I tried learning Python and gave up couple of times. Learning alone is difficult for me. If anybody else feel same then please reachout to me.

I'm learning python and I'm stuck on this function because I don't understand why "a" becomes 10 and the result is 5. Is someone able to explain?

def subtract (a, b=5):
    return a - b

print(subtract(10))

​

Hey everyone!

I'm learning Python, and I've been curious about what programming actually feels like once you move beyond learning the basics and start working on real software.

There's a lot of advice online about what to learn, which tools to use, and which projects to build. But I'm more interested in the things you discover through experience that nobody really explains beforehand.

For those of you who've built real applications or worked on software projects:

- What turned out to be much harder than you expected?

- What's something you wish you had understood before building your first serious project?

- Did anything about real-world programming completely change how you think about writing code?

I'm not looking for a perfect roadmap or a list of technologies. I'm genuinely curious about the experiences and lessons that only come from actually building things.

I'm still early in my journey, so hearing different perspectives from people who've been doing this for a while would be really valuable.

Thanks! Looking forward to reading your experiences.

I have a question about installers. Once a release enters the security-fixes-only phase, what is the purpose of releasing only source files and not providing installers or other binary distributions?

Is it because they expect people to keep using that version without migrating for as long as possible?

For example, Python 3.13.17, released on October 21, still came with installers, but Python 3.13.18 was released with source files only.

I'm making a Discord Bot that runs Text Recognition on Images. The Hosting I use provides a hard 256 MB RAM limit. I need help understanding NumPy Array Slicing to optimise the code.

image = image[round(0.075 * image_height) : round(0.4 * image_height), : ].copy()

image is a NumPy array (I'm cropping the image here)

Apparently NumPy keeps a reference to the original image array if I do just this:

image = image[round(0.075 * image_height) : round(0.4 * image_height), : ]

I'm slicing the image array, then reassigning it back to the image variable, but since NumPy keeps a reference to the original array, the original image isn't released from memory. Is this true? If so, is the first approach using .copy() better?

Right after this, I do this:

timeROI = cv.inRange(image, np.array([15, 145, 155]), np.array([95, 255, 215]))

# Filters Yellow-Green Pixels and creates a Binary Image (OpenCV uses BGR, not RGB)

Immediately after this, I do del image.

I'm a second-year BCA (AI/ML) student in Jaipur, self-studying Python alongside college. Here's my embarrassing problem: I can follow a tutorial, understand every line while I'm watching it, and even tweak the example code — but the moment I open a blank file and try to build something of my own, my mind goes completely blank. I don't know where to start, what the first function should even be, or how to break the thing I want into pieces small enough to write.

I've built a couple of small things before (a little Telegram bot, some practice scripts), so it's not that I've never finished anything — it's that starting still feels like the hardest part every single time. Do you plan on paper first, or just start writing messy code and clean it up later? How do you decide what the first step is when the whole project feels too big to hold in your head at once?

And for people who got past this stage: was there one specific habit that broke it for you — building the same kind of project twice, copying a structure and filling it in, writing the steps out in plain words first, or something else? I don't want another tutorial recommendation, I want to know what actually changed the blank-file feeling for you.

No links or anything here — just a student trying to get from "I understand Python" to "I can actually start something in Python."

I'm debugging some code and I found this function ``` import math

   def Clamp(n, smallest, largest):
       return max(smallest, min(n, largest))

`` surely that code is just wrong? and needs to bemax([smallest, min([n, largest]))` by passing a list not unnamed args for default and key? I need a sanity check here.

I’m reading about mutable default arguments in Python. This function shares its list across calls:

def add_item(item, items=[]):
    items.append(item)
    return items

print(add_item("a"))  # ['a']
print(add_item("b"))  # ['a', 'b']

My understanding is that defaults are evaluated once when def runs, so every call without items shares one list. The fix I’ve seen is:

def add_item(item, items=None):
    if items is None:
        items = []
    items.append(item)
    return items

Questions:

1. Is this the idiomatic approach, or is there something better?
2. For dataclasses, is field(default_factory=list) the right equivalent?
3. Do linters catch this, and which ones do you use?
4. Is there a legitimate case for keeping a shared mutable default?

If I’ve misunderstood something, please correct me.

hey there, i m working on this python script: https://pastebin.com/kknURJij
and the main issue i m facing right now is its not running and i have been stuck in the terminal since so long...
i just want to ask how to make it faster so we can execute it.

Output when i run this script :

```DeprecationWarning: `langchain-community` is being sunset and is no longer actively maintained. See https://github.com/langchain-ai/langchain-community/issues/674 for details and migration guidance toward standalone integration packages.
from langchain_community.utilities import SQLDatabase.```

currently its stuck with this same terminal output.
My pc specs : Mac Air M1, Golden Gate 28

what i have tried :
Tried running on github codespaces but still not running but stuck with the same output.

Melhor maneira de trabalhor com os dois juntos sem barreiras de processamento pelo navegador Brave

hey people

I m developing a program which analyze the file integrity in OS

this program is multi-process and I have used the child processes to hash the files inside the given path and return the result in a shared queue

and now I m thinking about apply other functions like check duplicate , check deleted and others and use the parent process to handle them

which one is better my ideas or keep using the multi-processes approach for the function left?

I have a cron job that runs a python script locally every 30 minutes. One the of functionalities of the code is to send me an imessage using the mac_imessage send_imessage function when API tokens are low (<50). This code has worked as intended as recent as two days ago.

I noticed that I was getting an imessage every time the cron job ran, even if the low API token condition was not met (I've added print statements that do not appear in my logs). I also slightly changed the contents of the message to be sent, but the message that I receive every 30 minutes is still the old version of the message.

Additionally, I've made other updates to my code, like adding code that creates/saves files locally, and that code seems to successfully run as expected.

So the two abnormalities here that I have questions about.

1. Why is my low API token check being triggered every time my code is executed, even when the condition is not met?

2. Why am I receiving imessages with contents that do not match what's in my code?

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import argparse
import logging
import os
import sys
from pathlib import Path

import maintain

def configure_logging(log_directory: Path) -> None:
log_directory.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

from logging.handlers import RotatingFileHandler

file_handler = RotatingFileHandler(
log_directory / "automation.log",
maxBytes=5_000_000,
backupCount=5,
encoding="utf-8",
)

logging.basicConfig(
level=logging.INFO,
format="%(asctime)s UTC %(levelname)s %(message)s",
handlers=[
file_handler,
logging.StreamHandler(sys.stdout),
],
)

# Ensure the timestamps labeled UTC actually use UTC.
import time

logging.Formatter.converter = time.gmtime

def run_maintenance(
app_directory: Path,
public_directory: Path,
) -> int:
config_path = app_directory / "sources.json"
database_path = app_directory / "hustlefinder.sqlite3"

if not config_path.is_file():
logging.error("Missing configuration: %s", config_path)
return 1

public_directory.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

# The existing module reads these globals during its operations.
maintain.CONFIG = str(config_path)
maintain.DB = str(database_path)

logging.info("Maintenance started")

try:
configuration = maintain.config()

if not isinstance(configuration.get("sources"), list):
raise ValueError("'sources' must be an array")

if not isinstance(
configuration.get("allowed_link_hosts", []), list
):
raise ValueError("'allowed_link_hosts' must be an array")

with maintain.database():
pass

except Exception:
logging.exception("Configuration or database initialization failed")
return 1

failed = False

# Continue other maintenance even when a feed fails.
try:
failures = maintain.refresh()

if failures:
failed = True
logging.error(
"%d feed refresh(es) failed; inspect the runs table",
failures,
)
else:
logging.info("Feed refresh completed")

except Exception:
failed = True
logging.exception("Feed refresh failed")

try:
maintain.check()
logging.info("Application-link checks completed")

except Exception:
failed = True
logging.exception("Application-link checks failed")

try:
output_path = public_directory / "jobs.json"

# Existing export uses a temporary file followed by replacement.
# Only approved/published records enter the public export.
maintain.export(str(output_path), public=True)

logging.info("Published job data exported to %s", output_path)

except Exception:
failed = True
logging.exception("Public export failed")

logging.info(
"Maintenance finished: %s",
"completed with errors" if failed else "successful",
)

return 1 if failed else 0

def main() -> int:
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
description="Run HustleFinder listing maintenance"
)

parser.add_argument(
"--app-dir",
type=Path,
default=Path(__file__).resolve().parent,
)

parser.add_argument(
"--public-dir",
type=Path,
required=True,
)

args = parser.parse_args()

app_directory = args.app_dir.resolve()
public_directory = args.public_dir.resolve()

# Private files should not become publicly served files.
if (
public_directory == app_directory
or public_directory in app_directory.parents
):
parser.error(
"--public-dir must not be the app directory "
"or a parent of the app directory"
)

os.umask(0o027)
configure_logging(app_directory / "logs")

try:
return run_maintenance(app_directory, public_directory)
except Exception:
logging.exception("Unexpected maintenance failure")
return 1

if __name__ == "__main__":
raise SystemExit(main())

name = "Alice"

def func():
    name = "Bob"

func()

print(f"Hello, {name}!") # i want it to print bob

I'm currently learning webscrapping with automate the boring stuff with python> In one example we use the module requests like this

url = f"https://pypi.org/search/?q={search}"

resp = requests.get(url)

when i print resp.text there are this error message in the html code.

"A required part of this site couldn’t load. This may be due to a browser extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser."

"JavaScript is disabled in your browser"

my browser is chrome I tried using microsoft edge .

I have put toghether this code but it doesnt work

while c==1:

C_ID=int(input('enter customer id'))

locn(C_ID,8)

Customer_name=input('enter customer name')

locv(Customer_name,40)

Number=int(input('enter contact number'))

locn(Number,10)

Delivery_status=input('enter delivery status')

locv (Delivery_status,10)

value=(C_ID,Customer_name,Number,Delivery_status)

cur.execute('insert into customer values{}'.format(value,))

cur.commit()

if c==0:

c=1

def locv (x,y):

if len(x)>y:

print('the string should not exceed ',y,' characters long' )

c=0

def locn(x,y):

if len(str(x))!=y:

print('the nermber should be',y,' long')

c=0

this program is for creating an sql user interface via python, The conditions for the input has been put into the udf. Now with the current version the code continues even if the input from the user doesnt match the given conditions.

(Please ignore the indentation, in the actual code it is fine but while copying here something happneded to it.

What do i do to restan the process of taking input from the user?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I'm working on a software project to address the challenges of manual attendance tracking and student engagement monitoring in large online lectures. I'm looking for coding ideas, architecture designs, and potential Python libraries that could be implemented in these areas.

Here are some specific questions I have:

• Basic Concepts & Data Structures: How can I use lists, dictionaries, or loops in Python to store and manage student names, roll numbers, and attendance status efficiently?

• File Handling: What is the easiest way to save this student data into a text file or CSV file so that it doesn't get erased when the program closes?

• User Input & Menu: How can I create a simple command-line menu loop (using while and if-else) so the user can easily choose options to add students, view records, or mark attendance?

• Beginner Resources & Tips: Are there any good beginner-friendly tutorials, code examples, or open-source sample projects that show how to build a basic management system from scratch?

#python #softwaredevelopment #coding

Hey everyone!

I’m currently learning Python, and since I got a bit overwhelmed by the terminal and complex IDE setups just to test small scripts, I decided to make a very simple desktop workspace for myself.

It lets me edit `.py` files and run them instantly with a single button. It's far from perfect since I'm just a beginner, but it saves me some time.

Just wanted to share my progress and see what you guys think. Any tips on how to improve it or what features to add next would be amazing!

If you’d like to help me improve the project, here is the GitHub repository: https://github.com/dark5632/PyManager

i made a gui for a 520x380 window using tkinter but when i change windows size gui just stays the same size

import os
from time import sleep

print("Hello world!")
sleep(1)
os.system("cls") #"clear" For Linux
print("This came AFTER hello world line")
sleep(1)

why do we need a cpython that converts source code to bytecode and then another python virtual machine that executes this byte code? why do we have this multi layer flow? why cant just compile every code to binary and execute the binary?
Also if possible can someone explain the flow to python code from start to end ( with example and scenrio on why do we need them)
+
what advantages does python have compared to c++, javascript or java?

i was trying to run this jupyter notebook ( https://github.com/langchain-ai/lca-lc-foundations/blob/main/notebooks/module-2/2.4_wedding_planners.ipynb ) code in my IDE but encountered these problems :
my code :
https://pastebin.com/3bv05GfE
error :
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

sqlalchemy.exc.OperationalError: (sqlite3.OperationalError) unable to open database file

also i dont know how to work with async functions so i have defined two function main() and main_1 but am not sure if this is the correct way to go with async functions

I've been stuck on the difference between print and return for the last few days while learning to code, and it finally clicked for me today. Figured I'd post it here in case anyone else is hitting the same roadblock because it drove me crazy for a bit.

Basically, print() is just a display case. It shows the result on the screen so you can physically look at it, but the rest of your program can’t actually do anything with it. It’s just text sitting on a monitor.

On the other hand, return acts like a courier. It passes the actual data back into the program behind the scenes so another function or variable can grab it and keep working with it.

The easiest way to think about it is a bank account. If you have a function that checks your balance, print() is just the screen showing you the numbers. return is the ATM actually putting the cash into your hand so you can go buy something else with it.

Hopefully this helps someone else save a few hours of confusion!

basically i need to make a project on LAN file sharing system using python everybody in my class is using ai but i actually wanna learn ik a decent bit about python as well also in college we are on operators so the teacher is basically encouring to use ai