Meet Daniel Wallace: building your own plugin systems with Python
Greetings Python aficionados, PyBay2019 is two weeks away and our speakers are amazing, make sure to check them out beforehand. Join us and make some new links with others that share our love for Python!
Here is Daniel Wallace, Daniel will be taking us on a journey to learn about the ‘import’ statement. Come with all your burning questions and come to learn about ‘importlib’!
What are you going to be speaking about at PyBay2019, and why are you excited to give this talk?
I will be speaking about using the `importlib` module to build plugin systems with python. Importlib is the exposed implementation of the `import` statement and can be used to build some really cool techniques.
How did you get into programming and Python?
I started programming with Java in high school for one of my electives. I then learned Linux in college, because I really liked the idea of a fast booting lightweight operating system for my netbook. Then I wanted to learn more about a programming language and one of my friends told me I should look at python. I began practicing by applying some of the mathematics I was doing for school in solving problems on projecteuler.net. At some point, I started using python to automate the stuff I was doing repetitively for my job as a Linux Administrator after college and then moved into the automation space, and now I am in Backend Engineering.
What’s one of the features about Python you like the best?
I love how easy it is to rapidly prototype something. I can get something stood up to do a basic task relatively quickly, and then decide if I like it. Then I can go back and make it more performant by pulling code out and replacing it with more efficient code.
What’s your favorite Python library (core or third-party), and why?
Urllib3. I used to use requests a lot, but once I started just using urllib3 directly, I started to learn a lot more about data is passed in web requests, and I like having more control over that functionality.
What’s the coolest or most memorable thing that’s ever happened to you interacting with other Python devs?
I have made so many friends across the world through the python community. I help run the Alamo City Python Users Group. And I am working on getting more involved with the group that plans and runs PyTexas.
What can you be found doing when you’re not writing code?
I like to cook. In the beautiful summers in south Texas, I am usually out by my grill or smoker cooking something. In the frigid winter month of January, I spend a lot more time baking.
What’s the best advice you’ve received as a Python developer?
Someone once told me that I should write my tests first before I write code. And I didn’t understand that at the time, but once I figured out that I could just start writing the tests at the same time as I was writing the code/logic, I finally figured out how to iterate on code without having to start a whole application every time I changed something, and then writing the tests just became part of my normal workflow of developement, and they became less of a hassle.
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