Welcome to the reference documentation for the Standard Library. The Standard Library provides a collection of modules and packages that are part of the Python programming language. These modules are essential for everyday programming tasks and can greatly simplify your code.

Modules Overview

The Standard Library includes a wide range of modules for various purposes. Here are some of the key modules and what they offer:

  • datetime: Provides classes for manipulating dates and times.
  • os: Offers functions for interacting with the operating system.
  • re: Provides regular expression matching operations similar to those found in Perl.
  • sys: Contains variables for accessing system-specific information.

For more detailed information about each module, you can refer to the following sections.

datetime Module

The datetime module is very useful for working with dates and times in Python. It includes classes for manipulating dates and times, such as:

  • datetime.date(): Represents a date (year, month, day).
  • datetime.time(): Represents a time (hour, minute, second, microsecond).
  • datetime.datetime(): Combines date and time.

Here's an example of how to use the datetime module:

from datetime import datetime

# Current date and time
now = datetime.now()
print(now)

For more examples and in-depth information, please visit our datetime module documentation.

os Module

The os module allows you to interact with the operating system. This module is particularly useful for file and directory operations. Here are some of the common functions provided by the os module:

  • os.listdir(): Returns a list of the names in the directory.
  • os.makedirs(): Creates a directory recursively.
  • os.remove(): Deletes a file.

Here's an example of using the os module to list files in a directory:

import os

files = os.listdir('/path/to/directory')
print(files)

For a comprehensive guide on the os module, check out our os module documentation.

Regular Expressions with re Module

The re module in Python provides regular expression matching operations, similar to those found in Perl. This allows you to perform complex string manipulations, such as searching for patterns, replacing substrings, and splitting strings.

Here's an example of how to use the re module for pattern matching:

import re

text = "The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain."
pattern = r"ain"

# Find all occurrences of the pattern
matches = re.findall(pattern, text)
print(matches)

To learn more about regular expressions and their applications, explore our re module documentation.

Remember to always refer to the official Python documentation for the most accurate and up-to-date information. Happy coding!