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Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 3rd Edition
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If you’ve ever spent hours renaming files or updating hundreds of spreadsheet cells, you know how tedious tasks like these can be. But what if you could have your computer do this work for you?
In this fully revised third edition of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, you’ll learn how to use Python to write programs that do in minutes what would take you hours to do by hand—no prior programming experience required. Early chapters will teach you the fundamentals of Python through clear explanations and engaging examples. You’ll write your first Python program; work with strings, lists, dictionaries, and other data structures; then use regular expressions to find and manipulate text patterns.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll tackle projects that teach you to use Python to automate tasks like:
- Searching the web, downloading content, and filling out forms
- Finding, extracting, and manipulating text and data in files and spreadsheets
- Copying, moving, renaming, or compressing saved files on your computerSplitting, merging, and extracting text from PDFs and Word documents
- Interacting with applications through custom mouse and keyboard macros
- Managing your inbox, unsubscribing from lists, and sending email or text notifications
New to this edition: All code and examples have been thoroughly updated. You’ll also find four new chapters on database integration, speech recognition, and audio and video editing, as well as 16 new programming projects and expanded coverage of developer techniques like creating command line programs.
Don’t spend your time on work a well-trained monkey could do. Even if you’ve never written a line of code, you can pass off that grunt work to your computer. Learn how in Automate the Boring Stuff with Python.
- ISBN-101718503407
- ISBN-13978-1718503403
- Edition3rd
- PublisherNo Starch Press
- Publication dateMay 20, 2025
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions7.06 x 1.29 x 9.19 inches
- Print length672 pages
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From the Publisher
About the Author
Al Sweigart is a software developer, fellow of the Python Software Foundation, and author of several popular programming books including The Big Book of Small Python Projects, Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python, Coding with Minecraft, and The Recursive Book of Recursion (all from No Starch Press).
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| Customer Reviews |
4.6 out of 5 stars 170
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4.8 out of 5 stars 2,491
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4.7 out of 5 stars 203
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5.0 out of 5 stars 6
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4.7 out of 5 stars 834
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| User experience level | Beginner | Beginner | Beginner | Beginner | Intermediate | Experienced |
| For readers who want | A gentle, kid-friendly introduction to Python | A fast-paced, thorough introduction to Python | A practical guide to using Python for automating tedious tasks | To use Python for research, simulation, and collaboration | To deepen their skills and explore creative applications of Python | To explore the stealthier side of programming |
| Compatible with Python version | Python 3 | Python 3 | Python 3 | Python 3 | Python 3 | Python 3 |
| Special features | Kid-friendly, full-color code and illustrations | Covers Django, matplotlib and plotly, and pygame | Covers working with files en masse, automating emails and texts, scraping the web, and more | Covers Anaconda, Spyder, Jupyter Notebooks, JupyterLab | Covers matplotlib, Numpy, OpenGL, Pillow, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi | Covers Python 3.x, Volatility Framework,ctypes, struct, lxml, BeautifulSoup |
| Page count | 368 pages | 511 pages | 592 pages | 744 pages | 448 pages | 216 pages |
About the Publisher
No Starch Press has published the finest in geek entertainment since 1994, creating both timely and timeless titles like Python Crash Course, Python for Kids, How Linux Works, and Hacking: The Art of Exploitation. An independent, San Francisco-based publishing company, No Starch Press focuses on a curated list of well-crafted books that make a difference. They publish on many topics, including computer programming, cybersecurity, operating systems, and LEGO. The titles have personality, the authors are passionate experts, and all the content goes through extensive editorial and technical reviews. Long known for its fun, fearless approach to technology, No Starch Press has earned wide support from STEM enthusiasts worldwide.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"With lessons on how to use Python to program Excel spreadsheets, crawl websites, parse PDFs and Word documents, send emails, and other productivity-boosting task automation, it's a stellar resource for office workers, academics, and administrators."
—Mashable
"I think many educational resources jump levels way too quickly. One of the best I ever used was Automate the Boring Stuff with Python - that book stayed at the right level the whole way!"
—Oscar Baruffa, @OscarBaruffa
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : No Starch Press
- Publication date : May 20, 2025
- Edition : 3rd
- Language : English
- Print length : 672 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1718503407
- ISBN-13 : 978-1718503403
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.06 x 1.29 x 9.19 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #13,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Al Sweigart is a software developer and tech book author living in Houston. He has written several programming books for beginners, including Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. His books are freely available under a Creative Commons license at his website https://inventwithpython.com.

















