Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

Renaming hundreds of files by hand or editing spreadsheet cells one at a time eats hours that a short program could save. This book teaches Python to readers who have never programmed, with the goal of handing that repetitive work to the computer.

It is a practical programming guide for beginners. The opening chapters cover the basics of the language. After that, the reader writes working programs for everyday office and computer tasks.

The programs cover a wide range of jobs. They search for text in one file or many, and they create, update, move and rename files and folders. They search the Web and download online content, and they update and format Excel spreadsheets of any size. They also split, merge, watermark and encrypt PDFs, send reminder emails and text notifications, and fill out online forms.

Each program is taught through step-by-step instructions. Practice projects close every chapter and ask the reader to improve the program just built and apply the same skills to similar tasks. The approach is hands-on, aimed at people who want results from their code rather than a study of theory.