Have you wanted to work with PDF files in Python? Maybe you want to extract text, merge and concatenate files, or even create PDFs from scratch. Are you interested in building hardware projects using a Raspberry Pi? This week on the show we have David Amos from the Real Python team to discuss his recent article on working with PDFs. David also brings a few other articles from the wider Python community for us to discuss.

David searches for the latest Python news, links, and articles to produce PyCoder’s Weekly with Dan Bader. PyCoder’s Weekly is a free email newsletter for those interested in Python development. Along with David’s article on PDFs, we discuss another recent Real Python article about building physical projects with the Raspberry Pi. We also discuss articles from the community about: the PEPs of Python 3.9, why you should stop using datetime.now, Python dependency tools, and several ways to pass code to Python from the terminal.

Course Spotlight: Cool New Features in Python 3.8

This course will get you up to speed with the new features of the latest release of Python. You’ll learn about using assignment expressions, how to enforce postional-only arguments, more precise type hints, and using f-strings for simpler debugging. It’s a worthy investment of your time to understand what the most recent release of Python provides before moving on to the next version this fall.

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PyCoder’s Weekly

The Many Ways to Pass Code to Python From the Terminal – You might know about pointing Python to a file path, or using -m to execute a module. But did you know that Python can execute a directory? Or a .zip file?

The PEPs of Python 3.9 – The first Python 3.9 beta release is upon us! Learn what to expect in the final October release by taking a tour of the Python Enhancement Proposals (PEPs) that were accepted for Python 3.9.

Creating and Modifying PDF Files in Python – Explore the different ways of creating and modifying PDF files in Python. You’ll learn how to read and extract text, merge and concatenate files, crop and rotate pages, encrypt and decrypt files, and even create PDFs from scratch.

Overview of Python Dependency Management Tools – While pip is often considered the de facto Python package manager, the dependency management ecosystem has really grown over that last few years. Learn about the different tools available and how they fit into this ecosystem.

Stop Using datetime.now! (With Dependency Injection) – How do you test a function that relies on datetime.now() or date.today()? You could use libraries like FreezeGun or libfaketime, but not every project can afford the luxury of reaching for third-party solutions. Learn how dependency injection can help you write code that is more testable, maintainable, and practical.

Build Physical Projects With Python on the Raspberry Pi – In this tutorial, you’ll learn to use Python on the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi is one of the leading physical computing boards on the market and a great way to get started using Python to interact with the physical world.

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Do you want to get started with web scraping using Python? Are you concerned about the potential legal implications? What are the tools required and what are some of the best practices? This week on the show we have Kimberly Fessel to discuss her excellent tutorial created for PyCon 2020 online titled “It’s Officially Legal so Let’s Scrape the Web.”

We discuss getting started with web scraping, and cover tools and techniques. Kimberly gives advice on finding elements inside of the html, and techniques for cleaning your data. She also notes a recent change to the legal landscape regarding scraping the web.

Kimberly is a Senior Data Scientist at Metis Data Science Bootcamp in New York City. She holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics. We talk about her switch from academia to data science, and discuss her passion for data storytelling and visualizations.

Course Spotlight: Defining Main Functions in Python

This course will get you up to speed with defining a starting point for the execution of a program, and helps you to understand what goes into the main() function. Prepare for a deep dive as you go through the sections. It’s a worthy investment of your time to understand this vital entry point for your Python scripts and applications!

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Have you wanted to get started with testing in Python? Maybe you feel a little nervous about diving in deeper than just confirming your code runs. What are the tools needed and what would be the next steps to level up your Python testing? This week on the show we have Anthony Shaw to discuss his article on this subject. Anthony is a member of the Real Python team and has written several articles for the site.

We discuss getting started with built-in Python features for testing and the advantages of a tool like pytest. Anthony talks about his plug-ins for pytest, and we touch on the next level of testing involving continuous integration.

Anthony recently finished a talk for PyCon 2020 Online, titled “Why is Python Slow?” He had the idea for the talk while he was working on his upcoming book about the CPython source code.

I also want to give an update on last weeks episode with Kyle Stratis, where we discussed Kyle being let go from his job due to the pandemic. Here’s some good news, Kyle will be joining a Boston startup called Vizit, as a senior data engineer. Congratulations Kyle!

Course Spotlight: The Python print() Function: Go Beyond the Basics

This course will get you up to speed with using Python print() effectively. Prepare for a deep dive as you go through the sections. You may be surprised how much print() has to offer!

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Do you know someone in the Python community who recently was let go from their job due to the pandemic? What does the job landscape currently look like? What are skills and techniques that will help you in your job search? This week we have Kyle Stratis on the show to discuss how he is managing his job search after just being let go from his data engineering job. Kyle is a member of the Real Python team and has written several articles for the site.

We discuss Kyle’s career and the skills that he’s developed, which are currently helping him in his job search. Kyle left academia to work as a data engineer. His background helps him to communicate between teams of scientists and engineers.

We also talk about Kyle’s recent article on combining data in Pandas. Kyle shares a tip on Pandas efficiency, and hints at some lesser known features of Python generators.

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In your quest to become a better developer, how do you find Python code that is at your reading level? What are good code bases or projects to study? What are the things holding you back from leveling up your Python literacy? This week we have Cecil Phillip on the show to discuss all of these common questions. Cecil is a Senior Cloud Advocate at Microsoft.

Cecil has been learning Python in the open on Twitch with Brian Clark. They run a weekly event on Twitch, where they are live-streaming an interactive Python course. Cecil has a background in multiple languages and technologies, and now he’s learning Python, bringing an audience along the way!

We start things off with a listener question and jump into a conversation about building up your Python skills. Then we’ll discuss common Python language stumbling blocks. Next we consider the importance of making personal projects, and documenting that code.

We also touch on some unique skills employers are looking for. And we discuss working through impostor syndrome. Cecil talks about his podcast “Away from the Keyboard” and his plans to start it back up.

In the show notes this week you’ll find links to resources we discuss, and several more that we didn’t have time to cover individually.

Want your question featured on the show? Send us your question at realpython.com/podcast-question and we might feature it on a future episode of the show.

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Docker is a common tool for Python developers creating and deploying applications, but what do you need to know if you want to use Docker for data science and machine learning? What are the best practices if you want to start using containers for your scientific projects? This week we have Tania Allard on the show. She is a Sr. Developer Advocate at Microsoft focusing on Machine Learning, scientific computing, research and open source.

Tania has created a talk for the PyCon US 2020 which is now online. The talk is titled “Docker and Python: Making them Play Nicely and Securely for Data Science and ML.” Her talk draws on her expertise in the improvement of processes, reproducibility and transparency in research and data science. We discuss a variety of tools for making your containers more secure and results reproducible.

Tania is passionate about mentoring, open-source, and its community. She is an organizer for Mentored Sprints for Diverse Beginners, and she talks about the upcoming online sprints for PyCon US 2020. We also discuss her plans to start a podcast.

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Want to learn more about AsyncIO in Python, with an example where you can see and hear events being triggered in real-time? This week we have Łukasz Langa on the show. Łukasz has created a talk for PyCon 2020 online about using AsyncIO with Music.

In his talk he shows live examples of coroutines, gathering, the event loop and events being triggered to create a piece of music. We also talk about his role as the release manager for Python 3.8 and 3.9. Łukasz provides background on the origins of his very popular, uncompromising code formatter, Black, and the types of problems it can solve inside of an organization.

Łukasz previously worked for Facebook, which is where he started Black. He talks about recently moving back to Poland. We discuss his current work for Edge DB, building a new generation object-relational database.

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Are you interested in building REST APIs with Flask and SQLAlchemy? This week we have Doug Farrell on the show. We talk about his four-part Real Python article series on Python REST APIs.

We discuss the various Python tools and libraries used in the series. Doug also shares his practices for continuous learning. Doug has worked in process control, embedded systems, and has a long background in software development.

He’s currently a developer at ShutterFly, and discusses developing tools for his internal customers. He also teaches Python to kids at a STEM school near where he lives.

Doug is writing a book for Manning Publications, “The Well-Grounded Python Developer”. The book is currently available in an early access state. And as always please check out all the additional resources and tools that Doug discusses, they are all gathered for you in the show notes.

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Have you ever wanted to explore using Python with electronics? CircuitPython is a great platform to get started with. This week we have Thea Flowers on the show. Thea has been creating several hardware projects based around CircuitPython, and she talks about getting started on the platform.

She also answers questions about how she taught herself to design and prototype printed circuit boards. Thea discusses several of her open source projects, including Nox, ConductHotline, and getting involved with CircuitPython.

Thea was the conference co-chair for PyCascades, and we talk about how someone could get involved in volunteering for conferences. We also discuss building diversity in the community.

This episode was initially recorded at an earlier date, so we asked Thea to come back for a few minutes to discuss updates on her projects and about a recent honor she received.

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Do you get upset and frustrated when you experience errors running your Python code? This week we have Martin Breuss on the show. We discuss how to learn Python through errors, and how errors really are your friends.

Martin is a video course creator here at Real Python, and we talk briefly about several courses he’s created. We focus on his course about getting started with Django, as a jumping off point for the discussion.

Martin talks about his work with Coding Nomads, and teaching Python around the world. He also provides some tips on debugging and writing good questions.

This episode was recorded at an earlier date, and because of recent events Martin came back to discuss a new #StayAtHome Mentorship Program he’s working on. The program is meant not only for learners but also for those who want to try their hand at being a mentor. We also answer our first listener submitted question.

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