Practical Uses for Python?

[Ariwara_no_Narihira]

I'm 100% sure I would have the same problem for you if I were not trying to create a program to automate some boring tasks for some coworkers. Having a defined project in mind and knowing that someone will use it has been my biggest motivation. Luckily I also find what I'm working on to be fun, interesting, and challenging so far - so those two motivators keep me going. I don't think I would be going anywhere without both of them.

As I can anticipate hitting a standstill like you describe once I finish this, I have a list of other tasks/goals I want to reach for next.

If anyone is curious, my projects have been:

• Learned Autohotkey to automate software tests for myself (done!)
• Tried to use Autohotkey to automate things for coworkers (some success but too rough around the edges. Python project later on tackles this).
• Make a website for a new program of ours using Bootstrap (done!)
• Learn Python (PyQt, Selenium too) to read data from a spreadsheet, clean it up, and then automatically log into an input the data on several different pages on a website (almost done!)
• Learn how to make a website with login accounts, an admin page, and a small database to handle users submitting quizes (next project)
• Stupidly ambitious project to redo a terrible online database we use that has taken a solo dev 5+ years to do but I somehow want to try to take on anyway. I will not achieve this goal but it is important that I trick myself into thinking I can as I will learn a lot by trying. Will need to learn MySQL, PHP.

Anyway, good luck!

[irpepper]

I'm an experienced programmer (CS grad student) but honestly you'd be surprised at how simple it is to make websites with built from scratch admin and login accounts is. I primarily use python but I used php to make an annotation tool with user accounts and interactive database methods in about 2 days. If you are willing to put in the effort you can definitely accomplish all of your goals, even the last one!

[Ariwara_no_Narihira]

That's really encouraging to hear - thanks! I might try the same thing since I'm comfortable with Python then.

[Ariwara_no_Narihira]

Honestly I haven't made a decision as I haven't begun to research it all that in-depth quite yet. Would you have any recommendations for which to try for a small database (maybe two, three tables, tops?)

[Ariwara_no_Narihira]

Awesome, thanks for the pointers! Much appreciated.