Python Programming on Win 32

Python is growing in popularity; based on download statistics, there are now over 450,000 people using Python, and more than 150,000 people using Python on Windows. Use of the language has been growing at about 40% per year since 1995, and there is every reason to believe that growth will continue. Despite Python's increasing popularity on Windows, Python Programming on Win32is the first book to demonstrate how to use it as a serious Windows development and administration tool. Unlike scripting on Unix, Windows scripting involves integrating a number of components, such as COM or the various mail and database APIs, with the Win32 programming interface. While experienced Windows C++ programmers can find their way through the various objects, most people need some guidance, and this book is it. It addresses all the basic technologies for common integration tasks on Windows, explaining both the Windows issues and the Python code you need to glue things together. Topics include: The Python language and the PythonWin extensions Building a GUI with COM Adding a Macro language Distributing the application Client-side COM for output and data access Integration with mail and other internet protocols Managing users and drives This is a vital and unique book. Python Programming on Win32is an excellent presentation of Windows application development and a solid illustration of how to use Python in the Windows environment.

Mark Hammond is an independent Microsoft Windows consultant working out of Melbourne, Australia. He studied computer science at the South Australian Institute of Technology (now the University of South Australia), and then worked with several large financial institutions in Australia. He started his consulting operation in 1995. Mark has produced many of the Windows extensions for Python, including PythonWin, Active Scripting, and Active Debugging support, and coauthored the COM framework and extensions. He is also a leading authority on Active Scripting and related technologies and has spoken on this subject at Microsofts three most recent Professional Developers conferences. Apart from being a father to his teenage daughter, having an interest in live music, and providing way-too-many free Python extensions, Mark has no life!

Andy Robinson is a London-based consultant specializing in business analysis, object-oriented design, and Windows development. He studied physics and philosophy, then Japanese studies at Oxford. He spent a year in advertising in Tokyo, two more in investment banking, and a long spell as the finance director of a startup in the sports industry. Observing that in all these positions he always ended up having to rewrite software, he moved to full-time computer consulting four years ago. He is currently helping one of the world's largest fund managers to internationalize their systems to handle Asian languages, developing Python systems for financial analysis, and reporting. Back when Andy had spare time, his passions were track and field, and rock climbing. Right now his two sons, Tim and Harry, are taking up all of his time.

Preface

xi

I. Introduction to Python

1

(72)

What Is Python?

3

(14)

Language Features

3

(2)

Python as an Integration Tool

5

(5)

Case Studies of Python Deployment

10

(3)

The Python Community

13

(1)

Installation and Setup

14

(2)

Conclusion

16

(1)

Python Language Review

17

(8)

A Crash Course

17

(7)

Conclusion

24

(1)

References

24

(1)

Python on Windows

25

(21)

The Python Core on Windows

26

(10)

The Python for Windows Extensions

36

(3)

The Python Imaging Library (PIL)

39

(1)

PyOpenGL

39

(1)

Web Publishing Tools

40

(2)

The mx Extensions

42

(2)

Scientific Tools

44

(1)

XML

44

(1)

Conclusion

45

(1)

Integrated Development Environments for Python

46

(19)

The PythonWin IDE

46

(13)

IDLE

59

(5)

Conclusion

64

(1)

Introduction to COM

65

(8)

What It Is

66

(1)

Using COM Objects from Python

66

(2)

Implementing COM Objects with Python

68

(3)

Globally Unique Identifiers

71

(1)

Conclusion

71

(2)

II. Building an Advanced Python Application

73

(118)

A Financial Modeling Toolkit in Python

75

(25)

Doubletalk

75

(2)

A Crash Course in Accounting

77

(18)

The Doubletalk Toolkit at Work

95

(3)

Conclusion

98

(2)

Building a GUI with COM

100

(21)

Designing COM Servers

100

(2)

A VB Client

102

(14)

Writing a Delphi User Interface

116

(3)

Conclusion

119

(2)

Adding a Macro Language

121

(21)

Dynamic Code Evaluation

122

(11)

Making an Application Extensible

133

(8)

Conclusion

141

(1)

Integration with Excel

142

(14)

Client-Side COM and the Excel Object Model

142

(6)

Excel Concluded

148

(3)

Putting It All Together: Importing Financial Data

151

(2)

Server-Side COM Again: Excel as a GUI

153

(1)

Conclusion

154

(1)

References

155

(1)

Printed Output

156

(32)

Business Requirements

156

(5)

Automating Word

161

(10)

Direct Output to the Printer with Windows

171

(3)

PIDDLE: A Python Graphics API

174

(2)

PostScript

176

(2)

Portable Document Format

178

(4)

Putting It Together: A High-Volume Invoicing System

182

(5)

Conclusion

187

(1)

References

187

(1)

Distributing Our Application

188

(3)

DCOM

188

(1)

Conclusion

189

(2)

III. Python on Windows Cookbook

191

(284)

Advanced Python and COM

193

(42)

Advanced COM

193

(5)

Python and COM

198

(1)

Using Automation Objects from Python

198

(11)

Using Other COM Interfaces

209

(2)

Error Handling

211

(2)

Implementing COM Objects in Python

213

(14)

Python and DCOM

227

(7)

Conclusion

234

(1)

Databases

235

(37)

DAO, ADO, ODBC, OLEDB, and Other GBFLAs

235

(5)

Python's Database API

240

(1)

Getting at Your Data

241

(13)

A Note on Speed

254

(2)

Gadfly, the Pure Python Relational Database

256

(3)

Data Laundering with Python

259

(7)

A Three-Tier Architecture with Business Objects

266

(4)

Conclusion

270

(1)

References

270

(2)

Working with Email

272

(10)

SMTP and POP3

272

(6)

Microsoft Exchange/Outlook

278

(3)

Conclusion

281

(1)

Using the Basic Internet Protocols

282

(8)

HTTP and HTML

282

(4)

FTP

286

(1)

NNTP

287

(2)

Conclusion

289

(1)

Windows NT Administration

290

(18)

Working with Users and Groups

290

(8)

Server and Share Information

298

(5)

Rebooting a Machine

303

(4)

Conclusion

307

(1)

References

307

(1)

Processes and Files

308

(25)

Portable File Manipulation

308

(10)

Native File Manipulation: The win32file Module

318

(4)

Pipes

322

(1)

Processes

323

(9)

Conclusion

332

(1)

Windows NT Services

333

(38)

Services in Brief

333

(2)

Controlling Services with Python

335

(5)

Reading the Event Log

340

(4)

Windows NT Performance Monitor Data

344

(3)

Writing Services in Python

347

(4)

Sample Service Written in Python

351

(4)

Writing to the Event Log

355

(6)

Providing Performance Monitor Information

361

(6)

A Final Service

367

(3)

Conclusion

370

(1)

Communications

371

(17)

Serial Communications

371

(8)

Remote Access Services

379

(2)

Sockets

381

(4)

Other Communications Tools

385

(1)

Conclusion

386

(1)

References

386

(2)

GUI Development

388

(47)

Tkinter

388

(12)

PythonWin

400

(12)

wxPython

412

(23)

Active Scripting

435

(16)

Registering the Python Active Script Support

436

(1)

Python and Popular Microsoft Applications

436

(10)

Active Debugging

446

(1)

How Active Scripting Works

446

(1)

Active Script Hosting in Python

447

(3)

Conclusion

450

(1)

Extending and Embedding with Visual C++ and Delphi

451

(24)

Python and Visual C++

452

(14)

Simplified Wrapper and Interface Generator

466

(1)

Python and Delphi

467

(4)

Dynamic DLL Access

471

(2)

References

473

(1)

Conclusion

473

(2)

IV. Appendixes

475

(156)

A. Key Python Modules and Functions

477

(52)

B. Win32 Extensions Reference

529

(75)

C. The Python Database API Version 2.0

604

(12)

D. Threads

616

(15)

Index

631

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Python Programming on Win 32

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials