How Many Recursive Cases and Base Cases Does a Recursive Function Need?
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
Let's look at a simple example of a recursive function to see what it needs at minimum.
Bootstrap 5 Boilerplate Code for New Web Pages
Posted by Al Sweigart in misc
Here's the boilerplate that you can copy and paste when creating a new web page with Bootstrap 5.
Make Fractals in Python Turtle with the FractalArtMaker Module
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
FractalArtMaker is a module for creating fractal art in Python's turtle module. You can install the module by running pip3 install FractalArtMaker
How to Use Python 3.11's New TOML Parser, tomllib
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
Python 3.11 will include a TOML parsing module called tomllib. Let's learn what TOML files are (they're similar to JSON), how they're useful for configuration files, and how you can write Python code to read them.
Downloading Web Pages and Files in Python 3 and 2 Without the Requests Module
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
I Like Al Sweigart's Books, What Can I Read to Get Into Game Programming?
Posted by Al Sweigart in programming
What Kind of Computer Do I Need to Learn Programming?
Posted by Al Sweigart in programming
You don't need to buy a new computer to learn programming. It's a common misconception that you need a powerful computer to program. This guide will give you some hints to guide you in the right direction.
Book Review: Make Python Talk
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
Mark H. Liu’s “Make Python Talk” is a solid book for anyone who wants to leverage the power of the Python programming language to add speech capabilities to their programs. The chapters cover third-party libraries for speech recognition and text-to-speech in an engaging way.
Book Review: Serious Python
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
Serious Python by Julien Danjou is an excellent book for those who have gone through the "hello world" tutorials or those coming to Python from other programming languages, and want a book that teaches you not just how to write code, but how to write code the pythonic way.
Book Review: Tiny Python Projects
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
Writing for an intermediate audience is hard, but Ken Youens-Clark has nailed it with Tiny Python Projects. This is a great book for those who have dabbled with a few beginner Python tutorials but still feel like they don't "get" programming. The projects in this book are short and simple; perfect for beginners who want to get experience with actual programs instead of just code snippets.
How to Represent a 2D Grid in Python Code
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
This blog post examines different ways that Python lists and dictionaries can be used to represent a 2D data structure. I also write some test programs to measure the performance of each data structure.
JavaScript Books That Misspell "JavaScript": How Amazon Became a Minefield of Low-Quality Programming Books
Posted by Al Sweigart in programming
Here's a hint for programmers writing their resumes: "JavaScript" is spelled as one word, capital-J, capital-S, and no hyphen. But this isn't a blog post about programmers who make typos on their resumes, but about what a minefield of low-quality programming books that Amazon has become.
How to Test Multiple Variables Against a Single Value and a Single Variable Against Multiple Values in Python
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
Python has a more concise syntax that uses the in operator and the multiple values packaged in a tuple. To check if one of multiple variables is one of many values, you can use a list comprehension and the any() function.
How, As a Kid, I Taught Myself to Code
Posted by Al Sweigart in programming
I was one of those kids in the 90s who taught themselves how to code by making video games in the BASIC programming language. Later, I majored in computer science, moved to Silicon Valley, became a software engineer, started writing programming books including Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, and then quit my job to write full-time. I now wake up whenever I want and work from home or nearby cafes. I'm financially secure while being my own boss.
This is a completely true story.*
22 Examples of Recursive Functions in Python
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
Here are 22 actual, runnable Python code for several recursive functions, written in a style to be understandable by beginners and produce debuggable output.
What is a Python Generator? (Implementing Your Own range() Function)
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
Generators in Python (also called generator functions) are used to create a series of values one at a time. Let's learn how they work by re-creating the built-in
range() function.
Recursion Is Not A Superpower: An Iterative Ackermann
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
This post has the Python code for the infamously recursive Ackermann function, but without using recursion.
ccwd - A Copy Current Working Directory Command
Posted by Al Sweigart in programming
The source code and compiled binary for a Windows terminal command I created to copy the current working directory to the clipboard. I find myself using this all the time.
Algorithmic Art with the BitFieldDraw Module
Posted by Al Sweigart in python
I created the bitfielddraw Python module so that you could turn math formulas into .png image files.
Book Review: The Charisma Machine by Morgan G. Ames
Posted by Al Sweigart in programming
The Charisma Machine by Morgan G. Ames is the cautionary tale everyone in tech should read. Five stars.