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Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners 1st Edition

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,542 ratings

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If you've ever spent hours renaming files or updating hundreds of spreadsheet cells, you know how tedious tasks like these can be. But what if you could have your computer do them for you?

In Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, you'll learn how to use Python to write programs that do in minutes what would take you hours to do by hand—no prior programming experience required. Once you've mastered the basics of programming, you'll create Python programs that effortlessly perform useful and impressive feats of automation to:

  • Search for text in a file or across multiple files
  • Create, update, move, and rename files and folders
  • Search the Web and download online content
  • Update and format data in Excel spreadsheets of any size
  • Split, merge, watermark, and encrypt PDFs
  • Send reminder emails and text notifications
  • Fill out online forms

Step-by-step instructions walk you through each program, and practice projects at the end of each chapter challenge you to improve those programs and use your newfound skills to automate similar tasks.

Don't spend your time doing work a well-trained monkey could do. Even if you've never written a line of code, you can make your computer do the grunt work. Learn how in Automate the Boring Stuff with Python.

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From the Publisher

The Automate the Boring Stuff with Python book on a black background with the No Starch Press logo

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'A Lot of Fun'

“I’m having a lot of fun breaking things and then putting them back together, and just remembering the joy of turning a set of instructions into something useful and fun, like I did when I was a kid.”

—Wil Wheaton, Actor, Writer, and Geek Icon

Two copies of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python stacked on top of each other

'Highly Recommended'

“Do you need Automate the Boring Stuff with Python? Yes, if you want to enhance your workflow by using automation, this is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended.”

—Network World

A spread from Automate the Boring Stuff with Python showing an image of the author's cat

'A Stellar Resource'

"A stellar resource for office workers, academics, and administrators."

—Mashable

Al Sweigart

About the Author

Al Sweigart is a software developer and tech book author. Python is his favorite programming language, and he is the developer of several open source modules for it. His other books are freely available under a Creative Commons license on his website. His cat now weighs 11 pounds.

Python for Kids, 2nd Edition
Python for Kids, 2nd edition by Jason Briggs
Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition
Python Crash Course 3rd edition by Eric Matthes
Automate the Boring Stuff with Python
Automate the Boring Stuff 2nd edition by Al Sweigart
Python Flash Cards
Python Flash Cards by Eric Matthes
Impractical Python Projects
Impractical Python Projects by Lee Vaughan
Serious Python
Serious Python by Julien Danjou
Customer Reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Price $21.49 $28.97 $22.04 $21.71 $33.25 $28.38
User experience level Beginner Beginner Beginner Beginner to Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate
For readers who want A gentle, kid-friendly introduction to Python A fast-paced, thorough introduction to Python A practical guide to using Python for automating tedious tasks A quick and easy way to review Python fundamentals, vocabulary, syntax and more Fun, entertaining projects to take your Python skills to the next level Expert, practical advice and tutorials to perfect your professional Python skills
Compatible with Python version Python 3 Python 3 Python 3 Python 3 Python 3 Python 2 & 3
Special features Kid-friendly, full-color code and illustrations Covers Django, matplotlib and plotly, and pygame Covers working with files en masse, automating emails and texts, scraping the web, and more Flash card format; includes exercises and challenges to test and hone your skills Covers modules like pygame, Pylint, pydocstyle, tkinter, python-docx, matplotlib, and pillow Covers powerful techniques like using generators, handling time zones, and applying functional programming
Page count 368 pages 511 pages 592 pages 101 cards 424 pages 240 pages
No Starch Press logo. A black circle with a white iron with a star in the center

About the Publisher

No Starch Press has published the finest in geek entertainment since 1994, creating both timely and timeless titles like Python Crash Course, Python for Kids, How Linux Works, and Hacking: The Art of Exploitation. An independent, San Francisco-based publishing company, No Starch Press focuses on a curated list of well-crafted books that make a difference. They publish on many topics, including computer programming, cybersecurity, operating systems, and LEGO. The titles have personality, the authors are passionate experts, and all the content goes through extensive editorial and technical reviews. Long known for its fun, fearless approach to technology, No Starch Press has earned wide support from STEM enthusiasts worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I’m having a lot of fun breaking things and then putting them back together, and just remembering the joy of turning a set of instructions into something useful and fun, like I did when I was a kid." —Wil Wheaton

"Do you need
Automate the Boring Stuff with Python? Yes, if you want to enhance your workflow by using automation, this is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended."—Network World

About the Author

Al Sweigart is a software developer and teaches programming to kids and adults. He has written several Python books for beginners, including Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python, Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python, and Making Games with Python & Pygame.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Starch Press; 1st edition (May 1, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 504 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593275994
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593275990
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1.19 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,542 ratings

About the author

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Al Sweigart
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Al Sweigart is a software developer and tech book author living in Houston. He has written several programming books for beginners, including Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. His books are freely available under a Creative Commons license at his website https://inventwithpython.com.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
1,542 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book helpful for learning Python. They appreciate the practical guidance and examples, as well as the practice questions. The book is clearly written for programming novices and provides a good foundation on Python automation. Many consider it a low-cost solution for educators and parents. However, some customers have reported issues with the code functionality and binding quality.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

201 customers mention "Literacy"189 positive12 negative

Customers find the book helpful for learning Python. They appreciate the practice questions and flow chart diagrams. The book moves quickly, allowing readers to practice and learn. Readers mention that the most valuable lessons are in the first half. It's a good book for mentors to have on their shelf to offer to their students.

"...Cool technology. Not exceptionally useful, but entertaining. And, it sure beat the heck out of the usual intro chapters of beginner books...." Read more

"...There are lots of review sessions and the projects at the end of the chapters really help you work out the syntax on your own...." Read more

"...His examples are clear, and he does not just say, "now add x between a and b" as previous coding books have done, instead he lays out the code line..." Read more

"...Better intro than several other books. *the practice questions are excellent, working through each them is rewarding to one's..." Read more

121 customers mention "Ease of reading"118 positive3 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. They appreciate the author's clear explanation of concepts and the well-organized quick course in Python. The examples are simple to run and teach the language well. Readers mention that the book takes them from basic to advanced programming, covering syntax and formatting.

"...how the material is presented, this book should also serve well for first time programmers. And, automating a few tedious tasks does not hurt." Read more

"...The book takes you through the basics of programming with python, a bit of history about the language, and takes the user through some of the most..." Read more

"...a and b" as previous coding books have done, instead he lays out the code line by line, notes the line which code is on, and references the lines as..." Read more

"...PROS: * the explanation of regular expressions is enlightening, clear and simple. Better intro than several other books. *..." Read more

26 customers mention "Python automation"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a good introduction to Python automation. It teaches the basics and helps develop practical programming skills. They say it simplifies automation using Python and provides a good foundation for learning to program in a useful way. The book covers real-world examples and tricks to make digital life easier.

"...The book's focus on automation in the second half is fantastic...." Read more

"...This information provides an excellent foundation into python and the automation of tasks that make python such a powerhouse...." Read more

"...The fruits of your hard work: the able to scrape the web, automate things, and make your life easier!..." Read more

"...pages, to documents, spreadsheets, drawing programmes, and even gui automation...." Read more

18 customers mention "Value for money"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money. It helps control repetitive tasks with a Raspberry Pi and provides a low-cost solution for educators and parents. The book is available as a free e-book and multiple excellent YouTube videos.

"...program, Python 3 on a Raspberry Pi, represents a low cost solution for educators and parents...." Read more

"...It has saved me significant time and was worth every dollar of what I spent...." Read more

"...but it does a good job tying things together and is worth the money." Read more

"...It arrived as a 479 pages of book. It is definitely the best value textbook I purchased since my graduate school...." Read more

14 customers mention "Code functionality"8 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed reviews about the code functionality in the book. Some find it useful for programmers and non-programmers alike, providing working code for small programs that can be used to create web pages, documents, spreadsheets, and learn Python with no coding background. However, others report issues with some of the code no longer functioning properly, causing errors and program failures.

"...I especially enjoyed the chapters on web scraping and working with Excel and CSV files (a large chunk of my workload is manipulating Excel files)...." Read more

"...Cool technology. Not exceptionally useful, but entertaining. And, it sure beat the heck out of the usual intro chapters of beginner books...." Read more

"...things like pattern matching, reading and writing files, working with Excel files and so on...." Read more

"...Kindle version also messes up indentation (tabs) so that your programs will not run if you write your code exactly as written in Kindle version...." Read more

13 customers mention "Book binding"5 positive8 negative

Customers have different views on the book binding. Some find it excellent, with high-quality material and useful content. Others report issues like poor quality binding that falls apart or comes off.

"...One issue though is the binding of this book is very poor. The binding essentially broke right after I started reading...." Read more

"So far I like this book. I like the way the material is presented. It's very clear and the author does a good job explaining things...." Read more

"...in paper forms, with the exception of the materials used, it's not well binded and the paper feels a bit cheap...." Read more

"High quality condition" Read more

I like this book, but the physical construction is a bit questionable.
4 out of 5 stars
I like this book, but the physical construction is a bit questionable.
This book is a good book for reference. It has helped me in my early times learning so far on the website, so I decided to buy the book. It's equally great in paper forms, with the exception of the materials used, it's not well binded and the paper feels a bit cheap. For the price it's not bad at all, but I feel like if they upped the price a few bucks and improved materials used, I would have been happier. If learning python though, it's a solid book to start with and oftentimes paper can be very helpful.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015
    Finally, an intro programming book that is entertaining. The example projects are useful. Actually useful. And, quick to program.

    I have been programming for many years. I have been working with databases for the past 8 years, so my other programming skills have not kept pace mostly because I have no specific day to day use for Python or any other non-database language in my job. But, for some unknown reason, I wanted to learn Python. So, I tried a number of the usual "Learn Python in 36 Seconds" intro methods -- books and on-line tutorials. Boring. So, I would put in a one or two hours and never return.

    When I got "Automate the Boring Stuff", I skimmed over the intro: basic Python syntax chapters. Then, I hit the projects. I quickly realized my error when I could not remember basic syntax: like put that dreaded colon at the end of an IF or FOR statement. Every language wants to do that differently for some reason. So, I re-started the intro chapters. But, I quickly got back to the projects. First project was a copy to the clipboard task. Cool technology. Not exceptionally useful, but entertaining. And, it sure beat the heck out of the usual intro chapters of beginner books. By the time I hit the Excel chapter, I was hooked. And, automating data into and out Excel had a very high appeal to me. I have now completed 2 Excel projects of my own complete with modules to support the code. Each of my projects will save hours of tedious work every month. Also, I learned the limits of the Python Excel module: openpyxl. That was frustrating -- but a very good indicator that I had actually learned it. And, that pesky colon syntax now naturally comes at the end of IF and FOR statements -- another good indicator that I had learned something.

    I have to recommend this book to anyone who gets bored trying to learn a new language. Based on how the material is presented, this book should also serve well for first time programmers. And, automating a few tedious tasks does not hurt.
    9 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2017
    This is a great book for those who know how to use computer basics but are super beginners to programming in general.

    There are some issues I have with the book's methods, but I am giving it 5 stars because the author explicitly mentions these defects as an intentional part of the book, and the methods still really helped me get to the "meat" of programing basics.

    The book takes you through the basics of programming with python, a bit of history about the language, and takes the user through some of the most common functions. Sweigart explains the definitions of basic concepts, such as strings, integers, functions...etc...

    There are lots of review sessions and the projects at the end of the chapters really help you work out the syntax on your own.

    As the book progresses into more and more complex usages of the language all the while giving the user great examples of potential uses for programming for general office use, or as time saving techniques.

    The Pros:

    -easy to read, to the point but with enough description to teach you the concepts.
    -great introduction to programming in general, as well as the language
    -a supplemental website and reddit forum that can really help users with some of the concepts of the book.

    The Cons:
    -the style leaves out some common programming rules I discovered with supplemental work (he openly admits this is done to keep to the basics of syntax and language usage, it is an effective way to teach newbies).

    -some things should have had a little more attention. I feel the role of functions is so big, there should have been a little more emphasis on the scope of the use of the functions

    I would highly recommend this book if you:

    A. are looking to do programming but do not know where to start
    and
    B. are comfortable with computers (you don't have to know the command line or be able ot build one from the ground up, but know how to use basic functions)
    C. Don't mind the stripped down explanation of things, sticking to concepts rather than form, or the "do's and don'ts" of proper usage
    14 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2020
    I am only a chapter into this book, but it has so far been the best programming book I have yet read. His examples are clear, and he does not just say, "now add x between a and b" as previous coding books have done, instead he lays out the code line by line, notes the line which code is on, and references the lines as he goes through it. He even repeats the code several times in examples in order to address different issues and explains why some things don't work. I feel as if, unlike other books I have read from other publishing companies, that No Starch Press actually proofreads and tests what they are putting into the world, and I think this author actually understands how to communicate and teach via a written medium.

    As I have moved further into this book, I can re-confirm my thoughts on it: It is by far the best programming book I have read. I have not yet encountered any errors or mistakes in it, and the author wrote his code and explained it line by line so that even someone as inexperienced as I am can learn from the code. I will absolutely be purchasing future books from No Starch Press as they publish quality material.

    I have moved further into this book, and I am still convinced that it is the best programming book I have read. While there are still points at which I am confused, or stumble, these are no way the fault of the author; but rather my own shortcomings and lack of experience with various aspects of computer programming. I plan on purchasing the second edition of this book so as to support the author for his incredible work in teaching and software development.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • If you are new in Python and don't know where to start, this book is completely for you
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good product
    Reviewed in Italy on January 3, 2025
    This book is the best, completely for beginners.
  • OmarS
    5.0 out of 5 stars execelente para principiantes y avanzados
    Reviewed in Mexico on July 20, 2021
    este libro es excelente si eres principiante o avanzado en Python
  • Afonso Yamaguchi
    5.0 out of 5 stars bom e pratico
    Reviewed in Brazil on August 14, 2019
    É um ótimo livro introdutório. bem pratico.
  • Sidney D'Souza
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book for beginners
    Reviewed in India on December 30, 2020
    Excellent book on python for beginners. Easy to understand layout and flow
  • Lukas Schumi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Das beste Buch um Python zu lernen!
    Reviewed in Germany on May 6, 2020
    Nachdem ich verschiedenste Bücher und Kurse begonnen habe um Python zu lernen und jedesmal nach kürzester Zeit wieder aufgehört habe, bin ich über dieses Buch gestolpert.
    Es ist wahnsinnig unterhaltsam und kurzweilig geschrieben. Der erste Teil ist eine kurze aber umfassende Einführung in die Programmiersprache, der zweite dann (wie der Titel schon sagt) über verschiedene Automatisierungensprozesse. Die Beispiele sind kurz genug um nicht überfordert zu sein und sehr geanu und ausführlich erklärt.

    Diesem Buch habe ich es zu vedanken, dass ich Programmieren gelernt habe.
    Auf jeden Fall eine ganz klare Kaufempfehlung!