=================
Python on Windows
=================

.. warning::

   This is alpha documentation. All the examples should be correct, but
   the whole document is in state of flux and may change without notice.
   The source is hosted at http://code.google.com/p/python-on-windows-docs
   where you can also post issues. Checkins and issues are mirrored to the
   mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/python-on-windows-docs
   where you can also discuss the project.

------------
Introduction
------------

Using `Python <http://python.org>`_ under Windows is straightforward and powerful, thanks
to the hard work put in over the years by the core `Python development <http://mail.python.org/python-dev>`_
and `documentation <http://mail.python.org/python-docs>`_ teams and especially to the developers of the 
`pywin32 extensions <https://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32>`_. However, documentation is
one of those things which there's never quite enough of, and the community
answers the same questions again and again on the `Python mailing lists <http://mail.python.org>`_. 
This community-produced documentation set presents a solution-oriented basis 
for helping Python developers to make use of the really quite extensive 
capabilities available to them under Windows.

Aside from the bookends of introductions and acknowledgements, the document falls into
two broad areas. :ref:`programming-areas` presents solution-oriented examples using 
principally the core Windows API with as few external modules as possible. :ref:`third-party-modules`
has information and tips on using third-party modules and applications in a Windows environment.

-----------------
Where do I begin?
-----------------

You can either look at the :ref:`contents`, or just plunge straight in
with :ref:`getting-started`. This documentation is built using
Sphinx, the toolchain which is used for Python's own documentation. Among other things,
it generates a coherent navigation structure, a searchable index, and uses ReStructuredText
sources which can be viewed on any page, so any changes you want to suggest are easy to
format.