1. The Core Language

   1. Chapter 1 Getting Started

      1. Why Python?
      2. How to Run Python Programs
      3. A First Look at Module Files
      4. Python Configuration Details
      5. Summary
      6. Exercises

   2. Chapter 2 Types and Operators

      1. Python Program Structure
      2. Why Use Built-in Types?
      3. Numbers
      4. Strings
      5. Lists
      6. Dictionaries
      7. Tuples
      8. Files
      9. General Object Properties
      10. Built-in Type Gotchas
      11. Summary
      12. Exercises

   3. Chapter 3 Basic Statements

      1. Assignment
      2. Expressions
      3. Print
      4. if Tests
      5. while Loops
      6. for Loops
      7. Common Coding Gotchas
      8. Summary
      9. Exercises

   4. Chapter 4 Functions

      1. Why Use Functions?
      2. Function Basics
      3. Scope Rules in Functions
      4. Argument Passing
      5. Odds and Ends
      6. Function Gotchas
      7. Summary
      8. Exercises

   5. Chapter 5 Modules

      1. Why Use Modules?
      2. Module Basics
      3. Module Files Are Namespaces
      4. Import Model
      5. Reloading Modules
      6. Odds and Ends
      7. Module Gotchas
      8. Summary
      9. Exercises

   6. Chapter 6 Classes

      1. Why Use Classes?
      2. Class Basics
      3. Using the Class Statement
      4. Using Class Methods
      5. Inheritance Searches Namespace Trees
      6. Operator Overloading in Classes
      7. Namespace Rules: The Whole Story
      8. Designing with Classes
      9. Odds and Ends
      10. Class Gotchas
      11. Summary
      12. Exercises

   7. Chapter 7 Exceptions

      1. Why Use Exceptions?
      2. Exception Basics
      3. Exception Idioms
      4. Exception Catching Modes
      5. Odds and Ends
      6. Exception Gotchas
      7. Summary
      8. Exercises

2. The Outer Layers

   1. Chapter 8 Built-in Tools

      1. Aside: The sys Module
      2. Built-in Functions
      3. Library Modules
      4. Exercises

   2. Chapter 9 Common Tasks in Python

      1. Data Structure Manipulations
      2. Manipulating Files
      3. Manipulating Programs
      4. Internet-Related Activities
      5. Bigger Examples
      6. Exercises

   3. Chapter 10 Frameworks and Applications

      1. An Automated Complaint System
      2. Interfacing with COM: Cheap Public Relations
      3. A Tkinter-Based GUI Editor for Managing Form Data
      4. Design Considerations
      5. JPython: The Felicitous Union of Python and Java
      6. Other Frameworks and Applications
      7. Exercises

3. Appendixes

   1. Appendix A Python Resources

      1. The Python Language Web Site
      2. Python Software
      3. Python Documentation and Books
      4. Newsgroups, Discussion Groups, and Email Help
      5. Conferences
      6. Support Companies, Consultants, Training
      7. Tim Peters

   2. Appendix B Platform-Specific Topics

      1. Unix
      2. Windows-Specific Information
      3. Macintosh-Specific Information
      4. Java
      5. Other Platforms

   3. Appendix C Solutions to Exercises

      1. Chapter 1
      2. Chapter 2
      3. Chapter 3
      4. Chapter 4
      5. Chapter 5
      6. Chapter 6
      7. Chapter 7
      8. Chapter 8
      9. Chapter 9
      10. Chapter 10

1. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Learning Python is a wood rat (Neotoma, family Muridae). The wood rat lives in a wide range of living conditions (mostly rocky, scrub, and desert areas) over much of North and Central America, generally at some distance from humans, though they occasionally damage some crops. They are good climbers, nesting in trees or bushes up to six meters off the ground; some species burrow underground or in rock crevices or inhabit other species' abandoned holes.

These greyish-beige, medium-sized rodents are the original pack rats: they carry anything and everything into their homes, whether or not it's needed, and are especially attracted to shiny objects such as tin cans, glass, and silverware. Mary Anne Weeks Mayo was the production editor and copyeditor of Learning Python; Sheryl Avruch was the production manager; Jane Ellin, Melanie Wang, and Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary provided quality control. Robert Romano created the illustrations using Adobe Photoshop 5 and Macromedia FreeHand 8. Mike Sierra provided FrameMaker technical support. Ruth Rautenberg wrote the index.

Edie Freedman designed the cover of this book, using a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. The cover layout was produced with QuarkXPress 3.32 using the ITC Garamond font. Whenever possible, our books use RepKover(TM), a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. If the page count exceeds RepKover's limit, perfect binding is used.

The inside layout was designed by Nancy Priest and implemented in FrameMaker 5.5 by Mike Sierra. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book. This colophon was written by Nancy Kotary.