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Dev tools · January 24, 2013

IW

I wrote a book on idiomatic Python. Here's its insane build/test system

Background: I've been working on a book to help developers learn and write idiomatic Python. It's taken far longer than I imagined, but today I made it available for purchase (http://www.jeffknupp.com/writing-idiomatic-python-ebook). The automated build and test system I'm using is ridiculous. It uses: virtualenv, tox, pytest, coverage, doctest, pandoc, make, xelatex, makeindex, and a ~200 line Python script to collect and format the output. The details of the build/test system I created are described in detail here:…

I wrote a book on idiomatic Python. Here's its insane build/test system launched on January 24, 2013 with 15 votes, #106 of 526 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches.

Visit jeffknupp.com ↗Alternativestop 20% of January 2013

In plain words

This is a build and test system for writing technical books with executable code samples. It automates the process of testing Python code examples, generating documentation in multiple formats, and producing PDF outputs using tools like tox, pytest, pandoc, and LaTeX. The system is designed for authors who need to ensure code samples are accurate and functional while producing professionally formatted books across different output formats.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

In the maker’s words, at launch

Background: I've been working on a book to help developers learn and write idiomatic Python. It's taken far longer than I imagined, but today I made it available for purchase (http://www.jeffknupp.com/writing-idiomatic-python-ebook). The automated build and test system I'm using is ridiculous. It uses: virtualenv…

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Source: Show HN post ↗ · launch text quoted in part

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