How do I get fluent in Python?

Question

Once you have learned the basic commands in Python, you are often able to solve most programming problem you face. But the way in which this is done is not really Python-ic<

Answer 1

I guess becoming fluent in any programming language is the same as becoming fluent in a spoken/written language. You do that by speaking and listening to the language, a lot.

So my advice is to do some projects using python, and you will soon become fluent in it. You can complement this by reading other people's code who are more experienced in the language to see how they solve certain problems.

Answer 2

Read other people's code. Write some of your own code. Repeat for a year or two.

Study the Python documentation and learn the built-in modules.

Read Python in a Nutshell.

Subscribe your RSS reader to the Python tag on Stack Overflow.

Answer 3

Read existing projects known for technical excelence.

Some of the ones I'd recommend are:

• Django
• SQLAlchemy
• Python's /lib/json
• Python's /lib/test
• Visit http://pythonsource.com/ for many other modules written in Python.

Answer 4

I can tell you what I've done.

1. Idiomatic Python
2. Bookmark SO with the python keyword.
3. Read other's good python code.
4. The Python Challenge

That order is probably good, too. This is where things get fun.

Answer 5

Have you read the Python Cookbook? It's a pretty good source for Pythonic.

Plus you'll find much more from Alex Martelli on Stack Overflow.

Answer 6

The same way you get fluent in any language - program a lot.

I'd recommend working on a project (hopefully something you'll actually use later). While working on the project, every time you need some basic piece of functionality, try writing it yourself, and then checking online how other people did it.

This both lets you learn how to actually get stuff done in Python, but will also allow you to see what are the "Pythonic" counterparts to common coding cases.