Best Practices for Python Script Development?

[Nick Craig-Wood]

metaperl <metaperl at gmail.com> wrote:
>  high-quality scripts. I know about object-oriented programming and
>  application configuration and have spent 6 years doing professional
>  Perl but have decided that Python is the new choice of serious agile
>  developers.

I was where you are a couple of years ago!

>  Books
> =====
>  I think these 4 will carry me a long way, but any other suggestions ar
>  welcome:
>  * `Dive into Python <http://diveintopython.org/toc/index.html>`_

This is an excellent book to bootstrap your way into Python.  It is
very good for experienced programmers.

>  * `Text Processing in Python <http://gnosis.cx/TPiP/>`_

I liked this book.  However by the time I read it I'd already read
quite a few Python books so I perhaps didn't get as much out of it as
I should.

>  * Python Cookbook

Cookbooks don't really lend themselves to general reading, but saying
that I did read this one from cover to cover (the previous edition).
There is lots of interesting stuff in there and you'll learn plenty of
tricks, though Python doesn't have nearly as many tricks as Perl to
learn.  If you are looking for something in particular there are many
more recipes in the online cookbook.

>  * Programming Python

The second edition is a thorough introduction to python 2.1.  (Amazon
says there is a 3rd edition due out very soon though covering python
2.5.) The 2nd edition is missing newer features of the language, but
otherwise it is a solid book with lots of good stuff in.  The section
on programming with TK is very good too - I keep coming back to that
section.

...

I'd recommend the first and the last from your list to start with,
"Dive into Python" and "Programming Python".

-- 
Nick Craig-Wood <nick at craig-wood.com> -- http://www.craig-wood.com/nick