matplotlib
GitShortlogToPieChart (Python: Git ➔ matplotlib)
Time to turn the spotlight on for a tiny project I’ve finished five weeks ago. The plan was to create a script, which would retrieve the of commits for the current repository for each committer (without those distorting merge-commits) and create a piechart-plot out of it and save as raster-graphics.
Implementation was more or less straight-forward, but again – I learned a lot. Talking is one thing, creating some usable proof-of-concept is the other. And words are cheap. No matter how triftling the task may seem, action speaks louder than “ah, shouldn’t be a problem”.
Actually I had done this before the Python-graphics-workshop, because even before I thought the matplotlib is quite a mighty tool which will come in handy.
Project can be found here: GitShortlogToPieChart
Call like this:
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$ python /coding/pythonCollection/GitShortlogToPieChart/GitShortlogToPieChart.py (lol) |
workshop: Graphics with Python
Initial plan was to visit a course at the VHS (MVHS: Münchner Volkshochschule) about ‘NLP with Python & DeepLearning’ (natural language processing). But the tutor quit, so I checked what else I could learn! Notes and examples are archived here: graphicsWithPython
The course took place on two evenings. Lecturing person was Dr. Günter Spanner. We coasted through examples with matplotlib, tkinter and pygames.
Of course, tkinter is available out of the box with newer Python-distributions. But the resulting GUI is butt-ugly (I feel like using those UNIX-workstations in the first semester of computer science..) and you have not much influence on the layout. Since I am working for some while now in the background with PyQt (will be covered in one of the upcoming posts), I can say: good that I had a hands-on, but I will NOT use that.
matplotlib: high value in quick generation of plots of all kinds (bars, line-charts, pie-charts, ..). I’ve used it before and I guess this is the main earning from this learning-opportunity.
pygames: loading some graphics, adding a game-loop, reacting to user-input, all fine. But would require some additional effort for understanding. Maybe in the future.
Conclusion:
Of course, a two-day workshop can’t provide you with credible knowledge and expertise for three frameworks. But having a teacher can ease the starting-pain and allows quick feedback in case something does not work. For me it was also a good opportunity to have some exchange with people and some learning-atmosphere. Also: since tkinter is so butt-ugly, I got further momentum continuing my PyQt-project.