Book Image

Python: Journey from Novice to Expert

By : Fabrizio Romano, Dusty Phillips, Rick van Hattem
Book Image

Python: Journey from Novice to Expert

By: Fabrizio Romano, Dusty Phillips, Rick van Hattem

Overview of this book

Python is a dynamic and powerful programming language, having its application in a wide range of domains. It has an easy-to-use, simple syntax, and a powerful library, which includes hundreds of modules to provide routines for a wide range of applications, thus making it a popular language among programing enthusiasts.This course will take you on a journey from basic programming practices to high-end tools and techniques giving you an edge over your peers. It follows an interesting learning path, divided into three modules. As you complete each one, you’ll have gained key skills and get ready for the material in the next module.The first module will begin with exploring all the essentials of Python programming in an easy-to-understand way. This will lay a good foundation for those who are interested in digging deeper. It has a practical and example-oriented approach through which both the introductory and the advanced topics are explained. Starting with the fundamentals of programming and Python, it ends by exploring topics, like GUIs, web apps, and data science.In the second module you will learn about object oriented programming techniques in Python. Starting with a detailed analysis of object-oriented technique and design, you will use the Python programming language to clearly grasp key concepts from the object-oriented paradigm. This module fully explains classes, data encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction, and exceptions with an emphasis on when you can use each principle to develop well-designed software.With a good foundation of Python you will move onto the third module which is a comprehensive tutorial covering advanced features of the Python language. Start by creating a project-specific environment using venv. This will introduce you to various Pythonic syntax and common pitfalls before moving onto functional features and advanced concepts, thereby gaining an expert level knowledge in programming and teaching how to script highest quality Python programs.
Table of Contents (6 chapters)
4
A. Bibliography
5
Index

Chapter 10. Testing and Logging – Preparing for Bugs

When programming, most developers plan a bit and immediately continue writing code. After all, we all expect to write bug-free code! Unfortunately, we don't. At some point, an incorrect assumption, a misinterpretation, or just a silly mistake is bound to happen. Debugging (covered in Chapter 11, Debugging – Solving the Bugs) will always be required at some point, but there are several methods that you can use to prevent bugs or, at the very least, make it much easier to solve them when they do occur.

To prevent bugs from occurring in the first place, test-driven development or, at the very least, functional/regression/unit tests are very useful. The standard Python installation alone offers several options such as the doctest, unittest, and test modules. The doctest module allows you to combine tests with example documentation. The unittest module allows you to easily write regression tests. The test module...