book

Make Python Talk

Name: Make Python Talk
Author: Mark Liu
ISBN: 9781718501560

by Mark Liu

August 2021

Intermediate to advanced

384 pages

9h 15m

English

No Starch Press

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Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
About the Author
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Introduction
About This Book What’s in This Book?
Part I: Getting Started
Chapter 1: Setting Up Python, Anaconda, and Spyder
Introducing Anaconda and Spyder Installing Anaconda and Spyder Install Anaconda and Spyder in WindowsInstall Anaconda and Spyder in macOSInstall Anaconda and Spyder in Linux Using SpyderWrite Python in Spyder Inspect Code in Spyder Understanding Coding in PythonPython SyntaxBasic Operations in Python Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 2: Python Refresher
Variables and ValuesStringsFloatsIntegersBoolsConvert Variable TypesRules for Variable Names Loops and Conditional ExecutionConditional ExecutionLoopsLoops in LoopsLoop Commands StringsString IndexingString SlicingString MethodsListsCreate a ListAccess Elements in a ListUse a List of ListsAdd or Multiply ListsList MethodsUse Built-in Functions with Listslist() Dictionaries Access Values in a DictionaryUse Dictionary MethodsHow to Use DictionariesSwitch Keys and Values Combine Two DictionariesTuples Functions Use Built-in Python Functions Define Your Own Functions Modules Import ModulesCreate Your Own ModulesUse Third-Party Modules Create a Virtual EnvironmentActivate the Virtual Environment in Windows Set Up Spyder in the Virtual Environment in Windows Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Part II: Learning to Talk

Chapter 3: Speech Recognition
Install the SpeechRecognition ModuleIn WindowsIn Mac or Linux Test and Fine-Tune SpeechRecognitionImport SpeechRecognition Test SpeechRecognition Fine-Tune the Speech Recognition Feature Perform a Voice-Controlled Web SearchUse the webbrowser ModuleAdd Voice Control Perform a Google Search Open Files Use the os and pathlib Modules to Access and Open FilesOpen Files via Voice Control Create and Import a Local ModuleCreate the Local Module mysrImport mysr Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 4: Make Python Talk
Install the Text-to-Speech ModuleSetupTest Your Text-to-Speech Module Repeat After Me Customize the SpeechRetrieve Default Settings in the pyttsx3 Module in WindowsAdjust Speech Properties in the pyttsx3 Module in WindowsCustomize the gTTS Module in Mac or Linux Build the Local mysay ModuleCreate mysayImport mysay Build a Voice-Controlled Calculator Read a File Aloud Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 5: Speaking Applications
Create Your Self-Made Local Python PackageWhat’s a Python Package?Create Your Own Python PackageTest Your PackageMore on Python PackagesInteractive Guess the Number GameSpeaking NewscastScrape the News SummaryAdd the Text-to-Speech Features Voice-Controlled WikipediaAccess WikipediaAdd Speech Recognition and Text to SpeechVoice-Activated Music PlayerTraverse Files in a FolderPython, Play Selena GomezPython, Play a Country Song Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 6: Web Scraping Podcasts, Radios, and Videos
A Primer on Web ScrapingWhat Is HTML?Extract Information with Beautiful SoupScrape Live Web PagesVoice-Activated PodcastsExtract and Play PodcastsVoice-Activate PodcastsVoice-Activated Radio PlayerInstall the selenium ModuleControl Web PagesVoice-Activate Live Radio Voice-Activated Videos Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 7: Building a Virtual Personal Assistant
An Overview of Your VPADownload VPA FilesInstall the arrow Module Manage the Standby ModeCreate the Local Module mywakeupSet Some Responses Ask Your VPA to Set a Timer Tell the Time with Python Build a TimerCreate the mytimer ModuleSet the Timer Ask Your VPA to Set an Alarm ClockBuild an Alarm ClockCreate the Alarm Clock ModuleSet an Alarm Ask Your VPA to Tell a JokeCreate Your Joke ListCreate a Joke ModuleTell a Joke Send Hands-Free Email Send Email with Written Commands Create the Email ModuleAdd the Email Functionality Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 8: Know-It-All VPA
Get Answers from WolframAlphaApply for an API KeyRetrieve Information Explore Different Areas of Knowledge Add a Know-It-All Functionality to Your VPAWhat WolframAlpha Cannot AnswerCreate the myknowall ModuleA VPA That Can Answer (Almost) Any Question for You Summary
Part III: Interactive Games
Chapter 9: Graphics and Animation with the turtle Module
Basic Commands Create a turtle Screen Create Movements Basic Shapes Use the dot() FunctionDraw Your Own Shapes Draw Grid Lines Animation How Animation WorksUse Multiple Turtles Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 10: Tic-Tac-Toe
Game Rules Draw the Game Board Create the Game PiecesHow Mouse Clicks Work in turtle Convert Mouse Clicks to Cell NumbersPlace Game Pieces Determine Valid Moves, Wins, and Ties Voice-Controlled Version Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 11: Connect Four
Game Rules Draw the Game Board The Mouse-Click VersionDrop a Disc Animate the Falling Discs Determine Valid Moves, Wins, and Ties The Voice-Controlled Version Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 12: Guess-the-Word Game
Game Rules Draw the Game Board The Text VersionLoad the CoinsGuess the LettersDetermine Valid Guesses, Wins, and Losses The Voice-Controlled Version Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 13: Smart Games: Adding Intelligence
The Think-Three-Steps-Ahead StrategyThink One Step AheadThink Two Steps AheadImplement the Think-Two-Steps-Ahead StrategyThink Three Steps Ahead The Machine-Learning Strategy Create a Dataset of Simulated GamesApply the Data Test the Effectiveness of the Two StrategiesThe Think-Three-Steps-Ahead Strategy The Machine-Learning Strategy Why Doesn’t the Machine-Learning Strategy Work Well in Connect Four? Voice-Controlled Intelligent Connect Four GamesA Voice-Controlled Game That Thinks AheadA Voice-Controlled Game Using Machine Learning Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Part IV: Going Further
Chapter 14: Financial Applications
Python, What’s the Facebook Stock Price?Obtain the Latest Stock PriceFind Ticker Symbols Retrieve Stock Prices via Voice Voice-Controlled Data VisualizationCreate Stock Price PlotsCreate Candlestick ChartsAdd Voice Control Voice-Controlled Stock ReportAnalyze Recent Stock Performance and RiskAdd Voice Control Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 15: Stock Market Watch
Bitcoin WatchHow to Read JSON DataA Graphical Bitcoin WatchA Talking Bitcoin Watch A Talking Stock Market Watch Apply the Method to Other Financial Markets Summary End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 16: Use World Languages
Text to Speech in Other Languages Install ModulesConvert Text to Speech in SpanishSupport Text to Speech in Other LanguagesConvert Text to Speech in World Languages Speech Recognition in Major World Languages A Talking Wikipedia Create Your Own Voice TranslatorA Text-Based TranslatorA Voice-Based Translator Summary
Chapter 17: Ultimate Virtual Personal Assistant
An Overview of the Final VPA The Chatting Functionality The Music FunctionalityCreate a Music ModuleActivate the Music Functionality The News Brief ModuleCreate a News ModuleActivate the News Functionality The Live Radio ModuleCreate a Radio ModuleActivate the Radio Functionality The Tic-Tac-Toe ModuleCreate a Tic-Tac-Toe ModuleActivate Tic-Tac-Toe The Connect Four ModuleCreate a Connect Four ModuleActivate Connect Four The Stock Price ModuleCreate a Stock Market–Tracking ModuleActivate the Stock Market–Tracking Functionalities The Voice Translator ModuleCreate a Translator ModuleActivate the Voice Translator Summary
Appendix A: Install Modules to Play Audio Files
Install the playsound ModuleWindowsMacLinux Install the pydub Module Install the pygame ModuleWindowsMacLinux Install the vlc Module Sample Scripts to Test the Four ModulesThe playsound ModuleThe pydub ModuleThe pygame ModuleThe vlc Module
Appendix B: Suggested Answers to End-of-Chapter Exercises
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15
Index

Content preview from Make Python Talk

13 Smart Games: Adding Intelligence

In the one-player version of Connect Four we built in Chapter 11, the computer always randomly selects a move. This allowed us to focus on the game’s speech recognition and text-to-speech aspects.

However, once you play against the random computer for a few games, you start to wonder if there’s a way to make our Connect Four game more challenging. The answer is yes, and in this chapter, you’ll learn to make an intelligent Connect Four opponent.

In one approach, we’ll ask the script to think three steps ahead, as people do when playing a game: two moves by the computer and one by the player.

In the first ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781098129071

Cloud Computing

Data Engineering

Data Science

AI & ML

Programming Languages

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IT/Ops

Security

Design

Business

Soft Skills

Make Python Talk

by Mark Liu

13 Smart Games: Adding Intelligence

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.