Python Magazine

by Michael Foord

ConfigObj is a powerful and flexible configuration file parser suitable for most configuration needs. This article explores the basic use of configuration files, and some of the more advanced features that make ConfigObj the right choice for your application.

by Jon Miller

How often have you had to correct someone's init script? Perhaps the application your company bought didn't come with an init script at all. Or maybe you host an application developed in-house, and the development team isn't too savvy with creating run control scripts. What if you could manage all of your add-on init scripts with a single Python script, and store the configuration data centrally in an LDAP server?

by Terry Hancock

Pretty pictures and graphics have been inspiring developers everywhere for years. Bearing that in mind, this is a tutorial for the impatient (tested on preteens!). You'll get something fun working on the screen in just a few minutes. From there, you'll refine and learn some programming concepts to make it better.

by Paul McGuire

Did you ever want to create your own programming language? Maybe not one with the power and richness of C++ or Java, but perhaps just a simple command language to control a software application, or create graphs or forms, or interact with a web page. The trick is, once you have designed the commands, keywords, and syntax of your new language, the next step is to write the parser that will convert your language statements into executable code. This article will walk through the basic steps to create a parser and interpreter for your very own programming language.

by Brian Jones

Why aren't there more learning resources for the Python developer?

by Mark Mruss

New-style classes were introduced to Python with the release of Python 2.2. And with these new-style classes came descriptors and properties. This article will introduce the descriptor protocol, descriptors, and properties.

by Doug Hellmann

Not content to leave well enough alone, Doug offers up some extensions to Ian Bicking's virtualenv script that make it even more useful.

by Steve Holden

Steve offers a report on what he feels was a very special conference.