Python Programming on WIN32: Help for Windows Programmers

by Mark Hammond and Andy Robinson

Book Overview

Python is growing in popularity; based on download statistics, there are now over 450,000 people using Python, and more than 150,000 people using Python on Windows. Use of the language has been growing at about 40% per year since 1995, and there is every reason to believe that growth will continue. Despite Python's increasing popularity on Windows, Python Programming on Win32 is the first book to demonstrate how to use it as a serious Windows...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565926218
• ISBN13: 9781565926219
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media
• Length: 672 Pages
• Weight: 2.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.8" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Required Reading for Python programmers (on Windows)

If you write Python programs to run on Microsoft Windows you are absolutely required to add this book to your library. Good coverage of writing COM servers, Windows Services, handling Windows Event logs. Information is very difficult to get elsewhere. Don't let the edition or the date turn you away. The fundamentals of Windows programming hasn't changed since Windows NT 4.0 was introduced so everything still works the same today as back then.

Very good, misses a few spots

Python is the best choice for people who want to implement COM in the software they develop - mostly due to its clear structure and object - oriented nature. This is where this book mostly comes.This book is well-written, practical-oriented and ideal for the newbie programmer who has already some idea over Python (O'Reilly's 'Learning Python' is the best place to start).However, even experienced programmers need it because it provides a set of useful examples for rapid prototyping and reuse components.It misses a few spots - First, you can't find much help on working on GUIs - and second (and most important) SWIG does not get the attention it deserves - it is just mentioned.Finally, if you use Python in Win32 - or if you cannot decide what kind of COM solution you wish to develop - DO NOT CONSIDER TAKING A STEP WITHOUT THIS BOOK !

Not a bad book

As I say in the title this is not a bad book. It's just not what I expected. The title is a bit of a misnomer, perhaps it should have been called "COM programming with Python". I had hoped to find some useful stuff on how to write GUI applications for Win32 but that topic was just slightly more than 40 pages in a book with over 600 pages. Still, I'd recommend it to anyone running Python on a Win32 platform.

Well written, and a key reference

Within a few hours of acquiring this book, it had enabled me to finish a project and save myself a lot of embarrassment at work.The authors give is a detailed introduction to Python for Win32 developers - covering both system administration and back-end and front-end application development. It also provides an excellent introduction to COM (the Python/COM interface is the key component of the Win32 extensions). There is a nice progression from introductory material to quite advanced topics such as implementing NT services, or COM threading.The range of topics covered is surprisingly broad. Also, the case studies are nice, and far from trivial: e.g. an accounting system that scripts Word and Excel, an invoicing system that produces PDF output.The design of the Python Win32 extensions is admirable, so implementing COM clients in Python (e.g. scripting Excel) is simple - the online documentation is more than adequate. However, implementing COM servers (e.g. Excel-callable functions) is more subtle, and it would be unwise to attempt this without the information in this book. Hopefully a future edition will have more information on DCOM.The section on GUI development is very helpful. I'm glad the authors covered wxPython as well as Tkinter - though less portable, wxPython is a much better framework on the Win32 platform.There are some typos, but I haven't been confused by any so far.The main difficulty with this book is that some of the information will become dated - the pace of development on both the Windows and Python sides seems to be rapid. Expect a second edition within a couple of years?

Essential Python + Windows Book

this book covers it all: com, dcom, database, etc. Whatever question you may have had about Python's capabilities & how to get the most from it on the Windows platform are answered here. The authors should be commended on such a fine offering. Books like this solidify O'Reilly's reputation as the premiere publisher of Computer books.