DEV Community: Nicholus Mush

Project Workflow for Python

Nicholus Mush — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:37:01 +0000

title: Project Workflow for Python — Structure & CI
published: false
tags: [python, workflow, ci]

This post outlines a pragmatic Python project workflow: virtualenvs, a
clear package layout, dependency pinning, and continuous integration.

Minimal layout:

project/
  src/package/
  tests/
  pyproject.toml
  README.md

Add CI pipelines for tests and linters, and document contributor steps.

Testing & Debugging Python

Nicholus Mush — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:36:02 +0000

title: Testing & Debugging Python — pytest, logging, pdb
published: false
tags: [python, testing, debugging, pytest]

Testing and debugging keep projects healthy. This post covers pytest basics,
using logging for observability, and pdb for interactive debugging.

Quick pytest example:

def add(a, b):
    return a + b

def test_add():
    assert add(2, 3) == 5

Run pytest -q to execute tests and prefer small, focused unit tests.

Concurrency in Python

Nicholus Mush — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:34:53 +0000

title: Concurrency in Python — Threads, Asyncio, and Best Practices
published: false
tags: [python, concurrency, asyncio]

Concurrency in Python can be achieved with threads, processes, or asyncio.
This post compares approaches and shows a simple asyncio example.

Example:

import asyncio

async def fetch(n):
    await asyncio.sleep(1)
    return n

async def main():
    res = await asyncio.gather(*(fetch(i) for i in range(3)))
    print(res)

asyncio.run(main())

Choose threads for blocking I/O, asyncio for cooperative async tasks, and
processes for CPU-bound workloads.

Databases in Python

Nicholus Mush — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:33:35 +0000

title: Databases in Python — sqlite3 & Patterns
published: false
tags: [python, databases, sqlite]

This post introduces using sqlite3 for lightweight storage and outlines
patterns for connections, parameterized queries, and migrations.

Example:

import sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect('app.db')
with conn:
    conn.execute('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users(id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name)')
    conn.execute('INSERT INTO users(name) VALUES(?)', ('alice',))

When you outgrow SQLite, consider Postgres and connection pooling.

Web Automation with Python

Nicholus Mush — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:32:26 +0000

title: Web Automation with Python — Requests & Browsers
published: false
tags: [python, web-automation, requests]

Automating web tasks ranges from simple HTTP requests to browser automation.
Use requests + BeautifulSoup for scraping and selenium or playwright
for interacting with JavaScript-heavy sites.

Simple example with requests:

import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

resp = requests.get('https://example.com')
soup = BeautifulSoup(resp.text, 'html.parser')
print(soup.title.string)

Respect robots.txt and site terms; add delays and cache results responsibly.

Data Processing in Python

Nicholus Mush — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:31:28 +0000

title: Data Processing in Python — Tools & Patterns
published: false
tags: [python, data-processing]

This post surveys common data processing techniques in Python: streaming
with generators, parsing CSV with the csv module, and simple aggregation.

Example (CSV streaming):

import csv

def rows(path):
    with open(path) as f:
        for r in csv.DictReader(f):
            yield r

for row in rows('data.csv'):
    process(row)

When datasets grow, prefer streaming, chunked processing, and libraries like
pandas for tabular analytics.

Regular Expressions in Python

Nicholus Mush — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:30:05 +0000

'
title: Regular Expressions in Python — A Practical Reference
published: false
tags: [python, regex]
"
Regular expressions are essential for pattern matching in text. This post
covers re.search, re.match, re.findall, grouping, and common patterns.

Quick example:

import re
email_re = re.compile(r"([\w.-]+)@([\w.-]+)\.(\w+)")
match = email_re.search('contact me at hi@example.com')
if match:
    print(match.groups())

Tips: build patterns incrementally, use raw strings, and test with online tools.

Context Managers with in Python

Nicholus Mush — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:28:40 +0000

title: Context Managers & with in Python
published: false
tags: [python, context-managers]

Context managers handle setup/teardown reliably using with blocks.
This post shows how to use built-ins like file objects and how to create
custom managers with __enter__/__exit__ or contextlib.contextmanager.

Example:

from contextlib import contextmanager

@contextmanager
def open_read(path):
    f = open(path)
    try:
        yield f
    finally:
        f.close()

with open_read('data.txt') as f:
    print(f.readline())

Context managers keep code concise and safe for resources like files and locks.

Object-Oriented Programming in Python

Nicholus Mush — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:52:59 +0000

Object-Oriented Programming in Python: Model Real-World Things

Object-oriented programming (OOP) helps you represent objects and their behavior using classes and instances.

What you learn

how to define a class
how to create objects
how to use methods to encapsulate behavior

Example

class Product:
    def __init__(self, name, price):
        self.name = name
        self.price = price

    def display(self):
        print(f"Product: {self.name}, Price: {self.price}")

book = Product("Python Guide", 45.0)
pen = Product("Notebook", 12.5)
book.display()
pen.display()

Real-world angle

Classes model entities like products, users, orders, and invoices. OOP makes it easier to extend behavior later.

Why this matters

This is the foundation for many Python frameworks and applications, from web services to automation libraries.

Use OOP with modules and packages to build larger, maintainable systems.

Modules and Packages in Python

Nicholus Mush — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:48:00 +0000

Modules and Packages in Python: Organize Code Like a Team

As your code grows, you need a way to split it into smaller reusable pieces. Modules and packages are Python’s organization tools.

What you'll learn

importing built-in modules like math
using from ... import ...
writing reusable helper functions

Example

import math
from datetime import datetime
print(math.sqrt(16))
print(datetime.now())

def format_price(amount):
    return f"${amount:,.2f}"

Real-world angle

Packages make it possible to share code across scripts, build a library, or structure a web application cleanly.

Why this matters

Well-organized code is easier to debug, test, and maintain. It also makes collaboration simpler.

Move on to object-oriented programming to model real systems with classes and objects.

Modules and Packages

Nicholus Mush — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:44:47 +0000

"""Lesson 9: Modules and Packages

This lesson introduces code organization with modules and built-in packages for reusable functionality.
"""

Importing a built-in module.

import math

print("Square root of 16:", math.sqrt(16))
print("Pi rounded:", round(math.pi, 3))

Use a specific function from a module.

from datetime import datetime
print("Current date and time:", datetime.now())

# Create a small reusable utility function.

def format_price(amount):
    return f"${amount:,.2f}"

print(format_price(1234.5))

Real-world example:

organizing helpers in separate files

You can create your own module and import it by file name.

Exceptions and Error Handling

Nicholus Mush — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:40:12 +0000

"""Lesson 8: Exceptions and Error Handling

This lesson explains how Python handles errors so your programs can recover gracefully.
"""

A function that can raise an error if the input is invalid.

def divide(a, b):
    try:
        result = a / b
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        print("Error: cannot divide by zero.")
        return None
    except TypeError:
        print("Error: inputs must be numbers.")
        return None
    else:
        return result
    finally:
        print("divide() completed.")

print(divide(10, 2))
print(divide(10, 0))
print(divide(10, "five"))

Real-world example: validate user input safely.

user_input = "42"
try:
    value = int(user_input)
    print("Converted value:", value)
except ValueError:
    print("Please enter a valid integer.")

DEV Community: Nicholus Mush

Project Workflow for Python

Testing & Debugging Python

Concurrency in Python

Databases in Python

Web Automation with Python

Data Processing in Python

Regular Expressions in Python

Context Managers with in Python

Object-Oriented Programming in Python

Object-Oriented Programming in Python: Model Real-World Things

What you learn

Example

Real-world angle

Why this matters

Next

Modules and Packages in Python

Modules and Packages in Python: Organize Code Like a Team

What you'll learn

Example

Real-world angle

Why this matters

Next

Modules and Packages

Importing a built-in module.

Use a specific function from a module.

Real-world example:

You can create your own module and import it by file name.

Exceptions and Error Handling

A function that can raise an error if the input is invalid.

Real-world example: validate user input safely.