Python Pocket Reference ^{3rd Ed.}

Covers Python 2.4

A python is a muscular snake that kills its prey by squeezing it to the point of suffocation. But the Python Pocket Reference is not a book about snakes. This is a book about Python, the language, which is one of the most elegant, muscular, and widely used scripting languages available these days. With this book, you'll be the one doing the squeezing, as you apply the power of Python to boost the productivity of your programming work.

And speaking of squeezing, that's exactly what expert Python programmer Mark Lutz has done by condensing a ton o important reference information into the Python Pocket Reference. In this small but esential book, you'll find syntax for all Python statements, descriptions of built-in types and operators, call specifications for built-in functions and methods, and much, much more. Updated to cover the latest developments in Python 2.4, this is a handy and concise reference you won't want to be without.

• Command-Line Options
• Python Options
• Program Specification
• Environment Variables
• Built-in Types and Operators
• Operators and Precedence
• Operations by Category
• Sequence Operation Notes
• Specific Built-in Types
• Numbers
• Strings
• Unicode Strings
• Lists
• Dictionaries
• Tuples
• Files
• Other Common Types
• Type Conversions
• Statements and Syntax
• Syntax Rules
• Name Rules
• Specific Statements
• Assignment
• Expressions
• The print Statement
• The if Statement
• The while Statement
• The for Statement
• The pass Statement
• The break Statement
• The continue Statement
• The del Statement
• The exec Statement
• The def Statement
• The return Statement
• The yield Statement
• The global Statement
• The import Statement
• The from Statement
• The class Statement
• The try Statement
• The raise Statement
• The assert Statement
• Namespace and Scope Rules
• Qualified Names: Object Namespaces
• Unqualified Names: Lexical Scopes
• Statically Nested Scopes
• Object-Oriented Programming
• Classes and Instances
• Pseudo-Private Attributes
• New Style Classes
• Operator Overloading Methods
• For All Types
• For Collections (Sequences, Mappings)
• For Numbers (Binary Operators)
• For Numbers (Other Operations)
• Built-in Functions
• Built-in Exceptions
• Base Classes (Categories)
• Specific Exceptions Raised
• Warning Category Exceptions
• Warnings Framework
• Built-in Attributes
• Built-in Modules
• The sys Module
• The string Module
• Module Functions
• Constants
• The os System Module
• Administrative Tools
• Portability Constants
• Shell Commands
• Environment Tools
• File Descriptor Tools
• File Pathname Tools
• Process Control
• The os.path Module
• The re Pattern-Matching Module
• Moduke Functions
• Regular Expression Objects
• Match Objects
• Pattern Syntax
• Object Persistence Modules
• anydbm and shelve Interfaces
• pickle Interface
• Tkinter GUI Module and Tools
• Tkinter Example
• Tkinter Core Widgets
• Common Dialog Calls
• Additional Tkinter Classes and Tools
• Tcl/Tk-to-Python/Tkinter Mappings
• Internet Modules and Tools
• Commonly Used Library Modules
• Other Built-in Modules
• The math Moduke
• The time module
• The datetime Module
• Threading Modules
• Binary Data Parsing
• Python Portable SQL Database API
• API Usage Examples
• Module Interface
• Connection Objects
• Cursor Objects
• Type Objects and Constructors
• Python Idioms and Hints
• Core Language Hints
• Environment Hints
• Usage Hints
• Assorted Hints
  

Excellent little reference, but that is it.

You won't learn Python from this book, but that is not the intention. Neither will you find an extensive standard library reference, but that is still not the intention.

It is a very good Python Reference book that fits nicely in the pocket, with good, short explanations and a good index. Complements the authors other Python books perfectly.