Everybody has seen books with titles like "Learn PHP in 24 Hours" or "Learn Java in 21 Days." Of course, devotees of such books in short order become a danger to themselves and a minor annoyance to those around them. You wouldn't learn to play guitar in that amount of time. It takes practice. Lots of practice. And so it is with programming languages.

However, Plone is a content management system which can benefit from even very small snippets of Python called "expressions." And Python itself may be the simplest of useful programming languages to learn. The Python 101 pre-Plone Conference training emphasizes the parts of the Python programming language you need to be productive with Plone as a themer or integrator. Plus, the training gets you jump-started on your journey to mastering all that is Python.

The Python 101 pre-Plone Conference training is a highly condensed version of the week-long "PyCamp" introductory Python Boot Camp training. It's called a "boot camp" for a reason. Just like military boot camps, Python Boot Camps quickly turn Python civilians into soldiers through non-stop rigorous workouts. The basic unit of exercise in Python 101 is the "Python push-up," along with the "Python sit-up" and the "Python chin curl." By engaging in relentless Python muscle-building, you will become a lean, mean Python machine in the shortest possible time.

On the first day of Python 101, you will cover Python expressions. Python expressions are the basic building blocks used throughout Plone's templating system, as well as in tools to create new Plone content types. By the end of the day, you will be marching in full Python expression dress formation.

On the second day of Python 101, you will cover Python statements in depth. Python statements allow you to write more sophisticated scripts and programs than what you can do with expressions alone, perfect for integrating Plone. By the end of the day, you will gladly volunteer for 20 kilometer hikes while wearing a backpack fully loaded with Python statements.

On both days, you will learn Python from a unique object oriented perspective which leaves no mystery even for the absolute beginner. If you have no previous programming experience, you should not fear signing up for Python 101 duty. You will not need to read books before the training. Python 101 takes care of everything including:

• How to interact with Python
• All about objects
• Python's built-in types
• How to control your Python program
• Functions, modules, packages, and the standard library
  
• Exception handling
• Classes
• Decorators, generators, descriptors, and properties
• Input and output handling

Your drill sergeant for Python 101 is Chris Calloway, the creator and instructor of PyCamp. Chris has coached hundreds of recruits to complete their Python obstacle course in record time. If you have any questions about whether Python 101 is right for you, contact Chris at pycamp@trizpug.org.

Python 101 is one of four exciting training courses offered in conjunction with Plone Conference 2009 including Getting Started with Plone taught by Steve McMahon, Plone 3 Theming Best Practices taught by Joel Burton, and Best Practices for Deploying and Optimizing Plone Sites taught by Nate Aune.

The pre-conference trainings for 2009 have been expanded to four courses to better serve the needs of the Plone community. In the coming days, each of the four experienced instructors will blog more in-depth about their respective courses here on the conference blog. Joel Burton once again serves as our distinguished pre-conference training coordintator.

The four courses and their instructors are:

• Getting Started With Plone taught by Steve McMahon
• Plone 3 Theming: Best Practices taught by Joel Burton
• Best Practices for Deploying and Optimizing Plone Sites taught by Nate Aune
• Python 101 taught by Chris Calloway

Getting Started With Plone is perfect for those new to Plone. Steve takes you from the installation of Plone through the creation of a functional, useful Plone site. Steve is one of Plone's most respected experts and serves on the Plone Foundation Board of Directors in the capacity as secretary.

Plone 3 Theming: Best Practices is taught by the most experienced instructor in the Plone community, Joel Burton. Joel covers the knowledge you need to effectively theme your Plone 3-based Plone site, whether you are new to Plone or an experienced Plone developer or designer looking for the best practices for an excellent Plone theme or theme product.

Best Practices for Deploying and Optimizing Plone Sites is intended for system administrators, integrators, developers, and others who are responsible for deploying Plone 3 sites. In the course, Nate teaches Buildout configuration, backup procedures, caching and load balancing, deployment automation, and load testing. Nate is in his third term on the Plone Foundation Board of Directors.

Python 101 introduces you to the fundamentals of the programming language underpinning Plone. This is the second time this course has been offered in conjunction with Plone Conference and Chris has completely revised the training for 2009. Python 101 is an abbreviated version of the week-long PyCamp courses taught by Chris.

Book your travel plans for Plone Conference to arrive a couple of days early and register now for pre-conference trainings offered Monday October 26 through Tuesday October 27 at the ELTE Congress Centre on the banks of the Danube. Classes are conducted in state of the art facilities with catered snacks and beverages throughout the day.