Helpful and Most Frequented Python References

I’ve never written a Python 2 module so several of these links go directly to the latest stable Python 3 (3.4 in this case). No worries though, you can simply manipulate the URL or select your version once you land on the page. Some of these links are for Python in General, like the style guide. While some of the more instructional links will use their respective authors choice. All is good in Python regardless of version 2 or 3, it’s relatively easy to move back in forth. But what do I know, I’ve only written Python 3 modules.

Any time I’m away from Python for any length of time, I find it helpful to review the “Style Guide for Python” (PEP 8) and the “Structure Your Project” Python Guide. I find that these two pages help me write more Pythonic code and avoid common pitfalls. I like to also think these help me write cleaner code and save me some embarrassment when I publish my code.

Even if others never ever use your Python modules, it is very important to provide meaningful feedback. I like to keep the Built In Exception Hierarchy listing close by so that I can generate the best possible exceptions. This helps make catch statements and traces relevant and informative.

Here are a few more pages I use so frequently that I wanted a nice place to collect them at.

• https://docs.python.org/3.4/library/string.html#formatspec
• https://docs.python.org/3.4/library/stdtypes.html
• https://docs.python.org/3.4/library/struct.html
• https://docs.python.org/3.4/library/io.html
• https://docs.python.org/3.4/library/collections.html
• http://www.diveintopython3.net/special-method-names.html
• http://simeonfranklin.com/blog/2012/jul/1/python-decorators-in-12-steps/
• http://python-3-patterns-idioms-test.readthedocs.org/en/latest/index.html
• https://github.com/faif/python-patterns

Alex Martelli (Google) Python Design Patterns Video Series:

• Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sbzmz1Nxvo
• Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOcpUCUsn_o
• Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJXhtncDBu4