Professional IronPython

part of using any programming language.
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Part IV: Advanced IronPython Topics: This part of the book goes beyond basic applications 
and moves into areas that are a little more exotic. The chapter on XML may not seem very 
interesting at first, but when you see the ease with which IronPython manipulates XML, 
you’ll really be impressed. The next topic is DLR, which is an exciting technology you can 
use for all kinds of tasks. Chapter 15 shows how to access your IronPython code from static 
languages such as C# and Visual Basic.NET. Chapters 16 and 17 show how to access C# and 
Visual Basic.NET code from IronPython. These three chapters together help you understand 
that IronPython isn’t an isolated language — you really can mix and match it with other lan-
guages as needed. Chapter 18 is possibly one of the most exciting chapters because it shows 
how you can use IronPython to perform application testing. Finally, Chapter 19 describes 
how you can use IronPython with Mono, a .NET Framework alternative that makes it pos-
sible to use your IronPython applications on other platforms.
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Appendices: This book contains two appendices that contain important information. You 
can probably skip them if you want, but the information is really helpful in bridging some 
gaps in IronPython functionality. Appendix A describes the differences between IronPython 
and CPython, both of which implement the Python language. Appendix B provides infor-
mation about using CPython extensions with IronPython. CPython and IronPython don’t 
always work well together, but the information in these appendices can help you overcome 
any potential problems.
What you need to use thIs book
Theoretically, all you need is a computer with Windows installed on it to work with IronPython. 
The computer must have a copy of the .NET Framework 3.5 or older installed on it that you can 
download from 
http://www.microsoft.com/NET/
. Chapter 1 contains complete instructions for 
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