyA software dependency is an external software component or prerequisite that an application or package needs to build or operate.
• deep copyA deep copy is a recursively independent copy of a container and the modifiable objects nested within it.
• zipzip is a Python built-in function that aggregates corresponding elements from two or more iterables into tuples, stopping when the shortest iterable is exhausted.
• formatting sequenceA formatting sequence is a percent-prefixed pattern in a format string that specifies how a corresponding value is converted and inserted into the resulting text.
• schemaA database schema is the formal definition of a database's tables, fields, data types, relationships, and other structural constraints.
• SQLAn SQL query is a statement written in SQL that requests, filters, combines, or modifies data in a database.

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