🌐 Mailman 3 August 2007 - Python-list - python.org

create Powerpoint via com
by Alan Isaac Sept. 2, 2007

Sept. 2, 2007

Can someone point me to a simple example or better yet tutorial for creating a Powerpoint using Python. Thanks, Alan Isaac

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Re: Pythonwin Install COM exceptions on Windows Vista Ultimate
by M�ta-MCI (MVP) Sept. 2, 2007

Sept. 2, 2007

Hi! Perso, on Vista, I : - deactive UAC - deactive firewall (I have a rooter) - run all like Administrator - install all in other DIR than "Program Files" Result : no problem.

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Re: list index()
by zzbbaadd＠aol.com Sept. 2, 2007

Sept. 2, 2007

> > How could it not be an exception, in the plain English sense of the > word? Most certainly you're asking for the index because you want to do > something with the index. If the item is not found, you have no index, > so that's a special case that must be handled separately. There is no > logical difference between handling that special case in an except > clause versus handling it with an if-branch. In my case of have done os.listdir() on two directories. I want to see what files are in directory A that are not in directory B. I have used exceptions in other languages and only do so on logic that should never happen. In this case it is known that some of the files will not be in both lists. I just want to know which ones.

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Re: So what exactly is a complex number?
by Tim Daneliuk Sept. 2, 2007

Sept. 2, 2007

Carsten Haese wrote: > On Thu, 2007-08-30 at 20:11 -0500, Lamonte Harris wrote: >> Like in math where you put letters that represent numbers for place >> holders to try to find the answer type complex numbers? > > Is English your native language? I'm having a hard time decoding your > question. > Here is a simple explanation (and it is not complete by a long shot). A number by itself is called a "scalar". For example, when I say, "I have 23 apples", the "23" is a scalar that just represents an amount in this case. One of the most common uses for Complex Numbers is in what are called "vectors". In a vector, you have both an amount and a *direction*. For example, I can say, "I threw 23 apples in the air at a 45 degree angle". Complex Numbers let us encode both the magnitude (23) and the direction (45 degrees) as a "number". There are actually two ways to represent Complex Numbers. One is called the "rectangular" form, the other the "polar" form, but both do the same thing - they encode a vector. Complex Numbers show up all over the place in engineering and science problems. Languages like Python that have Complex Numbers as a first class data type allow you do to *arithmetic* on them (add, subtract, etc.). This makes Python very useful when solving problems for engineering, science, navigation, and so forth. HTH, -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim Daneliuk tundra(a)tundraware.com PGP Key: http://www.tundraware.com/PGP/

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Re: status of Programming by Contract (PEP 316)?
by Russ Sept. 2, 2007

Sept. 2, 2007

Steve Holden wrote: > Well that's a healthy attitude, but I am concerned that the Python > community should be as welcoming as possible, so I don't like the fact > that you feel you are being treated differently from anyone else. I certainly appreciate that. And I will try my best to refrain from the little personal zingers (and the big ones too). > > All you really need to test the pre-conditions of a function > > is a call at the top of the function to another function that checks > > the inputs. To test the > > post-conditions, you just need a call at the bottom of the function, > > just before the return, > > that checks the return values. Those functions can also check the > > invariants. Then you > > define a global variable to switch all the self-test functions on or > > off at once. > > > It does constrain functions to return only from the bottom of their > code, though, which not all Python functions currently do. Though > there's nothing to stop you putting the calls before every return. Oops! I didn't think of that. The idea of putting one before every return certainly doesn't appeal to me. So much for that idea.

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status of Programming by Contract (PEP 316)?
by Russ Sept. 2, 2007

Sept. 2, 2007

I just stumbled onto PEP 316: Programming by Contract for Python (http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0316/). This would be a great addition to Python, but I see that it was submitted way back in 2003, and its status is "deferred." I did a quick search on comp.lang.python, but I don't seem to see much on it. Does anyone know what the real status is of getting this into standard Python? Thanks.

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Important Research Project
by E.D.G. Sept. 2, 2007

Sept. 2, 2007

Important Research Project (Related to computer programming) Posted by E.D.G. on August 30, 2007 edgrsprj(a)ix.netcom.com This report is being posted to a number of Internet Newsgroups to see if there are any experienced computer programmers who would like to provide some assistance with an effort to develop a Perl language computer program. Interested parties can try contacting me by e-mail or by posting a response note to the comp.lang.perl.misc newsgroup. They would need to download a recent (free) MSI copy of Perl from the ActiveState Web site and get it running on a Windows XP or Vista system. http://www.activestate.com I am presently using Perl 5.8.8 but plan to upgrade to the latest version as soon as possible. People can use Windows 98 if that is the only operating system available. Perl also runs on other operating systems. But at this time I specifically need help with the Windows version. The goal is to have a single Perl program (or modules) perform functions that have been done by a sizeable collection of other language programs in the past. Help is presently needed with learning how to get Perl to generate charts and also produce standalone .exe copies of itself. The plan is to then make those .exe copies available to other scientific researchers around the world for free use along with free use updates when they become available. If other researchers wish to get Perl running on their own computers then they will probably also be given the source code for the original program for free use so that they can do their own development work. Perl was originally chosen because it is quite versatile, is a free download, and is supported both by ActiveState and quite a few independent programmers. So other researchers could get their own versions running without having to worry about viruses or cost. So far the work is fairly advanced. The effort has been underway for at least a decade. The core data generation program was formally copyrighted several years ago. My present version of Perl will send data to Windows as if it were being manually typed into the keyboard (important for controlling other programs). And it can directed to respond to most keystrokes even when another program is the active one. Unfortunately, Windows also presently responds to those keystrokes. And that complicates things a bit. Not being a professional computer programmer I have been finding it difficult to get new features such as a chart generating ability merged with and running with Perl. And the entire research project is now being slowed as a result. One of my colleagues has done an extensive amount of work with Basic. And I even offered to pay him to help with the Perl development effort. But after he downloaded a copy of Perl and examined it he decided that this would involve too much effort. I have to agree with him. Once it is possible to create charts and .exe versions the plan is for researchers around the world to develop Perl modules for generating a variety of data related to sun, moon, planet, ocean tide crest and trough, and Solid Earth Tide locations. Most of those data can already be generated with other programs. Some of the data are not yet available anywhere as far as I am aware. If the effort is unusually successful the Perl program (or modules) might eventually be converted to CGI programs that will run at one or more Internet Web sites.

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Co-developers wanted: document markup language
by Torsten Bronger Sept. 1, 2007

Sept. 1, 2007

Hallöchen! Some LaTeX users in Aachen thought about a general-use markup language this spring. I wrote some code and a rough project description, however, we could need some help. If you are interested, visit the provisional project page at http://latex-bronger.sourceforge.net/gummi/ Tschö, Torsten. Crosspost & Followup-To: comp.lang.python -- Torsten Bronger, aquisgrana, europa vetus Jabber ID: bronger(a)jabber.org (See http://ime.webhop.org for ICQ, MSN, etc.)

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Is there a simple way to exit a while loop on keystroke?
by gsxg Sept. 1, 2007

Sept. 1, 2007

I am new to python, and have written a simple program to read a port via telnet. I would like it to run until any key is pressed. Of course I wouldn't mind requiring a specific keystroke in the future, but I would think this is simpler for now. I have used kbhit() and getch() many times in C, but I can't find anything similar in Python. I am using Linux also, so the msvcrt code isn't an option. I have tried sys.stdin.read(), but that hangs UNTIL a key is pressed. Thanks

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Re: Shed Skin Python-to-C++ compiler 0.0.23
by Greg Copeland Sept. 1, 2007

Sept. 1, 2007

On Aug 20, 7:31 am, "Mark Dufour" <mark.duf...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi all, > > I have just released Shed Skin 0.0.23. It doesn't contain the type > inference scalability improvements I was working on, but it does have > quite a few bug fixes and minor feature additions. Here's a list of > changes: > > -support for __iadd__, __imul__ and such (except __ipow__ and __imod__) > -some overdue set optimizations > -fix for string formatting problem (%% did not always work) > -extension module stability fixes > -fix for particular inheritance problem > -other minor bugfixes, cleanups, and error messages > > I could really use some systematic help in pushing Shedskin further. Some ideas: > > -send in bug reports - these are extremely valuable and motivating to > me, yet I don't receive many.. > -find out why test 148 is currently broken under windows > -add datetime, re or socket support > -look into supporting custom classes in generated extension modules > -write a Shedskin tutorial for 'novice' programmers > -systemically test performance and suggest and work on improvements > -investigate replacements for std::string and __gnu_cxx::hash_set > -perform janitorial-type work in ss.py and lib/builtin.?pp > -support extension modules under OSX (OSX gives me accute mental RSI) > -add more tests to unit.py > > Thanks, > Mark Dufour. > -- > "One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000 lines of code" > - Ken Thompson Adding socket support would certainly open the door for many common classes applications. If I had my pick, I say, sockets and then re. BTW, I gatta say projects like shedskin and pypy are the most exciting python projects I'm aware of. Please keep of the good work. I'm so excited about the day I can begin using shedskin for the types of projects I use python on. Greg Greg

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