If you’ve ever wanted to simplify your command-line scripting or use Python alongside command-line applications—or any applications for that matter—then the Python subprocess module can help. From running shell commands and command-line applications to launching GUI applications, the Python subprocess module can help. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to: Understand how the Python subprocess module interacts with the operating system Issue shell commands like ls or dir Feed input into a process and use its output. […]

When you’re processing data with Pandas, so-called “vectorized” operations can significantly speed up your code. Or at least, that’s the theory. In practice, in some situations Pandas vectorized operations can actually make your code slower, or at least no faster. And they can also significantly increase memory usage. Let’s dig in and see what vectorization means in Pandas, when and why it helps, and when it’s harmful. Vectorization: what it means, and how it speeds up your code Vectorization can […]

PyScript is a brand-new framework that caused a lot of excitement when Peter Wang, the CEO and co-founder of Anaconda, Inc., revealed it during his keynote speech at PyCon US 2022. Although this project is just an experiment in an early phase of development, people on social media seem to have already fallen in love with it. This tutorial will get you up to speed with PyScript, while the official documentation is still in the making. In this tutorial, you’ll […]

In this tutorial, you’ll build a Python quiz application for the terminal. The word quiz was first used in 1781 to mean eccentric person. Nowadays, it’s mostly used to describe short tests of trivia or expert knowledge with questions like the following: When was the first known use of the word quiz? By following along in this step-by-step project, you’ll build an application that can test a person’s expertise on a range of topics. You can use this project to […]

Dealing with errors and exceptional situations is a common requirement in programming. You can either prevent errors before they happen or handle errors after they’ve happened. In general, you’ll have two coding styles matching these strategies: look before you leap (LBYL), and easier to ask forgiveness than permission (EAFP), respectively. In this tutorial, you’ll dive into the questions and considerations surrounding LBYL vs EAFP in Python. By learning about Python’s LBYL and EAFP coding styles, you’ll be able to decide […]

The first days of May 2022 were the last days of this year’s PyCon US event. Just before the PyCon conference, the Python Language Summit brought together Python core developers, triagers, and special guests. Some of those attendees were the very same people who shipped two important Python releases this month. The third Thursday of May marked Global Accessibility Awareness Day. This day aims to raise awareness of how to build inclusive digital products. Read on to dive into the […]

Installing your Python application’s dependencies can be surprisingly slow. Whether you’re running tests in CI, building a Docker image, or installing an application, downloading and installing dependencies can take a while. So how do you speed up installation with pip? In this article I’ll cover: Avoiding the slow path of installing from source. pip download speed, and the alternatives: Pipenv and Poetry. A useful pip option that can, sometimes, speed up installation significantly. Avoiding installs from source When you install […]