>A Byte of Python

Chapter 16. What Next?

If you have read this book thoroughly till now and practised writing a lot of programs, then you must have become very comfortable and familiar with Python. You have probably created some Python programs to try out some stuff and to exercise your Python skills as well. You have already seen how to create a backup script as well. The question now is "What Next?"

I would suggest that you tackle this problem : create your own command-line address-book program using which you can add, modify, delete or search for your contacts such as friends, family and colleagues and their information such as email address and/or phone number. Details must be stored for later retrieval.

This is fairly easy if you think about it in terms of all the various stuff that we have come across till now. If you still want directions on how to proceed, read the following hint. (Hint: Create a class to represent the person's information. Use a dictionary to store person objects with their name as the key. Use the cPickle module to store the objects persistently on your hard disk. Use the dictionary built-in methods to add, delete and modify the persons.)

Once you are able to do this, you can claim to be an accomplished programmer. Now, immediately send me a mail thanking me for this great book ;-). This step is optional but highly recommended!

Here are some ways to continue your journey with Python:

GUI Libraries using Python - you need these to create your own graphical programs using Python. You can create your own Winamp or IrfanView (Windows users should be familiar with these) or your own XMMS or KOrganizer (Linux/BSD users should be familiar with these) using these GUI (graphical user interface) libraries with their Python bindings. Bindings are what allow you to write programs in Python using libraries which themselves are written in C or C++ such as all the GUI libraries we mention below.

There are lots of choices for GUI using Python: