Head First Python

Appendix A. Leftovers: The Top Ten Things (we didn’t cover)

You’ve come a long way.

But learning about Python is an activity that never stops. The more Python you code, the more you’ll need to learn new ways to do certain things. You’ll need to master new tools and new techniques, too. There’s just not enough room in this book to show you everything you might possibly need to know about Python. So, here’s our list of the top ten things we didn’t cover that you might want to learn more about next.

#1: Using a “professional” IDE

Throughout this book, you’ve used Python’s IDLE, which is great to use when first learning about Python and, although it’s a little quirky, can handle most programming tasks. It even comes with a built-in debugger (check out the Debug menu), which is surprisingly well equipped. Chances are, however, sooner or later, you’ll probably need a more full-featured integrated development environment.

One such tool worth looking into is the WingWare Python IDE. This professional-level development tool is specifically geared toward the Python programmer, is written by and maintained by Python programmers, and is itself written in Python. WingWare Python IDE comes in various licencing flavors: it’s free if you’re a student or working on an open source project, but you’ll need to pay for it if you are working within a for-profit development environment.

More general tools also ...