~pycoders | Issue #624 (April 9, 2024) (30)

Install and Execute Python Applications Using pipx In this tutorial, you’ll learn about a tool called pipx, which lets you conveniently install and run Python packages as standalone command-line applications in isolated environments. In a way, pipx turns the Python Package Index (PyPI) into an app marketplace for Python programmers. REAL PYTHON

Why Do Python Lists Multiply Oddly? In Python you can use the multiplication operator on sequences to return a repeated version of the value. When you do this with a list containing an empty list you get what might be unexpected behavior. This article explains what happens and why. ABHINAV UPADHYAY

Saga Pattern Made Easy The Saga pattern lets you manage state across distributed transactions. But it’s difficult to build and maintain. Download this free technical guide to learn how to Automate Sagas Pattern with Temporal, the open source durable execution platform → TEMPORAL TECHNOLOGIES sponsor

Inline Run Dependencies in pipx 1.4.2 PEP 723 adds the ability to specify dependencies within a Python script itself. The folks who write pipx have added an experimental feature that takes advantage of this future language change. This article shows you how the new feature looks and what pipx does with it. HENRY SCHREINER

Enforcing Conventions in Django Projects With Introspection This post talks about the importance of naming conventions in your code, but takes it to the next level: use scripts to validate that conventions get followed. By using introspection you can write rules for detecting code that doesn’t follow your conventions. Examples are for Django fields but the concept works for any Python code. LUKE PLANT

Leveraging Docs and Data to Create a Custom LLM Chatbot How do you customize a LLM chatbot to address a collection of documents and data? What tools and techniques can you use to build embeddings into a vector database? This week on the show, Calvin Hendryx-Parker is back to discuss developing an AI-powered, Large Language Model-driven chat interface. REAL PYTHON podcast

“Real” Anonymous Functions for Python The topic of multi-line lambdas, or anonymous functions akin to languages like JavaScript, comes up with some frequency in the Python community. It popped up again recently. This article talks about the history of the topic and the current reasoning against it. JAKE EDGE

How to Set Up Pre-Commit Hooks Maintaining code quality can be challenging no matter the size of your project or the number of contributors. Pre-commit hooks make it a little easier. This article provides a step-by-step guide to installing and configuring pre-commit hooks on your project. STEFANIE MOLIN • Shared by Stefanie Molin

Fix Python Code Smells With These Best Practices A code smell isn’t something that is necessarily broken, but could be a sign of deeper problems. This post teaches you how to identify and eliminate seven Python code smells with practical examples. ARJAN

New Open Initiative for Cybersecurity Standards The PSF has joined with the Apache Software Foundation, the Eclipse Foundation, and other open source groups to form a group dedicated to cybersecurity initiatives in the open source community. PYTHON SOFTWARE FOUNDATION

10 Reasons I Stick to Django Rather Than FastAPI FastAPI is an excellent library and is quite popular in the Python community. Regardless of his respect for it, David still sticks with Django. This post discusses his ten reasons why. DAVID DAHAN

My Accessibility Review Checklist Ensuring accessibility in your software is important, removing boundaries that limit some people from participating. This checklist is valuable for helping you determine whether your web code meets the accepted Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. SARAH ABEREMANE

Python Deep Learning: PyTorch vs Tensorflow PyTorch vs Tensorflow: Which one should you use? Learn about these two popular deep learning libraries and how to choose the best one for your project. REAL PYTHON course

Python Project-Local Virtualenv Management Redux Hynek talks about his Python tooling choices and how they’ve changed over the years, with a focus on environment management tools like uv and direnv. HYNEK SCHLAWACK

Trying Out Rye Hamuko decided to try out rye. This post goes into detail about what worked and what didn’t for them. HAMUKO