How do I get an overview and a methodology for programming in Python

I've started to learn Python and programming from scratch. I have not programmed before so it's a new experience. I do seem to grasp most of the concepts, from variables to definitions and modules. I still need to learn a lot more about what the different libraries and modules do and also I lack knowledge on OOP and classes in Python.

I see people who just program in Python like that's all they have ever done and I am still just coming to grips with it.

Is there a way, some tools, a logical methodology that would give me an overview or a good hold of how to handle programming problems ?

For instance, I'm trying to create a parser which we need at the office . I also need to create a spider that would collect links from various websites.

Is there a formidable way of studying the various mo开发者_如何学编程dules to see what is needed ? Or is it just nose to the grind stone and understand what the documentation says ?

Sorry for the lengthy question..

The MIT Intro to Computer Science course on the MIT OpenCourseWare website was taught using Python. There are 24 lectures available as videos that you can watch for free.

It's kind of academic to be sure, but it would give you a very solid foundation to start from.

Start working your way through the Essential Python Reading List, which has articles on how to code in Python and how to do it well.

If you like a more academical approach try Learning Python from Mark Lutz.
For the use of standard libraries, the official docs are very good. More hands on descriptions can also be found in PYMOTW from Doug Hellmann

It might be useful to get some information on Object Oriented programming (just what is the whole class thing about, and how do you tell if your classes are good/poor/indifferent). Mark Lutz' book Learning Python has an entire Part (several chapters) on OO. If this stuff is new to you, it might be helpful to take a look. Two other books I have found quite useful: The Python Cookbook (Alex Martelli, a prolific contributor here), and the Python Essential Reference (David Beazley).

Just do your project, learning what you need to along the way. By the time you do that a couple times, you'll "get" it. And you'll only improve from there.

You can also read other peoples' code: download X that looks interesting and read through the code to understand how it works.

Those two tips will help you learn any language. Aside from that, Dive Into Python is a great resource for learning a lot about Python.