Automating Routine Tasks with Python

Introduction

The book «Automate the Boring Stuff with Python» by Al Sweigart is, perhaps, one of the most popular Python textbooks for beginners. Published in 2020 (second edition), it instantly gained recognition due to its practical approach: instead of dry theory, the author teaches you to write programs that actually save time. The book is available for free on the author's official website, which made it a true bestseller in the Python community.

What is this book about?

The main idea of the book is to show how to use Python to automate boring, repetitive tasks that every office worker, freelancer, or system administrator faces. Sweigart does not try to make you a professional developer — he teaches you to solve specific problems: renaming thousands of files, parsing web pages, working with spreadsheets, sending emails, creating PDF reports, and much more.

The book consists of 18 chapters divided into three parts:

• Python Basics (chapters 1–6): variables, loops, functions, lists, dictionaries, strings, and regular expressions. Everything is presented as concisely as possible, but enough to understand the subsequent material.
• Automating Everyday Tasks (chapters 7–14): working with files and folders, reading/writing Excel and CSV, processing PDF and Word, web scraping with BeautifulSoup and Selenium, working with the clipboard, sending email and SMS, controlling the mouse and keyboard (GUI automation).
• Advanced Topics (chapters 15–18): working with images (Pillow), creating GUI applications (PySimpleGUI), debugging, and task scheduling.

Who is this book for?

The book is aimed at absolute beginners in programming. The author does not assume the reader is familiar with Python or other languages. The only requirement is basic computer literacy (installing programs, working with files). If you have never written code but want to learn how to automate routine tasks — this is an ideal start.

What will the reader learn?

After reading the book, you will be able to:

• Write scripts for bulk renaming, copying, and moving files.
• Extract data from web pages and save it to Excel or CSV.
• Automatically fill out web forms and click buttons using Selenium.
• Create and edit Word and PDF documents programmatically.
• Send emails with attachments via Gmail or Outlook.
• Work with images: resize, add watermarks, convert formats.
• Control the mouse and keyboard to automate any desktop application.
• Schedule script execution (cron, Task Scheduler).

Strengths

1. Practical focus. Each chapter contains real-life examples: from renaming photos to parsing online stores. You don't just learn syntax, but immediately see how to apply the knowledge in practice.

2. Accessible presentation. Sweigart writes in simple language, with humor and without abstruse terms. The code is accompanied by detailed comments, and complex concepts (e.g., regular expressions) are explained down to the smallest detail.

3. Projects at the end of chapters. Each chapter ends with a practical assignment that reinforces the material. For example, creating a program to find duplicate files or a password generator.

4. Free online version. The book can be read on the author's website without registration. This makes it accessible to everyone who cannot buy a paper copy.

5. Relevance. The second edition (2020) is updated for Python 3.8 and includes modern libraries (PySimpleGUI, Selenium 3.x).

Who is it recommended for?

The book will be useful for: