Python Combing Two Commands

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

I have been digging deeper into Python and want to make my code as efficient as possible. The less line of code the better so I have been experimenting and wanted to ask the Python gurus if this is possible. So:

...
...
In [109]: kbfileurl = re.search('<p>For more information about this update.*</p>', tbull.text.encode('utf8'))
In [110]: kbfileurl.group()
Out[110]: <p>For more information about this update, see <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3020393">Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 3020393</a>.</p>'

So based on the string of the url that I parsed out of the html page, I would like to pull only in a one-liner:

So is it possible to combine kbfileinfo,group with re,compile:

kbfileurl.group().encode('ascii')re.compile(r'\bhttps://support.microsoft.com/kb/d+\b')

to parse out:

??

2

Quite the opposite.

Some of the concepts in python's philosophy are:

A one-liner quite possible goes against any of them.

Furthermore, lines should be limited to a maximum of 79 characters long. Preferable 72.

It is true that when readability is not hindered it is possible to daisy chain methods output of an object to another method using a period. This is not the case.

3

Thanks for the reply. Awesome advice but after playing around with it, I did a small modification and came up with but not exactly a one-liner:

In [201]: kbfileurl = re.search('<p>For more information about this update.*</p>', tbull.text.encode('utf8')).group()

In [202]: kbfileurl
Out[202]: '<p>For more information about this update, see <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3020393">Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 3020393</a>.</p>'

In [203]: kburl = re.search(r'\bhttps://support.microsoft.com/kb/\d+\b', kbfileurl).group(0)

In [204]: kburl
Out[204]: 'https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3020393'
4

If you keep at it, eventually, you'll get here:

print(re.search(r'\bhttps://support.microsoft.com/kb/\d+\b', re.search('<p>For more information about this update.*</p>', tbull.text.encode('utf8')).group()).group(0))

Is it possible? You can put a whole file code in one line. Can you know right away if I have included all the necessary closing parenthesis, or if I passed all the needed arguments? I do not think so.

>>> import this

 The Zen of Python

    Beautiful is better than ugly.
    Explicit is better than implicit.
    Simple is better than complex.
    Complex is better than complicated.
    Flat is better than nested.
    Sparse is better than dense.
    Readability counts.
    Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
    Although practicality beats purity.
    Errors should never pass silently.
    Unless explicitly silenced.
    In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess.
    There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.
    Although that way may not be obvious at first unless you're Dutch.
    Now is better than never.
    Although never is often better than *right* now.
    If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.
    If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.
    Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those!

---------- Post updated at 02:06 PM ---------- Previous update was at 01:47 PM ----------

By the way, the Zen of Python, is not just a nice advice, it is the expression of the language's philosophy, and if you pay attention, it is doing what it preaches.
Example:

Line 4

Explicit is better than implicit.

Line 19

If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.

Line 20 applies the principle of explicit is better than implicit. Instead of letting the reader assume that the opposite of the previous statement is good, it just says it.

If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.
5

Can't see anything about redundancy in the Zen list!

Line 20 seems to be useless fluff to me and could just a well be written:

If the implementation is easy to explain, today may or may not be Tuesday.
6

I love it. Thanks for all the replies.

7

One liner Python code is not easy:-
OSX 10.7.5, running python 3.4 inside a default bash terminal.
This is why I have switched to shell scripting...

Last login: Tue Jun 30 15:55:49 on ttys000
AMIGA:barrywalker~> python3.4
Python 3.4.1 (v3.4.1:c0e311e010fc, May 18 2014, 00:54:21) 
[GCC 4.2.1 (Apple Inc. build 5666) (dot 3)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> x=0
>>> while True:
...         print(x)
... 
0
0
0
0
.
.
0
0
^C0
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 2, in <module>
KeyboardInterrupt
>>> x=0; while True: print(x)
  File "<stdin>", line 1
    x=0; while True: print(x)
             ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>>> _

Notice the second attempt above as a 1 liner...
Yeah I know the assignment is not a statement, but neither are they in bash, but this is easy in the shell...
Miss out the assignment and put it on a separate line and it will run...

Last login: Tue Jun 30 15:55:49 on ttys000
AMIGA:barrywalker~> python3.4
Python 3.4.1 (v3.4.1:c0e311e010fc, May 18 2014, 00:54:21) 
[GCC 4.2.1 (Apple Inc. build 5666) (dot 3)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> x=0
>>> while True: print(x)
... 
0
0
0
0
.
.
0
0
^C0
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
KeyboardInterrupt
>>> _