Task Automation with Python
Duration
3 days
Overview
The Task Automation with Python training course is for students who have Python experience and desire to automate tasks using Python. The course focuses on core Python skills needed to write almost any automation script. Skills covered include environment variables, working the file system, document conversion and modification, high-level file operations, regular expressions for extracting data from and manipulating text, and asynchronous programming. With a foundation of critical skills, those skills are applied using subprocesses, concurrent programming, and networking operations.
Objectives
- Understand what task automation is and how Python supports automating tasks.
- Dive deep into essential skills of leveraging Python to utilize system resources.
- Strengthen text processing skills using Python, Reading/Writing File Formats, and Regular Expressions
- Learn how to run subprograms from Python and perform tasks such as capturing program output and configuring environment variables.
- Improve task performance through asynchronous programming.
- Leverage network resources to enable tasks to communicate vital information.
Prerequisites
All students should be able to comfortably write Python scripts using basic data types, program structures, and the standard Python library.
Training Materials
All students receive comprehensive courseware covering all topics in the course. Courseware is distributed via GitHub in the form of documentations and extensive code samples. Students practice the topics covered through challenging hands-on lab exercises.
Software Requirements
Students will need a free, personal GitHub account to access the courseware. Students will need permission to install Python, Visual Studio Code, Pandoc, and OpenOffice on their computers. Also, students will need permission to install Python Packages and Visual Studio Extensions. If students are unable to configure a local environment, a cloud-based environment can be provided.
Outline
- Development Environment (Very Quick Overview)
- Configure VS Code for Python script development
- Code Reformatting with Black
- Debugging Python Scripts with VS Code
- Environment Variables
- Setting Environment Variables for a Script (Windows, macOS, and Linux)
- Reading Environment Variables
- Files, Folders, and Operating System
- Current Working Directory
- File / Folder Paths
- Reading and Writing Files
- Asynchronous Reading and Writing Files
- Document Processing
- Work with Various File Formats such as CSV, JSON, and YAML
- Read and Write Excel Files
- Convert from Markdown to Word
- Convert from Word to PDF
- Modify Word Files
- Modify PDF Files
- High-Level File Operations
- ShUtil Module
- Copy/Move/Delete Files
- Copy/Move/Delete Directory Tree
- Determine Disk Usage
- Working with File Archives
- Create, Remove, & List Directories
- Command Line Arguments
- Arg Parse Module
- Positional Arguments
- Named Arguments
- Default Arguments
- Argument Data Types
- Argument Documentation
- Regular Expressions
- RE syntax overview
- RE objects
- Searching and matching
- Compilation flags
- Groups and special groups
- Replacing text
- Splitting strings
- Subprocess
- Run Method
- POpen Class
- Running Subprocesses
- Capture and Use Subprocess Output
- Concurrent and Network Programming
- Orchestrating Subprocesses
- Access Data Sources Asynchronously
- Send Emails
- Send SMS Messages
- Use FTP to Download/Upload Files
- Use SFTP to Download/Upload Files
- Download/Upload Files from/to S3 Buckets
- Download/Upload Files from/to Azure Blob Storage