Python Automation: Automate the Boring Stuff
Files, spreadsheets, emails, PDFs and browsers — automated.
Taught by Anisha Rai · Senior Software Engineer
What you'll learn
- Set up Python with a virtual environment and run automation scripts from the terminal
- Find, rename, copy and sort files and folders safely with pathlib and shutil
- Read Excel workbooks and generate formatted reports with formulas using openpyxl
- Extract text from PDFs and merge or split documents with pypdf
- Send emails with attachments from a script without putting passwords in your code
- Automate a browser with Playwright and schedule scripts to run with logging
About this course
If you spend hours renaming files, copying numbers between spreadsheets or sending the same email every week, Python can do that work for you. This beginner-friendly course is for office workers, analysts, students and new programmers who know a little basic Python, such as variables, loops and functions, and want practical scripts that save real time. You will organise folders automatically with pathlib and shutil, read and build Excel reports with openpyxl, extract, merge and split PDFs with pypdf, and send emails with attachments through SMTP. You will then drive a web browser with Playwright to fill forms and take screenshots, and finish by scheduling your scripts with cron or Windows Task Scheduler, adding logging so they run reliably without you. Every lesson ends with a small automation you can adapt to your own job straight away.
Course content
7 lessons- 1Your Automation Toolkit: Python, Scripts and the TerminalSpotting tasks worth automating, setting up Python properly and running your first useful script.Preview
- 2Working with Files and FoldersBuilding paths, finding files, and moving, copying and renaming them safely with pathlib and shutil.
- 3Automating Excel Spreadsheets with openpyxlReading workbooks, writing reports with formulas and formatting, and when to reach for pandas.
- 4Reading, Merging and Splitting PDFsExtracting text, combining and splitting documents with pypdf, and knowing the limits of PDF automation.
- 5Sending Emails AutomaticallySending messages with attachments over SMTP, keeping credentials out of code, and emailing responsibly.
- 6Browser Automation with PlaywrightDriving a real browser to fill forms, click buttons, download files and capture screenshots.
- 7Scheduling Scripts and Making Them ReliableLogging, error handling and running scripts automatically with cron or Windows Task Scheduler.