The Spirit of the Laws-Montesquieu's huge, complex, and enormously influential work-is considered one of the central texts of the Enlightenment, laying the foundation for the liberally democratic political regimes that were to embody its values. In his penetrating analysis, Thomas L. Pangle brilliantly argues that the inherently theological project of Enlightenment liberalism is made more clearly-and more consequentially- in Spirit than in any other work.In a probing and careful reading, Pangle shows how Montesquieu believed that rationalism, through the influence of liberal institutions and the spread of commercial culture, would secularize human affairs. At the same time, Pangle uncovers Montesquieu's views about the origins of humanity's religious impulse and his confidence that political and economic security would make people less likely to sacrifice worldly well-being for otherworldly hopes. With the interest in the theological aspects of political theory and practice showing no signs of diminishing, this book is a timely and insightful contribution to one of the key achievements of Enlightenment thought.

Ancient Greek tragedy has been an inspiration to Western culture, but the way it was first performed has long remained in question. In The Theatricality of Greek Tragedy, Graham Ley provides an illuminating discussion of key issues relating to the use of the playing space and the nature of the chorus, offering a distinctive impression of the performance of Greek tragedy in the fifth century BCE. Drawing on evidence from the surviving texts of tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, Ley explains how scenes with actors were played in the open ground of the orchestra, often considered as exclusively the dancing place of the chorus. In reviewing what is known of the music and dance of Greek antiquity, Ley goes on to show that in the original productions the experience of the chorus-expressed in song and dance and in interaction with the characters-remained a vital characteristic in the performance of tragedy.Combining detailed analysis with broader reflections about the nature of ancient Greek tragedy as an art form, this volume-supplemented with a series of illustrative drawings and diagrams-will be a necessary addition to the bookshelf of anyone interested in literature, theater, or classical studies.

Expand your knowledge of computer vision by building amazing projects with OpenCV 3About This BookBuild computer vision projects to capture high-quality image data, detect and track objects, process the actions of humans or animals, and much moreDiscover practical and interesting innovations in computer vision while building atop a mature open-source library, OpenCV 3Familiarize yourself with multiple approaches and theories wherever critical decisions need to be madeWho This Book Is ForThis book is ideal for you if you aspire to build computer vision systems that are smarter, faster, more complex, and more practical than the competition. This is an advanced book intended for those who already have some experience in setting up an OpenCV development environment and building applications with OpenCV. You should be comfortable with computer vision concepts, object-oriented programming, graphics programming, IDEs, and the command line.What You Will LearnSelect and configure camera systems to see invisible light, fast motion, and distant objectsBuild a “camera trap”, as used by nature photographers, and process photos to create beautiful effectsDevelop a facial expression recognition system with various feature extraction techniques and machine learning methodsBuild a panorama Android application using the OpenCV stitching module in C++ with NDK supportOptimize your object detection model, make it rotation invariant, and apply scene-specific constraints to make it faster and more robustCreate a person identification and registration system based on biometric properties of that person, such as their fingerprint, iris, and faceFuse data from videos and gyroscopes to stabilize videos shot from your mobile phone and create hyperlapse style videosIn DetailComputer vision is becoming accessible to a large audience of software developers who can leverage mature libraries such as OpenCV. However, as they move beyond their first experiments in computer vision, developers may struggle to ensure that their solutions are sufficiently well optimized, well trained, robust, and adaptive in real-world conditions. With sufficient knowledge of OpenCV, these developers will have enough confidence to go about creating projects in the field of computer vision.This book will help you tackle increasingly challenging computer vision problems that you may face in your careers. It makes use of OpenCV 3 to work around some interesting projects. Inside these pages, you will find practical and innovative approaches that are battle-tested in the authors’ industry experience and research. Each chapter covers the theory and practice of multiple complementary approaches so that you will be able to choose wisely in your future projects. You will also gain insights into the architecture and algorithms that underpin OpenCV’s functionality.We begin by taking a critical look at inputs in order to decide which kinds of light, cameras, lenses, and image formats are best suited to a given purpose. We proceed to consider the finer aspects of computational photography as we build an automated camera to assist nature photographers. You will gain a deep understanding of some of the most widely applicable and reliable techniques in object detection, feature selection, tracking, and even biometric recognition. We will also build Android projects in which we explore the complexities of camera motion: first in panoramic image stitching and then in video stabilization.By the end of the book, you will have a much richer understanding of imaging, motion, machine learning, and the architecture of computer vision libraries and applications!Style and approachThis book covers a combination of theory and practice. We examine blueprints for specific projects and discuss the principles behind these blueprints, in detail.

Implement state-of-the-art techniques to visualize solutions to challenging problems in scientific computing, with the use of the SciPy stackAbout This BookMaster the theory and algorithms behind numerical recipes and how they can be applied to real-world problemsLearn to combine the most appropriate built-in functions from the SciPy stack by understanding the connection between the sources of your problem, volume of data, or computer architectureA comprehensive coverage of all the mathematical techniques needed to solve the presented topics, with a discussion of the relevant algorithms built in the SciPy stackWho This Book Is ForIf you are a mathematician, engineer, or computer scientist with a proficiency in Python and familiarity with IPython, this is the book for you. Some basic knowledge of numerical methods in scientific computing would be helpful.What You Will LearnMaster relevant algorithms used in symbolic or numerical mathematics to address approximation, interpolation, differentiation, integration, root-finding, and optimization of scalar or multi-variate functionsDevelop different algorithms and strategies to efficiently store and manipulate large matrices of data, in particular to solve systems of linear equations, or compute their eigenvalues/eigenvectorsUnderstand how to model physical problems with systems of differential equations and distinguish the factors that dictate the strategies to solve themPerform statistical analysis, hypothesis test design and resolution, or data mining at a higher level, and apply them to real-life problems in the field of data analysisGain insights on the power of distances, Delaunay triangulations and Voronoi diagrams for Computational Geometry, and apply them to various engineering problemsFamiliarize yourself with different techniques in signal/image processing, including filtering audio, images, or video to extract information, features, or remove componentsIn DetailThe SciPy stack is a collection of open source libraries of the powerful *ing language Python, together with its interactive shells. This environment offers a cutting-edge platform for numerical computation, programming, visualization and publishing, and is used by some of the world’s leading mathematicians, scientists, and engineers. It works on any operating system that supports Python and is very easy to install, and completely free of charge! It can effectively transform into a data-processing and system-prototyping environment, directly rivalling MATLAB and Octave.This book goes beyond a mere de*ion of the different built-in functions coded in the libraries from the SciPy stack. It presents you with a solid mathematical and computational background to help you identify the right tools for each problem in scientific computing and visualization. You will gain an insight into the best practices with numerical methods depending on the amount or type of data, properties of the mathematical tools employed, or computer architecture, among other factors.The book kicks off with a concise exploration of the basics of numerical linear algebra and graph theory for the treatment of problems that handle large data sets or matrices. In the subsequent chapters, you will delve into the depths of algorithms in symbolic algebra and numerical analysis to address modeling/simulation of various real-world problems with functions (through interpolation, approximation, or creation of systems of differential equations), and extract their representing features (zeros, extrema, integration or differentiation).Lastly, you will move on to advanced concepts of data analysis, image/signal processing, and computational geometry.Style and approachPacked with real-world examples, this book explores the mathematical techniques needed to solve the presented topics, and focuses on the algorithms built in the SciPy stack.

Install, configure, and support your XenApp systems with the power of Citrix XenAppAbout This BookFamiliarize yourself with Citrix applications and desktop virtualizationMaintain and troubleshoot your XenApp environment to minimize system downtimeA hands-on, step-by-step guide with a practical approach and real-world examples to get you up and running with XenApp systemsWho This Book Is ForThis book is intended for IT administrators and consultants who want to build application and desktop virtualization solutions for their employers and customers. No prior knowledge of Citrix technologies is required.What You Will LearnMake the use case for Citrix XenApp and design your first systemPrepare your existing IT infrastructure for XenApp and learn what licenses you needInstall and configure the XenApp infrastructureEnable access with StoreFront and NetScaler GatewayEnable load balancing with NetScalerMaintain servers and publish applications and desktopsManage printing in a Citrix environmentTroubleshoot your environment using advanced tools and methodologies employed by Citrix Escalation TeamsIn DetailIf you want to effectively deploy the various components of Citrix XenApp to create an enterprise environment for application and desktop delivery, this hands-on guide is perfect for you. You start off by understanding the need and benefits of Citrix XenApp with respect to Virtualization technology. After this, you will get to grips with the requirement analysis and designing aspect of building XenApp systems and all the necessary installation and configuration procedures for Citrix XenApp, StoreFront and NetScalar Gateway are explained one by one in detail.Step-by-step, you will learn to deploy your first XenApp with the Machine Creation Services method and Provisioning Services method. After this, you will explore the administering part of applications and systems, followed by printing in the XenApp environment. Next, you will learn all the trips and tricks required to troubleshoot and support the XenApp environment. By the end of this book, you will be ready to go live with your new XenApp environment.Style and approachThis is a step-by-step guide to technical implementations in a conversational and easy-to-follow style. Each component is deployed sequentially until a full solution is built. Basic as well as advanced features of the product are explored to appeal to the widest possible audience interested in the topic.

Filled with drama and action, here is the story of the ninth-century life and times of Alfred-warrior, conqueror, lawmaker, scholar, and the only king whom England has ever called "e;The Great."e; Based on up-to-date information on ninth-century history, geography, philosophy, literature, and social life, it vividly presents exciting views of Alfred in every stage of his long career and leaves the reader with a sharply-etched picture of the world of the Middle Ages.

When a new baby arrives among the Beng people of West Africa, they see it not as being born, but as being reincarnated after a rich life in a previous world. Far from being a tabula rasa, a Beng infant is thought to begin its life filled with spiritual knowledge. How do these beliefs affect the way the Beng rear their children?In this unique and engaging ethnography of babies, Alma Gottlieb explores how religious ideology affects every aspect of Beng childrearing practices-from bathing infants to protecting them from disease to teaching them how to crawl and walk-and how widespread poverty limits these practices. A mother of two, Gottlieb includes moving discussions of how her experiences among the Beng changed the way she saw her own parenting. Throughout the book she also draws telling comparisons between Beng and Euro-American parenting, bringing home just how deeply culture matters to the way we all rear our children.All parents and anyone interested in the place of culture in the lives of infants, and vice versa, will enjoy The Afterlife Is Where We Come From."e;This wonderfully reflective text should provide the impetus for formulating research possibilities about infancy and toddlerhood for this century."e; - Caren J. Frost, Medical Anthropology Quarterly?"e;Alma Gottlieb's careful and thought-provoking account of infancy sheds spectacular light upon a much neglected topic. . . . [It] makes a strong case for the central place of babies in anthropological accounts of religion. ?Gottlieb's remarkably rich account, delivered after a long and reflective period of gestation, deserves a wide audience across a range of disciplines."e;-Anthony Simpson, Critique of Anthropology?

Design, develop, and publish your own mobile apps for iOS and Android using C# and Xamarin Studio About This Book Explore the exciting features of Xamarin Studio while learning to develop your own applications Develop a complete application from conceptualization through to publishing it on the app store The book walks you through the basics of cross-platform development with Xamarin using examples and best practices and tips for cross platform solutions. Who This Book Is For If you want to develop your own applications and want to explore the features of Xamarin Studio, then this is the book for you. It is expected that you have a basic understanding of technologies in mobile development, but prior knowledge of Xamarin is not required. What You Will Learn Understand the software development lifecycle for mobile applications Use Xamarin Studio and its wide range of features to write your programs in C# Use different options to create multi-platform applications using Xamarin and develop a cross-platform extension method Work with Xamarin forms and various UI controls Integrate synchronous and asynchronous communication module within your app Render images to work with Android and iOS Link a third-party application to your solution In Detail The mobile app market is increasing exponentially every year. Xamarin Studio with its modern and powerful IDEs makes creating applications a lot easier by simplifying the development process. Xamarin will allow you and your team to create native applications by taking advantage of one of the most evolved programming language in the world: C#. This book will provide you with the basic skills you need to start developing mobile apps using C# and Xamarin. By working through the examples in each chapter, you will gain hands-on experience of creating a complete app that is fully functional by all means. Finally, you will learn to publish the app you created on the app market. Each project in this book will take you one step closer to becoming a professional app developer. Style and approach The step-by-guide will walk you through the process of creating an application of with the help of small projects that will teach you everything you need to know to build a complete application of your own.

Achieve scalability and high availability without compromising on performance About This Book See how to get 100 percent uptime with your Cassandra applications using this easy-follow guide Learn how to avoid common and not-so-common mistakes while working with Cassandra using this highly practical guide Get familiar with the intricacies of working with Cassandra for high availability in your work environment with this go-to-guide Who This Book Is For If you are a developer or DevOps engineer who has basic familiarity with Cassandra and you want to become an expert at creating highly available, fault tolerant systems using Cassandra, this book is for you. What You Will Learn Understand how the core architecture of Cassandra enables highly available applications Use replication and tunable consistency levels to balance consistency, availability, and performance Set up multiple data centers to enable failover, load balancing, and geographic distribution Add capacity to your cluster with zero downtime Take advantage of high availability features in the native driver Create data models that scale well and maximize availability Understand common anti-patterns so you can avoid them Keep your system working well even during failure scenarios In Detail Apache Cassandra is a massively scalable, peer-to-peer database designed for 100 percent uptime, with deployments in the tens of thousands of nodes, all supporting petabytes of data. This book offers a practical insight into building highly available, real-world applications using Apache Cassandra. The book starts with the fundamentals, helping you to understand how Apache Cassandra’s architecture allows it to achieve 100 percent uptime when other systems struggle to do so. You’ll get an excellent understanding of data distribution, replication, and Cassandra’s highly tunable consistency model. Then we take an in-depth look at Cassandra's robust support for multiple data centers, and you’ll see how to scale out a cluster. Next, the book explores the domain of application design, with chapters discussing the native driver and data modeling. Lastly, you’ll find out how to steer clear of common anti-patterns and take advantage of Cassandra’s ability to fail gracefully. Style and approach This practical guide will get you implementing Cassandra right from the design to creating highly available systems. Through a systematic, step-by-step approach, you will learn different aspects of building highly available Cassandra applications and all this with the help of easy-to-follow examples, tips, and tricks.

Master the art of testing and automating your SOA using SoapUI About This Book Design real-time test automation frameworks for Enterprise applications using SoapUI Learn how to solve test automation issues for complex systems A complete guide to understanding SOA automation from quality assurance to business assurance Who This Book Is For The book is intended for test architects, SOA test specialists, automation testers, test managers, and software developers who have a good understanding of SOA, web services, Groovy Scripting, and the SOAP UI tool. What You Will Learn Familiarize yourself with Test Web services from functional, nonfunctional, and security aspects Learn to test real-time service orchestrations Design test automation solutions for SOA-based Enterprise applications Learn multilayer test automation Selenium plus SoapUI under a single umbrella Integrate your SoapUI framework with Jenkins In Detail SoapUI is an open-source cross-platform testing application that provides complete test coverage and supports all the standard protocols and technologies. This book includes real-time examples of implementing SoapUI to achieve quality and business assurance. Starting with the features and functionalities of SoapUI, the book will then focus on functional testing, load testing, and security testing of web services. Furthermore, you will learn how to automate your services and then design data-driven, keyword-driven, and hybrid-driven frameworks in SoapUI. Then the book will show you how to test UIs and services using SoapUI with the help of Selenium. You will also learn how to integrate SoapUI with Jenkins for CI and SoapUI test with QC with backward- and forward-compatibility. The final part of the book will show you how to virtualize a service response in SoapUI using Service Mocking. You will finish the journey by discovering the best practices for SoapUI test automation and preparing yourself for the online certification of SoapUI. Style and approach Filled with real-time examples, this book will help readers take their knowledge to the next level. This book is a comprehensive guide that will cover the end-to-end life cycle of implementing SoapUI in various phases of software testing and the software development life cycle.

Exploit the power of data in your business by building advanced predictive modeling applications with Python About This Book Master open source Python tools to build sophisticated predictive models Learn to identify the right machine learning algorithm for your problem with this forward-thinking guide Grasp the major methods of predictive modeling and move beyond the basics to a deeper level of understanding Who This Book Is For This book is designed for business analysts, BI analysts, data scientists, or junior level data analysts who are ready to move from a conceptual understanding of advanced analytics to an expert in designing and building advanced analytics solutions using Python. You’re expected to have basic development experience with Python. What You Will Learn Gain an insight into components and design decisions for an analytical application Master the use Python notebooks for exploratory data analysis and rapid prototyping Get to grips with applying regression, classification, clustering, and deep learning algorithms Discover the advanced methods to analyze structured and unstructured data Find out how to deploy a machine learning model in a production environment Visualize the performance of models and the insights they produce Scale your solutions as your data grows using Python Ensure the robustness of your analytic applications by mastering the best practices of predictive analysis In Detail The volume, diversity, and speed of data available has never been greater. Powerful machine learning methods can unlock the value in this information by finding complex relationships and unanticipated trends. Using the Python programming language, analysts can use these sophisticated methods to build scalable analytic applications to deliver insights that are of tremendous value to their organizations. In Mastering Predictive Analytics with Python, you will learn the process of turning raw data into powerful insights. Through case studies and code examples using popular open-source Python libraries, this book illustrates the complete development process for analytic applications and how to quickly apply these methods to your own data to create robust and scalable prediction services. Covering a wide range of algorithms for classification, regression, clustering, as well as cutting-edge techniques such as deep learning, this book illustrates not only how these methods work, but how to implement them in practice. You will learn to choose the right approach for your problem and how to develop engaging visualizations to bring the insights of predictive modeling to life Style and approach This book emphasizes on explaining methods through example data and code, showing you templates that you can quickly adapt to your own use cases. It focuses on both a practical application of sophisticated algorithms and the intuitive understanding necessary to apply the correct method to the problem at hand. Through visual examples, it also demonstrates how to convey insights through insightful charts and reporting.

From an idea to a prototype – a complete guide for web development with the Django framework About This Book Explore the best practices to develop applications of a superior quality with Django framework Unravel the common problems of web development in Django This course teaches you major Django functions and will help you improve your skills by developing models, forms, views, and templates Experience the challenges of working on an end-to-end social network project Who This Book Is For Web developers who want to use modern Python-based web frameworks like Django to build powerful web applications. The course is mostly self-contained and introduces web development with Python to a reader who is familiar with web development concepts and can help him become an expert in this trade. It’s intended for all levels of web developers, both students and practitioners from novice to experts. What You Will Learn Use Django models to store information in the database and generate queries to access a database across models Quickly develop web pages to create, read, update, and delete data from the model using class-based views Generate very maintainable forms with Django Import data from local sources and external web services as well as exporting your data to third parties Deep dive into various aspects of Django from models and views to testing and deployment Familiarize yourself with the various nuances of web development such as browser attacks and databases In Detail Data science is hot right now, and the need for multitalented developers is greater than ever before. A basic grounding in building apps with a framework as minimalistic, powerful, and easy-to-learn as Django will be a useful skill to launch your career as an entrepreneur or web developer. Django is a web framework that was designed to strike a balance between rapid web development and high performance. This course will take you on a journey to become an efficient web developer thoroughly understanding the key concepts of Django framework. This learning path is divided into three modules. The course begins with basic concepts of the Django framework. The first module, Django Essentials, is like a practical guide, filled with many real-world examples to build highly effective Django web application. After getting familiar with core concepts of Django, it's time to practice your learning from the first module with the help of over 90 recipes available in this module. In the second module, Web Development with Django Cookbook, you'll learn varying complexities to help you create multilingual, responsive, and scalable websites with Django. By the end of this module, you will have a good understanding of the new features added to Django 1.8 and be an expert at web development processes.The next step is to discover the latest best practices and idioms in this rapidly evolving Django framework. This is what you'll be learning in our third module, Django Design Patterns and Best Practices. This module will teach you common design patterns to develop better Django code. By the end of the module, you will be able to leverage the Django framework to develop a fully functional web application with minimal effort. Style and approach This course includes all the resources that will help you jump into the web development field with Django and learn how to make scalable and robust web applications. The aim is to create a smooth learning path that will teach you how to get started with the powerful Django framework and perform various web development techniques in depth. Through this comprehensive course, you'll learn web development with Django from scratch to finish!

Learn how to build physical computing systems using BeagleBone Black and Python About This Book Get to grips with the fundamentals of BeagleBone Leverage Python *s to program BeagleBone for your requirements Build four exciting projects, from home automation to a tele-controlled robot Who This Book Is For This book is intended for hobbyists and consumers who wish to create impressive projects using BeagleBone. You must be familiar with Python programming. What You Will Learn Program on BeagleBone Black using Python Interface sensors and actuators to BeagleBone Black Build your own real-time physical computing systems Connect physical computing systems to cloud servers Build your own home automation and home security system Build your own tele-controlled robot with real-time video streaming In Detail BeagleBone is a low cost, community-supported development platform to develop a variety of electronic projects. This book will introduce you to BeagleBone and get you building fun, cool, and innovative projects with it. Start with the specifications of BeagleBone Black and its operating systems, then get to grips with the GPIOs available in BeagleBone Black. Work through four types of exciting projects: building real-time physical computing systems, home automation, image processing for a security system, and building your own tele-controlled robot and learn the fundamentals of a variety of projects in a single book. By the end of this book, you will be able to write code for BeagleBone in order to operate hardware and impart decision-making capabilities with the help of efficient coding in Python. Style and approach This book is a step by step guide that will walk you through the fundamentals of building different projects using BeagleBone Black.

Take Python beyond *ing to build robust, reusable, and efficient applications About This Book Get to grips with Python techniques that address commonly encountered problems in general application development. Develop, package, and deploy efficient applications in a fun way. All-practical coverage of the major areas of application development, including best practices, exception handling, testing, refactoring, design patterns, performance, and GUI application development. Who This Book Is For Do you know the basics of Python and object oriented programmingDo you want to go an extra mile and learn techniques to make your Python application robust, extensible, and efficientThen this book is for you. What You Will Learn Build a robust application by handling exceptions. Modularize, package, and release the source distribution. Document the code and implement coding standards. Create automated tests to catch bugs in the early development stage. Identify and re-factor badly written code to improve application life. Detect recurring problems in the code and apply design patterns. Improve code efficiency by identifying performance bottlenecks and fixing them. Develop simple GUI applications using Python. In Detail Python is one of the most widely used dynamic programming languages, supported by a rich set of libraries and frameworks that enable rapid development. But fast paced development often comes with its own baggage that could bring down the quality, performance, and extensibility of an application. This book will show you ways to handle such problems and write better Python applications. From the basics of simple command-line applications, develop your skills all the way to designing efficient and advanced Python apps. Guided by a light-hearted fantasy learning theme, overcome the real-world problems of complex Python development with practical solutions. Beginning with a focus on robustness, packaging, and releasing application code, you’ll move on to focus on improving application lifetime by making code extensible, reusable, and readable. Get to grips with Python refactoring, design patterns and best practices. Techniques to identify the bottlenecks and improve performance are covered in a series of chapters devoted to performance, before closing with a look at developing Python GUIs. Style and approach The book uses a fantasy game theme as a medium to explain various topics. Specific aspects of application development are explained in different chapters. In each chapter the reader is presented with an interesting problem which is then tackled using hands-on examples with easy-to-follow instructions.

Get your code under control in a series of small, specific steps About This Book Learn to extract and replace legacy artifacts, Improve your application from the ground up while keeping your codebase fully operational, Improve the quality of your legacy applications. Who This Book Is For PHP developers from all skill levels will be able to get value from this book and will be able to transform their spaghetti code applications to clean, modular applications. If you are in the midst of a legacy refactor or you find yourself in a state of despair caused by the code you have inherited, this is the book for you. All you need is to have PHP 5.0 installed, and you’re all set to change the way you maintain and deploy your code! What You Will Learn Replace global and new with dependency injection Extract SQL statements to gateways Convert action logic to controllers Remove repeated logic in page *s Create maintainable PHP code from crufty legacy PHP In Detail Have you noticed that your legacy PHP application is composed of page *s placed directly in the document root of the web serverOr, do your page *s, along with any other classes and functions, combine the concerns of model, view, and controller into the same scopeIs the majority of the logical flow incorporated as include files and global functions rather than class methodsWorking with such a legacy application feels like dragging your feet through mud, doesn’t it?This book will show you how to modernize your application in terms of practice and technique, rather than in terms of using tools like frameworks and libraries, by extracting and replacing its legacy artifacts. We will use a step-by-step approach, moving slowly and methodically, to improve your application from the ground up. We’ll show you how dependency injection can replace both the new and global dependencies. We’ll also show you how to change the presentation logic to view files and the action logic to a controller. Moreover, we’ll keep your application running the whole time. Each completed step in the process will keep your codebase fully operational with higher quality. When we are done, you will be able to breeze through your code like the wind. Your code will be autoloaded, dependency-injected, unit-tested, layer-separated, and front-controlled. Most of the very limited code we will add to your application is specific to this book. We will be improving ourselves as programmers, as well as improving the quality of our legacy application. Style and approach This book gives developers an easy-to-follow, practical and powerful process to bring their applications up to a modern baseline. Each step in the book is practical, self-contained and moves you closer to the end goal you seek: maintainable code. As you follow the exercises in the book, the author almost anticipates your questions and you will have the answers, ready to be implemented on your project.

Develop programmatic functions to create powerful database applications About This Book Write complex SQL queries and design a robust database design that fits your application's need Improve database performance by indexing, partitioning tables, and query optimizing A comprehensive guide covering the advanced PostgreSQL concepts without any hassle Who This Book Is For If you are a PostgreSQL developer with a basic knowledge of PostgreSQL development and you’re want deeper knowledge to develop applications, then this book is for you. As this book does not cover basic installation and configurations, you should have PostgreSQL installed on your machine as a prerequisite. What You Will Learn Write more complex queries with advanced SQL queries Design a database that works with the application exactly the way you want Make the database work in extreme conditions by tuning, optimizing, partitioning, and indexing Develop applications in other programming languages such as Java and PHP Use extensions to get extra benefits in terms of functionality and performance Build an application that does not get locked by data manipulation Explore in-built db functions and data type conversions In Detail PostgreSQL is the most advanced open source database in the world. It is easy to install, configure, and maintain by following the documentation; however, it’s difficult to develop applications using programming languages and design databases accordingly. This book is what you need to get the most out of PostgreSQL You will begin with advanced SQL topics such as views, materialized views, and cursors, and learn about performing data type conversions. You will then perform trigger operations and use trigger functions in PostgreSQL. Next we walk through data modeling, normalization concepts, and the effect of transactions and locking on the database. The next half of the book covers the types of indexes, constrains, and the concepts of table partitioning, as well as the different mechanisms and approaches available to write efficient queries or code. Later, we explore PostgreSQL Extensions and Large Object Support in PostgreSQL. Finally, you will perform database operations in PostgreSQL using PHP and Java. By the end of this book, you will have mastered all the aspects of PostgreSQL development. You will be able to build efficient enterprise-grade applications with PostgreSQL by making use of these concepts Style and approach Every chapter follows a step by step approach that first explains the concept , then shows you how to execute it practically so that you can implement them in your application.

Ensure your code is sleek, efficient and elegant by mastering powerful Python design patterns About This Book Learn all about abstract design patterns and how to implement them in Python 3 Understand the structural, creational, and behavioral Python design patterns Get to know the context and application of design patterns to solve real-world problems in software architecture, design, and application development Discover how to simplify Design Pattern implementation using the power of Python 3 Who This Book Is For If you have basic Python skills and wish to learn in depth how to correctly apply appropriate design patterns, this course is tailor made for you. What You Will Learn Discover what design patterns are and how to apply them to writing Python Implement objects in Python by creating classes and defining methods Separate related objects into a taxonomy of classes and describe the properties and behaviors of those objects via the class interface Understand when to use object-oriented features, and more importantly when not to use them Get to know proven solutions to common design issues Explore the design principles that form the basis of software design, such as loose coupling, the Hollywood principle, and the Open Close principle, among others Use Structural Design Patterns and find out how objects and classes interact to build larger applications Improve the productivity and code base of your application using Python design patterns Secure an interface using the Proxy pattern In Detail Python is an object-oriented *ing language that is used in everything from data science to web development. Known for its simplicity, Python increases productivity and minimizes development time. Through applying essential software engineering design patterns to Python, Python code becomes even more efficient and reusable from project to project. This learning path takes you through every traditional and advanced design pattern best applied to Python code, building your skills in writing exceptional Python. Divided into three distinct modules, you’ll go from foundational to advanced concepts by following a series of practical tutorials. Start with the bedrock of Python programming – the object-oriented paradigm. Rethink the way you work with Python as you work through the Python data structures and object-oriented techniques essential to modern Python programming. Build your confidence as you learn Python syntax, and how to use OOP principles with Python tools such as Django and Kivy. In the second module, run through the most common and most useful design patterns from a Python perspective. Progress through Singleton patterns, Factory patterns, Fa?ade patterns and more all with detailed hands-on guidance. Enhance your professional abilities in in software architecture, design, and development. In the final module, run through the more complex and less common design patterns, discovering how to apply them to Python coding with the help of real-world examples. Get to grips with the best practices of writing Python, as well as creating systems architecture and troubleshooting issues. This Learning Path combines some of the best that Packt has to offer in one complete, curated package. It includes content from the following Packt products: Python 3 Object-Oriented Programming - Second Edition by Dusty Phillips Learning Python Design Patterns - Second Edition by Chetan Giridhar Mastering Python Design Patterns by Sakis Kasampalis Style and approach Advance your Python code through three distinct modules that each build on preceding content. Get the complete coverage of Python design patterns you need to write elegant and efficient code that’s reusable and powerful.

Explore the powers of Raspberry Pi and build your very own projects right out of the box About This Book From robotics to gaming, this Learning Path will unlock your creativity! Build your own impressive IoT projects to transform your home Featuring some of Packt’s very best Raspberry Pi content, this Learning Path doesn’t just get you to your destination – it opens up a whole horizon of possibilities! Who This Book Is For Want new ideas for your next Raspberry Pi projectGot one lying around gathering dustThis Learning Path gets you straight into the creative dirty work of programming and playing with your pi. Whether your new to Raspberry Pi, or an experienced maker, we think this Learning Path will inspire you and get your creative juices flowing! What You Will Learn Discover an aweome range of Raspberry Pi projects Bridge the gap between software and hardware through your Pi and find out how to make an operating system interact with cameras and other hardware Find out how to use your Raspberry Pi for gaming Secure your home with this tiny computer! Make science fiction a reality – build a walking robot In Detail Looking for inspiration for your next Raspberry Pi projectNot sure where to beginThis Learning Path is the perfect place to begin, providing you with an accessible yet comprehensive journey through Raspberry Pi. Following three modules, you’ll soon be confident and prepared to get creative with your microcomputer. Raspberry Pi by Example is the first module in this Learning Path – and it does exactly what it says. It doesn’t just teach, it shows you how to go and build some awesome Raspberry Pi projects immediately. Build and play your own games with the Pi, build a complete Internet of Things home automation system that controls your house through Twitter… let your imagination run wild! In the next module we’ll look in more depth at building a home security system. You’ll be using some of the skills you devoped through the first module, but apply them to something more intricate and impressive. Using a Linux based operating system as the foundations, you’ll gradually build up an entire security infrastructure adding cameras, remote controls, and even intrusion alerts! In the final module, we’ll take you into the world of Raspberry Pi robotics. By the end of it, you’ll have built a biped robot that can interact with its environment! This Learning Path combines some of the best that Packt has to offer in one complete, curated package. It includes content from the following Packt products: Raspberry Pi By Example by Ashwin Pajankar and Arush Kakkar Building a Home Security System with Raspberry Pi by Matthew Pole Raspberry Pi Robotics Essentials by Richard Grimmett Style and approach It’s not every day you build a home automation system. It’s not every day you build a walking robot. But with this Learning Path you’ll do just that. So get started and let this tiny computer expand your imagination.

Enhance your JavaScript skills by venturing into the domain of developing mobile applications About This Book .Extend your JavaScript skillset to build, test, and launch mobile apps with confidence .Follow three sample projects to experience Ionic’s impressive capabilities .Extend the power of Apache Cordova by creating your own Apache Cordova cross-platform mobile plugins Who This Book Is For This Learning Path is for JavaScript web developers looking to develop mobile applications using various JavaScript descendent technologies. It is for anyone who wants to learn how to build fast and stylish native mobile app using the skills they already have. If you are already using React on the web, we’re confident you’ll be able to quickly get up and running with React Native for iOS and Android. See Ionic in action, and find out how it can transform the way you build mobile apps. What You Will Learn .Develop, build, run, and deploy great cross-platform mobile applications using Apache Cordova .Create complete mobile apps using Apache Cordova that runs on Apple iOS, Google Android, and Windows Phone .Create a neat user interface for your mobile application using jQuery Mobile .Gain an in-depth understanding of how React Native works behind the scenes .Write your own custom native UI components .Develop native modules in Objective-C and Java that interact with JavaScript .Get to know Ionic by creating three complete mobile applications In Detail A great mobile app is rapidly becoming crucial for a huge range of businesses. With a great app, your customers or your readers don’t come to you – you go with them, just a few clicks and swipes away. This Learning Path shows you how to build awesome mobile apps with some of the best tools currently being used by some of the smartest developers in the industry. Taking you through JavaScript impressive development ecosystem – from jQuery Mobile to React, through to Ionic – we’ll show you how to put your skills into practice so you can build your next mobile apps with confidence and style. In this Learning Path, from jQuery to React, to Ionic, we’ll cover everything you need to start In the first module you’ll learn how to get stuck into Apache Cordova and find out how to use it as the key platform for developing your mobile app. It offers an efficient way to develop hybrid apps, which means you won’t have to connect to platform specific APIs or use their UI framework, and can instead harness your JavaScript web development skills. Make sure you have your HTML, CSS and jQuery skills at the ready. In Module 2 we’ll show you how to take advantage of React Native. It has a reputation for having a steep learning curve, but we’ll make it easy for you, making sure you make full use of your existing knowledge and getting you up and running with a sample application. You’ll also learn how to create components, how to create multiple screens, as well as using native UI components and accessing native APIs. In the third and final module you’ll get started with Ionic. With three practical projects you can build yourself, we’ve made sure that you’ll be learning by doing – which means you’ll not only develop new skills much more quickly, but you’ll have produced something tangible at the end of it! This Learning Path combines some of the best that Packt has to offer in one complete, curated package. It includes content from the following Packt products: .JavaScript Mobile Application Development by Hazem Saleh .Getting Started with React Native by Ethan Holmes and Tom Bray .Ionic Framework By Example by Sani Yusuf Style and approach This Learning Path course provides a simple and easy way to build mobile applications in JavaScript descendent technologies such as jQuery, ReactJS, and Ionic.

Explore the features of Unity 5 for 2D game development by building three amazing game projects About This Book Explore the 2D architecture of Unity 5, and the tools and techniques for developing 2D games Discover how to use Unity’s 2D tools, including Sprites, physics, and maps, to create different genres of games Practical tutorial on the intermediate and advanced development concepts in Unity 5 to create three interesting and fully functional games Who This Book Is For If you've got the basics of 2D development down, push your skills with the projects in this hands-on guide.Diversify your portfolio and learn the skills needed to build a range of awesome 2D game genres. What You Will Learn Explore and understand the vital role of sprites in 2D games Move, animate, and integrate sprites into a 2D platform game Set up User Interfaces (UIs) to keep track of the progress through the games Apply 2D Physics to improve gameplay believability Learn the foundation of Level Design and how to quickly create 2D Maps Discover NPC design, event triggers, and AI programming Create an epic strategy game, challenging all the skills acquired in the book In Detail Flexible, powerful, and full of rich features, Unity 5 is the engine of choice for AAA 2D and 3D game development. With comprehensive support for over 20 different platforms, Unity boasts a host of great new functions for making 2D games. Learn how to leverage these new options into awesome 2D games by building three complete game projects with the Unity game tutorials in this hands-on book. Get started with a quick overview of the principle concepts and techniques needed for making 2D games with Unity, then dive straight in to practical development. Build your own version of Super Mario Brothers as you learn how to animate sprites, work with physics, and construct brilliant UIs in order to create a platformer game. Go on a quest to create a RPG game discovering NPC design, event triggers, and AI programming. Finally, put your skills to the test against a real challenge - designing and constructing a complex strategy game that will draw on and develop all your previously learned skills. Style and approach This is a practical and easy-to-follow guide that starts with the basics and gradually delves into the process of creating 2D games. With step-by-step instructions on how to build three games, followed by a detailed explanation of each example, you will understand the concepts not just in theory, but also by applying the knowledge you gain in practice.

Combine the power of ASP.NET Core with Bootstrap 4 to build elegant, responsive web apps About This Book Updated for Bootstrap 4 and ASP.Net MVC 6, this book shows how to take advantage of the latest new features introduced in both of these industry-leading frameworks Build responsive, mobile-ready apps by combining the power of ASP.NET MVC with Bootstrap Grasp the intricacies of Bootstrap and how to use it with ASP.NET MVC Build your own tools and helpers to assist you in creating ASP.NET MVC Bootstrap sites easily and quickly Master the use of Bootstrap components and plugins with ASP.NET MVC Who This Book Is For If you are an ASP.NET MVC developer and would like to know how to incorporate Bootstrap into your projects, then this book is invaluable to you. Developers with entry-level experience of ASP.NET MVC development and limited experience with Bootstrap will also benefit from this book. What You Will Learn Create a new ASP.NET MVC project that uses Bootstrap for its styling and learn how to include external libraries using the new package managers Learn to use the various Bootstrap CSS and HTML elements, and how to use the new Bootstrap 4 grid layout system Explore the different input groups and implement alerts, progress bars, and badges Explore JavaScript components by illustrating and walking through the process of using JavaScript/jQuery to add interactivity to Twitter Bootstrap components Build your own ASP.NET MVC helpers and tag helpers to reduce the amount of HTML needed to generate Bootstrap elements Convert a Bootstrap HTML template into a usable ASP.NET MVC project Use the jQuery DataTables plugin with Bootstrap and ASP.NET MVC In Detail One of the leading open source frontend frameworks, Bootstrap has undergone a significant change and introduced several features that make designing compelling, next-generation UIs much simpler. Integrating Bootstrap with ASP.NET's powerful components can further enhance its capabilities. This book guides you through the process of creating an ASP.NET MVC website from scratch using Bootstrap. After a primer on the fundamentals of Bootstrap, you will learn your way around and create a new ASP.NET MVC project in Visual Studio. You will move on to learn about the various Bootstrap components as well as techniques to include them in your own projects. The book includes practical examples to show you how to use open-source plugins with Bootstrap and ASP.NET MVC and guides you through building an ASP.NET MVC website using Bootstrap, utilizing layout and user-interface components. At the end of this book, you will find some valuable tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your Bootstrap-integrated and ASP.NET MVC-integrated website. Style and approach This is a compact, step-by-step guide that focuses on combining the power of Bootstrap with ASP.Net MVC to build next-generation web apps. With clear instructions, this book will show how to build a complete ASP.Net MVC-integrated web app from scratch using Bootstrap. It will also cover several tricks for integrating Bootstrap and ASP.Net MVC, and getting the most out of both frameworks.