[Pythonmac-SIG] Mac oriented Python book (was: no subject)

[has]

Victor Merritt wrote:

> I am an Visual Effects artist in need of a good Mac oriented Python  
> book.
> I have been reading the online materials, but I don't always have  
> the time
> to sit in front of a computer, thus my need for a good Mac focused  
> Python Book.
> Any suggestions would be very helpful.

I don't think there are any specifically Mac-oriented Python books,  
but the language and core library is the same on all platforms so any  
good Python book will do for learning those. Other folks can probably  
recommend specific titles, though it'd help if you indicate if you're  
looking for beginner, intermediate or expert material.

As far as Mac-specific extensions go, most of the stuff in standard  
library you should just ignore as being obsolete. Some of the Carbon  
extensions are still relevant if you need to do Carbon stuff, in  
which case refer to their docstrings and Apple's Carbon documentation  
to make sense of those.

As for third-party packages, the main three are PyObjC, py2app and  
appscript, all of which include basic documentation and examples. If  
using PyObjC you should also refer to Apple's reference and API  
documentation. If you want a general book for learning Cocoa  
programming, Aaron Hillegass's 'Cocoa Programming for OS X' is well  
regarded. If using appscript you should also refer to individual  
applications' dictionaries and, if provided, supplementary  
documentation. If you want a general book on AppleScript, get Matt  
Neuburg's 'AppleScript: The Definitive Guide'.

If you want more specific advice, tell us what sort of stuff it is  
you want to do and what programming skills you already have.

HTH

has

-- 
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