The Invent with Python Blog

Writings from the author of Automate the Boring Stuff.

IDLE Reimagined

Thu 20 November 2014 Al Sweigart

IDLE Reimagined is the project name for a redesign for Python's default IDLE editor with focus as an educational tool. IDLE's chief utility is that it comes installed with Python, making it simple for newbies to start programming. But professional software developers don't use IDLE as their IDE. Instead of turning IDLE into a sophisticated IDE for professional software developers, it can be tooled with features specifically to make it friendly to those learning to program.

No, Seriously, Why Should I Learn to Code?

Tue 30 September 2014 Al Sweigart

The geeks have inherited the earth. A couple decades ago if you talked with friends in a chat room, you were cast as a socially-awkward nerd. Doing the same today just means you're a typical Facebook user. Broadband Internet connections and smartphones have taken the Information Age that technically started in the 1970s with PCs and pushed it into daily mainstream life.

Don't get me wrong: You should learn to program. But lost in this hype is a plainspoken reason: NO, SERIOUSLY, WHY SHOULD I LEARN TO CODE?

"Let's Create Software" Tutorial: Bus Routes Overlaid on Google Maps

Tue 11 February 2014 Al Sweigart

I had the idea to use Google Maps' API to draw out a map of all the Muni routes. This would have the benefit of the system map PDF but also be easier to load and navigate. I have no experience using the Google Maps API and am vaguely aware that there's public data about Muni bus routes, but I'll learn along the way.

Why Is HTML Not A Programming Language?

Sun 15 December 2013 Al Sweigart

HTML is not a programming language. You can't write a "program" that, say, calculates the average of ten numbers with HTML. While some may point out that HTML is a "markup language", this doesn't clarify how that is different from a programming language. This isn't meant to be a thorough argument, but rather a brief explanation that goes just a bit more in detail than "HTML isn't a programming language but instead a markup language."

"Invent with Scratch" Screencast Series

Wed 02 October 2013 Al Sweigart

I've created a series of video screencast tutorials for Scratch. Scratch is a block-based programming environment from MIT. It is a programming education toy that is made for kids between the ages of 8 and 16. The screencasts can be found at InventWithScratch.com

Downloading Imgur Posts Linked From Reddit with Python

Mon 30 September 2013 Al Sweigart

This tutorial tells you how to write a Python script that can scan Reddit and download images from Imgur submissions you find.

Decimal, Binary, and Hexadecimal Odometers

Thu 20 June 2013 Al Sweigart

It can be difficult to see how other number systems (such as binary and hexadecimal) work since they have a different amount of numerals than the ten numerals of decimal. But imagine that you are counting in these number systems using an old-fashioned analog odometer that has a different amount of numerals for each digit.

Source Code Makeover: Demon Kingdom, Part 2

Thu 13 June 2013 Al Sweigart

This is a continuation of Part 1.

Source Code Makeover: Demon Kingdom, Part 1

Wed 12 June 2013 Al Sweigart

In this blog post, I’m taking a game off of Pygame.org and going through it to make it more readable and extend its functionality.

Comments on John Resig's "Programming Book Profits" (and on Self-Publishing)

Tue 11 June 2013 Al Sweigart

Text Adventure vs. MUD vs. Roguelike vs. Dwarf Fortress

Wed 05 June 2013 Al Sweigart

A text-style game is a common project for beginner programmers. These can be fun to do, but also require spending time up-front to design it is worthwhile. Before you start designing your own game, look at the design decisions of a few different text-style game genres.

Multithreaded Python Tutorial with the "Threadworms" Demo

Mon 22 April 2013 Al Sweigart

"Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python" Released

Mon 15 April 2013 Al Sweigart

My third book, Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python, is finished.

What Professional Games Use Pygame?

Tue 19 February 2013 Al Sweigart

A list of commercial video games that use Pygame.

Why I Recommend Against Hackety Hack

Thu 27 December 2012 Al Sweigart

Hackety Hack was a project originally started by _why the lucky stiff to teach kids programming in Ruby. It often comes up in "I want to teach my kid programming" forum threads. So I downloaded Hackety Hack and decided to give it a try.

I found Hackety Hack to be frustrating and was very unimpressed with it, and do not recommend it as a way to teach programming to a beginner.

8-bit NES Legend of Zelda Map Data

Mon 10 December 2012 Al Sweigart

I've created Python & Pygame script that lets you walk around the overworld map of the original Legend of Zelda game on the 8-bit Nintendo. There are no monsters or levels or items; it is simply a walking tour. The Link walking sprite animation is implemented by my Pyganim module.

Programming AI Bots for Zombie Dice

Wed 21 November 2012 Al Sweigart

(This blog post may be obsolete. Please read "Writing Bots to Play Zombie Dice" instead.

PygButton - Designing a Button UI Module for Pygame

Tue 30 October 2012 Al Sweigart

A button is a common user interface (UI) control that is used in many software applications. It seems simple enough: there's a button on the window and you click on it and something happens. But there's a lot of details we should plan out ahead of time. Remember, we want to make a generic button class so that other programmers can use this in their games and programs. Once you've read through the process here, you'll be familiar with how to make your own modules for UI elements.

Am I Too Old to Learn Programming?

Thu 27 September 2012 Al Sweigart

No.

But I suppose a longer answer would be more satisfying.

How Does Compression Work?

Fri 17 August 2012 Al Sweigart

"Zip" programs that can compress multiple files into one smaller .zip file are fairly popular for downloads since the fewer bytes you have to download the faster it will download. But how do you compress files? Files are made up of ones and zeros, which can't be squished like clothes into a tight suitcase.