Python Pocket Reference: Python In Your Pocket (Pocket Reference (O'Reilly))

I refer to this frequently as I am learning Python and it usually gives me the answer but sometimes it takes quite a bit of searching and flipping back and forth. So I think the index and/or organization could be a little better. Some examples:

* If you are trying to look up a concept but you don't know Python's word for it, alternate words likely won't get you there.

* Suppose you want to copy an object, or assign the contents of one object to another, and you're trying to find the Python way to do that. The index does not have entries for "copy" or "contents". It does have an entry for "assignment statement" but that will just assign an object's reference to another variable so now you have two variables pointing to the same object. What you're looking for is under "slicing" but how would you find that unless you already knew it?

A few more details / examples wouldn't hurt either although I understand they are trying to keep a "pocket" reference small.

Interwoven python 2/3 knowledge gets in the way of progress. Spends lots of time talking about the differences between P2/3. I would have bought a 3-only book had I know this was so filled with examples in differences, and extra space spent on P2.

I was looking for a pocket reference for Python, so I got this book. I have just started to learn Python, and am naturally working with the latest version (3.6). This book spends much (perhaps up to half) of its space (and my time) describing older versions of Python and how those features are different now. This, to me, is like buying a new automobile, and in the owner's manual it describes how the 1932 Ford Coupe works, and how this car is different.
I do not want to learn Python 1, 2, 2.4, 2.7, 2.anything. This book is inappropriately titled. If you are making a reference, have it refer to what people are learning and using.

As someone who teaches beginning Pythonistas to learn to program, this updated edition of the Python Pocket Reference is worth keeping close at hand.

The reference covers both Python 3.4 and 2.7, and it highlights changes between the two major releases in a succinct, clear way. Yes, one can find the reference information in the freely available Python docs, but this guide earns its place in my backpack by pulling together practical tips, hints, and common gotchas when using a method or function.

I appreciate the author including a section on the tkinter GUI module and tools. It’s helpful to have the basics in a concise format for the times that I am troubleshooting a user interface for a laboratory program or helping someone create a simple status display for an application.

Though it might not be the most exciting read, the Python Pocket Reference does what it does well – a straightforward, up-to-date resource for Python 3.4 and 2.7. Its hints and common idioms may also save a programmer valuable time debugging common mistakes.

I am a software developer with 40+ years experience and have worked with many different languages and environments over the years. A new project I started working required that I use Python which I knew very little about. I bought this book thinking that the quickest way to learn Python would be to get a concise reference and look up things I needed to know. This has worked for me in the past in other situations.
Unfortunately, this book is not what I needed. It is not complete enough for me to learn Python little by little. Here are some of the deficiencies I found:
- I wanted to know how to format text with parameter substitution. Looked for "{" or "}" in the index, but they were not there.
- I saw the "pass" command in one of the examples and wanted to find out what it did. It is not listed in the index, and I could not find a description of it by thumbing through the book.
- I wanted to read about the string "replace" function. It is not referenced in the index.
- I wanted to find out how to determine the length of a list. Nothing discussed about this in the section on lists.
Perhaps when I learn more about Python this skimpy reference book will become useful, but for a Python beginner, I fond it sorely lacking. After hitting a wall several times, I decided to shelve this book and get a more complete one.
(By the way, I don't think Mark Lutz is a bad author. The book I bought to replace this one was "Learning Python" by Mark Lutz. It has been really good so far, although at 1600 pages, it is probably more than I need.)

This book has become a permanent resident in my backpack. I often find myself writing quick python scripts on the go for work. This book has proved immensely valuable when I'm working on a script and don't have network access (if I have internet it's generally faster to google it :). 5/5 would recommend.

I recommend this book because it has high information density, it is relatively up-to-date, the sections are well-organized, it is inexpensive, it is physically compact, and does a good job as both a quick review and quick reference.

Yes, most of it is available on line some place however, it is nice to have it in a handy bound reference book.

I like to have at least three book on any subject that I'm learning or using on an ongoing subject (and I still have and use all of my university books)

If you are looking for a reference - this is a good choice. It is not a text book or a learn how book - it is a reference.

I like this book because it provides a very succinct explanation of the features in the newest version of Python (ver 3.4 in 2014). It provides several short examples to illustrate many of its points and even offers some editorial remarks concerning various feature of the language.

It is a concise reference work and not intended as a book that a reader would normally use to learn Python.

I have the first edition that I bought many years ago and was quite thin. I bought the third edition several years ago and now I have bought this fifth edition. You might think I find these useful, right? This edition covers both Python2 and Python3.It's a good reference. They're going to start having to come out with two different versions pretty soon because this one is getting close to the limit of a good reference book size wise.