Learning Python

Having free time I decided to convert one of my _”Hmmm that would make a good program”_ ideas into reality. Phase 1 involves navigating a website to download a file; phase 2 involves parsing this file.

Phase 2 involves a GUI and I felt, coming from my PHP background, that using Python for this would be simpler than learning C++ (which I’ve done a little of), Java or Delphi. From my reading I believe the overall speed of development should be faster (and hopefully the time required to learn the langauge should be less) - very important if, like me, you are brimming with ideas but don’t usually have the commitment/patience to finish them!

After a couple of days searching I found (via the #python room on irc.freenode.net) a library that should do phase 1: “mechanize”:http://wwwsearch.sourceforge.net/mechanize/. So I install it, open PythonWin, and set about trying to write a script.

To date I’m not having much luck with this library. I’d like to say this was due to the lack of documentation and the horrendously “crap website”:http://www.bt.com that I’m trying to log into and navigate, but I’m sure most of the problem lies with my lack of Python skills
I’m finding it much harder to pick up Python than I expected Like (and this is coloured by my playing with mechanize) how do you know when a method returns an object, when does it modify itself [i.e. when do I need @f = b.x()@, then @g = f.y()@ - and when @b.x()@ then @b.y()@?]? This has been a big puzzler with mechanize. How do you tell the return values (ie an object, tuple, string etc.) to expect? There seems to be no equivalent of PHPDoc/JavaDoc where the return values are listed. I find the “Python library reference”:http://www.python.org/doc/lib/ much harder to understand than the “PHP documentation”:http://www.php.net/manual/en/

I have a copy of “Python in a Nutshell”:http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596001886 and the “Python Cookbook”:http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596001673/peterswebpage08 - neither of which are beginners’ books (which is why I bought them: I don’t consider myself a beginner as I can program, albeit in PHP and Prolog rather than proper, well-respected langauges. Stop sniggering, you in the back row - Prolog wasn’t my choice!). Can anyone recommend anything else?

[Mood: frustrated]