Functional Python Programming: Use a functional approach to write succinct, expressive, and efficient Python code, Edition 3
About this ebook
Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free eBook in PDF format.
Key FeaturesLearn how, when, and why to adopt functional elements in your projectsExplore the Python modules essential to functional programming, like itertools and functoolsRevised to cover new features of Python 3.10, exercises at the end of every chapter, and moreBook DescriptionNot enough developers understand the benefits of functional programming, or even what it is. Author Steven Lott demystifies the approach, teaching you how to improve the way you code in Python and make gains in memory use and performance.
Starting from the fundamentals, this book shows you how to apply functional thinking and techniques in a range of scenarios, with examples centered around data cleaning and exploratory data analysis. You'll learn how to use generator expressions, list comprehensions, and decorators to your advantage. You don't have to abandon object-oriented design completely, though – you'll also see how Python's native object-orientation is used in conjunction with functional programming techniques.
By the end of this book, you'll be well versed in the essential functional programming features of Python, and understand why and when functional thinking helps. You'll also have all the tools you need to pursue any additional functional topics that are not part of the Python language.
What you will learnUse Python's libraries to avoid the complexities of state-changing classesLeverage built-in higher-order functions to avoid rewriting common algorithmsWrite generator functions to create lazy processingDesign and implement decorators for functional compositionMake use of Python type annotations to describe parameters and results of functionsApply functional programming to concurrency and web servicesExplore the PyMonad library for stateful simulationsWho this book is forThe functional paradigm is very useful for programmers working in data science, but any Python developer who wants to create more reliable, succinct, and expressive code will have much to learn from this book.
No prior knowledge of functional programming is required to get started, though Python programming knowledge is assumed. A running Python environment is essential.
About the author
Steven F. Lott has been programming since computers were large, expensive, and rare. Working for decades in high tech has given him exposure to a lot of ideas and techniques, some bad, but most are useful and helpful to others. Steven has been working with Python since the '90s, building a variety of tools and applications. He's written a number of titles for Packt Publishing, include Mastering Object-Oriented Python, the Modern Python Cookbook, and Python Object-Oriented Programming, Fourth Edition. He's a technomad, and lives on a boat that's usually located on the east coast of the US. He tries to live by his mother's words “Don't come home until you have a story.”
