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Practical Enterprise Software Development Techniques: Tools And Techniques For Large Scale Solutions
by Edward CrookshanksThis expanded and updated edition of 'Practical Enterprise Software Development Techniques' includes a new chapter which explains what makes enterprise scale software development different from other development endeavors. Chapter 4 has been expanded with additional coverage of code review, bug tracker systems and agile software applications. The chapter order has been changed in response to feedback from readers and instructors who have taught classes using the previous version (which was also published by Apress). This book provides an overview of tools and techniques used in enterprise software development, many of which are not taught in academic programs or learned on the job. This is an ideal resource containing lots of practical information and code examples that you need to master as a member of an enterprise development team. This book aggregates many of these 'on the job' tools and techniques into a concise format and presents them as both discussion topics and with code examples. The reader will not only get an overview of these tools and techniques, but also several discussions concerning operational aspects of enterprise software development and how it differs from smaller development efforts. For example, in the chapter on Design Patterns and Architecture, the author describes the basics of design patterns but only highlights those that are more important in enterprise applications due to separation of duties, enterprise security, etc. The architecture discussion revolves has a similar emphasis - different teams may manage different aspects of the application's components with little or no access to the developer. This aspect of restricted access is also mentioned in the section on logging. Theory of logging and discussions of what to log are briefly mentioned, the configuration of the logging tools is demonstrated along with a discussion of why it's very important in an enterprise environment.
Practical Entity Framework Core 6: Database Access for Enterprise Applications
by Brian L. GormanTake a developer journey that paves the way to enterprise-level database access from .NET and C# using the object-relational mapper (ORM) of choice. This second edition is revised to cover Entity Framework Core 5 and 6 (EF) and includes new content on table-per-type mapping, LINQ improvements (filtered includes), many-to-many navigation changes, split queries, simple logging using the DBCommandInterceptor, and other improvements available in EF Core 6. Real-world examples and considerations are presented in this book to help you create robust and efficient database solutions. Throughout the text, actual problems, questions, and common pitfalls are provided to help you recognize optimal solutions for maximum success in the different application scenarios you might encounter. Practical Entity Framework Core 6 focuses on the code first approach to developing a database. Taking the code first approach allows the entire database to be built and maintained in code using EF Core 6 so there is never a situation in which you cannot restore the database schema. Additionally, the code first approach creates an entirely transparent record of changes to the database that is easily tracked in source control systems such as GitHub. Emphasis throughout the book is on leaving you well positioned to architect and lead data development efforts for your organization.What You Will LearnBuild robust and maintainable databases using a code first approachCreate and execute stored procedures, triggers, and functionsAnalyze and optimize performance of database queriesEnsure data integrity through keys, constraints, and relationshipsEncrypt your database columns at rest with TDE and Always-On Encryption Leverage the FluentAPI and attributes for entity configurationWho This Book Is For.NET developers who work with enterprise-level applications and need to interact with data structures and data within the back end data store, developers who want to take a code first approach to building database applications to prevent conflicts and optimize efficiency, and those who are moving into full-stack roles, or into senior and architectural roles, and will be responsible for database design and implementation
Practical Entity Framework: Database Access for Enterprise Applications
by Brian L. GormanDetermine your object relational mapper (ORM) of choice for enterprise applications using .NET Framework, and especially .NET Framework Core 3.1 and higher. Real-world examples and considerations are presented in this book to help you create robust and efficient database solutions. Throughout the text, actual problems, questions, and common pitfalls are provided to help you recognize optimal solutions for maximum success in the different application scenarios you might encounter. Practical Entity Framework begins with a simple overview of the two most common approaches to working with databases—database first and code first—and then focuses on working in a code first manner. Taking the code first approach allows the entire database to be built and maintained in code so there is never a situation in which you cannot restore the database schema. Additionally, the code first approach creates an entirely transparent record of changes to the database that is easily tracked in source control. Emphasis throughout the book is on leaving you well positioned to architect and lead data development efforts for your organization.What You Will LearnBuild robust and maintainable databases using a code first approachCreate and execute stored procedures, triggers, and functionsAnalyze and optimize performance of database queriesEnsure data integrity through keys, constraints, and relationshipsWho This Book Is For.NET developers who work with enterprise-level applications and need to interact with data structures and data within the back end data store, developers who want to take a code first approach to building database applications to prevent conflicts and optimize efficiency, and those who are moving into full-stack roles, or into senior and architectural roles, and will be responsible for database design and implementation
Practical Event-Driven Microservices Architecture: Building Sustainable and Highly Scalable Event-Driven Microservices
by Hugo Filipe Oliveira RochaIn the simplest terms, event-driven architectures are like onions; they are manageable as a single layer (like a monolith) but when you get into them, they begin to cascade apart and you quickly realize that there are many complex layers (distributed microservices architecture). And that’s when the tears begin.This prescriptive guide takes you through the steps of moving a platform with millions of users from a monolith to a microservices event-driven architecture. You will learn about the challenges and complexities that arise in high-throughput environments that often contain upwards of hundreds of microservices. This book is designed to be your single best resource for learning how to apply event-driven architectures in real-world scenarios and offers hundreds of patterns to overcome the common and not so common challenges.While event-driven architectures have been the standard for decoupled, pluggable, evolutionary architectures for years, they have only recently been adopted by enterprises for the purpose of distributed microservices and there is little information about adopting them. Using them at scale can save valuable resources, but requires different considerations, including the added complexity of supporting several moving parts and getting the event schema right from the start in order to avoid large restructuring later on.Author Hugo Rocha understands that these kinds of challenges, as well as many others, need to be considered from the beginning, and helps teach you the mindset needed to create a deliberate strategy upfront. This book offers learning approaches and patterns to get you up to speed in order to sustainably build and manage event-driven architectures.What You Will LearnUnderstand the real-world challenges of event-driven architectures and the patterns to deal with those challenges and the trade-offs of each solutionLeverage the advantages of event-driven architectures to build scalable solutions and address legacy applicationsPlan successful future implementations to avoid common pitfalls and apply proven patterns to deal with challenges in a real-world platform with millions of usersDecide whether event-driven solutions are the right choice for the requirements at handDiscuss and understand advanced concepts about event-driven architectures Who Is This Book ForSoftware engineers and software architects. Anyone currently working with microservice architectures, primarily event-driven microservices, will greatly benefit from this book. Readers working with monoliths will benefit, as the book explores migration from a monolithic application to an event-driven microservice architecture.
Practical Explainable AI Using Python: Artificial Intelligence Model Explanations Using Python-based Libraries, Extensions, and Frameworks
by Pradeepta MishraLearn the ins and outs of decisions, biases, and reliability of AI algorithms and how to make sense of these predictions. This book explores the so-called black-box models to boost the adaptability, interpretability, and explainability of the decisions made by AI algorithms using frameworks such as Python XAI libraries, TensorFlow 2.0+, Keras, and custom frameworks using Python wrappers.You'll begin with an introduction to model explainability and interpretability basics, ethical consideration, and biases in predictions generated by AI models. Next, you'll look at methods and systems to interpret linear, non-linear, and time-series models used in AI. The book will also cover topics ranging from interpreting to understanding how an AI algorithm makes a decisionFurther, you will learn the most complex ensemble models, explainability, and interpretability using frameworks such as Lime, SHAP, Skater, ELI5, etc. Moving forward, you will be introduced to model explainability for unstructured data, classification problems, and natural language processing–related tasks. Additionally, the book looks at counterfactual explanations for AI models. Practical Explainable AI Using Python shines the light on deep learning models, rule-based expert systems, and computer vision tasks using various XAI frameworks.What You'll LearnReview the different ways of making an AI model interpretable and explainableExamine the biasness and good ethical practices of AI modelsQuantify, visualize, and estimate reliability of AI modelsDesign frameworks to unbox the black-box modelsAssess the fairness of AI modelsUnderstand the building blocks of trust in AI modelsIncrease the level of AI adoptionWho This Book Is ForAI engineers, data scientists, and software developers involved in driving AI projects/ AI products.
Practical Ext JS 4
by Prabhu SunderaramanPractical Ext JS 4 will get you up and running, using Ext JS 4. 2 for your projects, as quickly as possible. After a quick refresher on some JavaScript basics, you will get to grips with Ext JS 4's OO concepts (such as mixins) and familiarize yourself with its UI components and layout. You'll learn all the core features of the Ext JS framework, such as its MVC architecture, theming and styling your applications, and displaying data through components such as grids, trees, and charts. You'll use the Ext JS components and create an entire application from scratch by following the many practical examples. Finally, you'll learn about unit testing and packaging to build and deploy better applications. Provides you with a solid knowledge of the building blocks of Ext JS 4 Takes you through developing applications using the MVC architecture Demonstrates extending the UI with custom components and plugins Shows you how to unit test Ext JS 4 applications with Jasmine and deploy them with Sencha Cmd Completely up-to-date for the latest Ext JS 4. 2 What you'll learn Understand the design of the Ext JS API Use the UI components effectively Understand the data handling capabilities of Ext JS 4 Create custom UI components Develop applications using MVC architecture Unit test Ext JS 4 applications Who this book is for Practical Ext JS 4 is for web developers who want to jumpstart building Ext JS 4 applications. It's also intended for programmers who wish to get started with serious JavaScript coding using Ext JS 4. You should have a working knowledge of web technologies and JavaScript to get the most from this book. Table of Contents Core JavaScript and JavaScript Frameworks Overview of Ext JS 4 Understanding the Ext JS 4 API Controls and Layout Working with Data Data Controls Drag and Drop Theming and Styling MVC with Ext JS 4 Extending, Unit Testing, and Packaging
Practical Fairness: Achieving Fair And Secure Data Models
by Aileen NielsenFairness is an increasingly important topic as machine learning and AI more generally take over the world. While this is an active area of research, many realistic best practices are emerging at all steps along the data pipeline, from data selection and preprocessing to blackbox model audits. This book will guide you through the technical, legal, and ethical aspects of making your code fair and secure while highlighting cutting edge academic research and ongoing legal developments related to fairness and algorithms.There is mounting evidence that the widespread deployment of machine learning and artificial intelligence in business and government is reproducing the same biases we are trying to fight in the real world. For this reason, fairness is an increasingly important consideration for the data scientist. Yet discussions of what fairness means in terms of actual code are few and far between. This code will show you how to code fairly as well as cover basic concerns related to data security and privacy from a fairness perspective.
Practical Finite Element Simulations with SOLIDWORKS 2022: An illustrated guide to performing static analysis with SOLIDWORKS Simulation
by Khameel B. MustaphaHarness the power of SOLIDWORKS Simulation for design, assembly, and performance analysis of componentsKey FeaturesUnderstand the finite element simulation concepts with the help of case studies and detailed explanationsDiscover the features of various SOLIDWORKS element typesPerform structural analysis with isotropic and composite material properties under a variety of loading conditionsBook DescriptionSOLIDWORKS is a dominant computer-aided design (CAD) software for the 3D modeling, designing, and analysis of components. This book helps you get to grips with SOLIDWORKS Simulation, which is a remarkable and integral part of SOLIDWORKS predominantly deployed for advanced product performance assessment and virtual prototyping.With this book, you'll take a hands-on approach to learning SOLIDWORKS Simulation with the help of step-by-step guidelines on various aspects of the simulation workflow. You'll begin by learning about the requirements for effective simulation of parts and components, along with the idealization of physical components and their representation with finite element models. As you progress through the book, you'll find exercises at the end of each chapter, and you'll be able to download the geometry models used in all the chapters from GitHub. Finally, you'll discover how to set up finite element simulations for the static analysis of components under various types of loads, and with different types of materials, from simple isotropic to composite, and different boundary conditions.By the end of this SOLIDWORKS 2022 book, you'll be able to conduct basic and advanced static analyses with SOLIDWORKS Simulation and have practical knowledge of how to best use the family of elements in the SOLIDWORKS Simulation library.What you will learnRun static simulations with truss, beam, shell, and solid element typesDemonstrate static simulations with mixed elementsAnalyze components with point loads, torsional loads, transverse distributed loads, surface pressure loads, and centrifugal speedExplore the analysis of components with isotropic and composite materialsAnalyze members under thermo-mechanical and cyclic loadsDiscover how to minimize simulation errors and perform convergence analysisAcquire practical knowledge of plane elements to reduce computational overheadWho this book is forThis book is for engineers and analysts working in the field of aerospace, mechanical, civil, and mechatronics engineering who are looking to explore the simulation capabilities of SOLIDWORKS. Basic knowledge of modeling in SOLIDWORKS or any CAD software is assumed.
Practical Flutter: Improve your Mobile Development with Google’s Latest Open-Source SDK
by Frank ZammettiExplore what Flutter has to offer, where it came from, and where it’s going. Mobile development is progressing at a fast rate and with Flutter – an open-source mobile application development SDK created by Google – you can develop applications for Android and iOS, as well as Google Fuchsia.Learn to create three apps (a personal information manager, a chat system, and a game project) that you can install on your mobile devices and use for real. You will begin by getting a solid foundation of Flutter knowledge, and building on it immediately by constructing two more traditional productivity apps.. You will also learn to create a game, enabling you to see a whole other perspective on what Flutter can do. In addition to building these apps, you'll have the benefit of reviewing real-world issues you might encounter, along with ways to deal with them through tips and tricks, all designed to make your Flutter experience that much more productive and, frankly, fun!Practical Flutter will leave you with a solid grasp of how to build apps with Flutter, and springboard into creating more advanced apps on your own. By the time your journey through this material concludes, another larger one will begin as you springboard, well-prepared, into the larger world of Flutter development, tackling any project that comes your way with aplomb. Practical Flutter is a learning adventure you won't want to miss.What You'll LearnGet a Flutter project started and logically structure itUse the interface elements Flutter provides, such as widgets, controls, and extensionsBuild layouts using interface elementsUse available tooling, specifically Android StudioLeverage server-side development and connect a Flutter app to a server back-end. Who This Book Is ForMobile developers who are looking to build for multiple mobile platforms and trying to do so with a codebase that is largely the same across all. Basic knowledge of iOS and Android generally, and some general programming experience is expected.
Practical Forensic Analysis of Artifacts on iOS and Android Devices: Investigating Complex Mobile Devices
by Mohammed MorebLeverage foundational concepts and practical skills in mobile device forensics to perform forensically sound criminal investigations involving the most complex mobile devices currently available on the market. Using modern tools and techniques, this book shows you how to conduct a structured investigation process to determine the nature of the crime and to produce results that are useful in criminal proceedings. You’ll walkthrough the various phases of the mobile forensics process for both Android and iOS-based devices, including forensically extracting, collecting, and analyzing data and producing and disseminating reports. Practical cases and labs involving specialized hardware and software illustrate practical application and performance of data acquisition (including deleted data) and the analysis of extracted information. You'll also gain an advanced understanding of computer forensics, focusing on mobile devices and other devices not classifiable as laptops, desktops, or servers. This book is your pathway to developing the critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and technical writing skills necessary to effectively work in a junior-level digital forensic or cybersecurity analyst role. What You'll LearnAcquire and investigate data from mobile devices using forensically sound, industry-standard toolsUnderstand the relationship between mobile and desktop devices in criminal and corporate investigationsAnalyze backup files and artifacts for forensic evidenceWho This Book Is ForForensic examiners with little or basic experience in mobile forensics or open source solutions for mobile forensics. The book will also be useful to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of mobile internals.
Practical Forensic Imaging: Securing Digital Evidence with Linux Tools
by Bruce NikkelForensic image acquisition is an important part of postmortem incident response and evidence collection. Digital forensic investigators acquire, preserve, and manage digital evidence to support civil and criminal cases; examine organizational policy violations; resolve disputes; and analyze cyber attacks.Practical Forensic Imaging takes a detailed look at how to secure and manage digital evidence using Linux-based command line tools. This essential guide walks you through the entire forensic acquisition process and covers a wide range of practical scenarios and situations related to the imaging of storage media.You’ll learn how to:–Perform forensic imaging of magnetic hard disks, SSDs and flash drives, optical discs, magnetic tapes, and legacy technologies–Protect attached evidence media from accidental modification–Manage large forensic image files, storage capacity, image format conversion, compression, splitting, duplication, secure transfer and storage, and secure disposal–Preserve and verify evidence integrity with cryptographic and piecewise hashing, public key signatures, and RFC-3161 timestamping–Work with newer drive and interface technologies like NVME, SATA Express, 4K-native sector drives, SSHDs, SAS, UASP/USB3x, and Thunderbolt–Manage drive security such as ATA passwords; encrypted thumb drives; Opal self-encrypting drives; OS-encrypted drives using BitLocker, FileVault, and TrueCrypt; and others–Acquire usable images from more complex or challenging situations such as RAID systems, virtual machine images, and damaged mediaWith its unique focus on digital forensic acquisition and evidence preservation, Practical Forensic Imaging is a valuable resource for experienced digital forensic investigators wanting to advance their Linux skills and experienced Linux administrators wanting to learn digital forensics. This is a must-have reference for every digital forensics lab.
Practical Foundations for Programming Languages
by Robert HarperTypes are the central organizing principle of the theory of programming languages. In this innovative book, Professor Robert Harper offers a fresh perspective on the fundamentals of these languages through the use of type theory. Whereas most textbooks on the subject emphasize taxonomy, Harper instead emphasizes genetics, examining the building blocks from which all programming languages are constructed. Language features are manifestations of type structure. The syntax of a language is governed by the constructs that define its types, and its semantics is determined by the interactions among those constructs. The soundness of a language design - the absence of ill-defined programs - follows naturally. Professor Harper's presentation is simultaneously rigorous and intuitive, relying on only elementary mathematics. The framework he outlines scales easily to a rich variety of language concepts and is directly applicable to their implementation. The result is a lucid introduction to programming theory that is both accessible and practical.
Practical Fraud Prevention: Fraud and AML Analytics for Fintech and eCommerce, Using SQL and Python
by Gilit Saporta Shoshana MaraneyOver the past two decades, the booming ecommerce and fintech industries have become a breeding ground for fraud. Organizations that conduct business online are constantly engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with these invaders. In this practical book, Gilit Saporta and Shoshana Maraney draw on their fraud-fighting experience to provide best practices, methodologies, and tools to help you detect and prevent fraud and other malicious activities.Data scientists, data analysts, and fraud analysts will learn how to identify and quickly respond to attacks. You'll get a comprehensive view of typical incursions as well as recommended detection methods. Online fraud is constantly evolving. This book helps experienced researchers safely guide and protect their organizations in this ever-changing fraud landscape.With this book, you will:Examine current fraud attacks and learn how to mitigate themFind the right balance between preventing fraud and providing a smooth customer experienceShare insights across multiple business areas, including ecommerce, banking, cryptocurrency, anti-money laundering, and ad techEvaluate potential risks for a new vertical, market, or productTrain and mentor teams by boosting collaboration and kickstarting brainstorming sessionsGet a framework of fraud methods, fraud-fighting analytics, and data science methodologies
Practical Free Alternatives to Commercial Software
by Steve Oualline Grace OuallineGet all the things done you're used to doing with pricey software at a fraction of the cost. There are hundreds of free programs out there that work just as well as the commercial programs people pay hundreds of dollars for. This book tells you how to find and use the most popular and useful of these.The Open Source movement is a system where programmers can share code and collectively improve programs. As a result they can produce programs that are just as good, if not better than their commercial alternatives. For example, LibreOffice comes with a database, Microsoft Office does not. This book shows you where to get and how to use the best Open Source programs giving you not only access to high quality software, but saving you money as well. Add Practical Free Alternatives to Commercial Software to your library today.What You'll Learn Use the free spreadsheet program Libreoffice-calc to balance your checkbook, do an expense account, and other tasks Perform presentations with Libreoffice-impress instead of Powerpoint Photo edit with The Gimp, a high powered image editor Edit videos with Openshot Create video DVDs with DVDStyler Who This Book Is For Home or small business PC users who want to save money on software
Practical Front-End Testing: Strategies and Best Practices for Developers
by Hsin-Hao TangIn the fast-paced and ever-evolving field of front-end development, one of the biggest challenges is maintaining high-quality code while producing work rapidly. This is why testing has become crucial. Deciding on the right testing approach and how to write and execute tests is a key issue every developer must consider. Code without tests is difficult to guarantee in terms of quality, and the solution lies in developing a solid testing strategy. This book provides practical guidance in front-end testing that will help you master a variety of techniques and understand how to apply them in real-world applications. This book dives deep into the types and implementation of front-end testing to teach you best practices for building flexible, maintainable test code. By guiding you through various strategies, the book will help you produce test code efficiently. Its pragmatic approach promises to be useful if you encounter challenges when writing tests and are searching for solutions. The book provides detailed explanations supported by visuals and code examples, helping you learn, practice, and apply various front-end tests. It presents clear principles and approaches to guide you in evaluating testing strategies and costs, so you can make the best choices. Additionally, the book contains thorough explanations of various challenges through easy-to-understand examples, enabling you to tackle testing obstacles with ease. It begins with the fundamentals of testing, discussing basics like types of tests and naming conventions. The subsequent chapters cover how to write and use unit testing, integration testing, end-to-end testing, and visual testing. Additionally, the book includes a chapter on how to perform these tests. The final chapters focus on frequently asked questions about front-end testing, serving as a quick reference for developers. The book concludes with material on how to use AI in testing to boost productivity. You Will Learn: How to write and employ a wide variety of tests, including unit testing, integration testing, end-to-end testing, and visual testing Effectively using AI tools to generate test code and enhance productivity Make informed decisions in testing, based on both cost and effectiveness Who Is This Book For: Front-end developers, full-stack developers, software testers, and QA automation developers.
Practical GIS
by Gabor FarkasLearn the basics of Geographic Information Systems by solving real-world problems with powerful open source tools About This Book • This easy-to-follow guide allows you to manage and analyze geographic data with ease using open source tools • Publish your geographical data online • Learn the basics of geoinformatics in a practical way by solving problems Who This Book Is For The book is for IT professionals who have little or no knowledge of GIS. It's also useful for those who are new to the GIS field who don't want to spend a lot of money buying licenses of commercial tools and training. What You Will Learn • Collect GIS data for your needs • Store the data in a PostGIS database • Exploit the data using the power of the GIS queries • Analyze the data with basic and more advanced GIS tools • Publish your data and share it with others • Build a web map with your published data In Detail The most commonly used GIS tools automate tasks that were historically done manually—compiling new maps by overlaying one on top of the other or physically cutting maps into pieces representing specific study areas, changing their projection, and getting meaningful results from the various layers by applying mathematical functions and operations. This book is an easy-to-follow guide to use the most matured open source GIS tools for these tasks. We'll start by setting up the environment for the tools we use in the book. Then you will learn how to work with QGIS in order to generate useful spatial data. You will get to know the basics of queries, data management, and geoprocessing. After that, you will start to practice your knowledge on real-world examples. We will solve various types of geospatial analyses with various methods. We will start with basic GIS problems by imitating the work of an enthusiastic real estate agent, and continue with more advanced, but typical tasks by solving a decision problem. Finally, you will find out how to publish your data (and results) on the web. We will publish our data with QGIS Server and GeoServer, and create a basic web map with the API of the lightweight Leaflet web mapping library. Style and approach The book guides you step by step through each of the core concepts of the GIS toolkit, building an overall picture of its capabilities. This guide approaches the topic systematically, allowing you to build upon what you learned in previous chapters. By the end of this book, you'll have an understanding of the aspects of building a GIS system and will be able to take that knowledge with you to whatever project calls for it.
Practical Game AI Programming
by Micael DagracaJump into the world of Game AI development About This Book • Move beyond using libraries to create smart game AI, and create your own AI projects from scratch • Implement the latest algorithms for AI development and in-game interaction • Customize your existing game AI and make it better and more efficient to improve your overall game performance Who This Book Is For This book is for game developers with a basic knowledge of game development techniques and some basic programming techniques in C# or C++. What You Will Learn • Get to know the basics of how to create different AI for different type of games • Know what to do when something interferes with the AI choices and how the AI should behave if that happens • Plan the interaction between the AI character and the environment using Smart Zones or Triggering Events • Use animations correctly, blending one animation into another and rather than stopping one animation and starting another • Calculate the best options for the AI to move using Pruning Strategies, Wall Distances, Map Preprocess Implementation, and Forced Neighbours • Create Theta algorithms to the AI to find short and realistic looking paths • Add many characters into the same scene and make them behave like a realistic crowd In Detail The book starts with the basics examples of AI for different game genres and directly jumps into defining the probabilities and possibilities of the AI character to determine character movement. Next, you'll learn how AI characters should behave within the environment created. Moving on, you'll explore how to work with animations. You'll also plan and create pruning strategies, and create Theta algorithms to find short and realistic looking game paths. Next, you'll learn how the AI should behave when there is a lot of characters in the same scene. You'll explore which methods and algorithms, such as possibility maps, Forward Chaining Plan, Rete Algorithm, Pruning Strategies, Wall Distances, and Map Preprocess Implementation should be used on different occasions. You'll discover how to overcome some limitations, and how to deliver a better experience to the player. By the end of the book, you think differently about AI. Style and approach The book has a step-by-step tutorial style approach. The algorithms are explained by implementing them in #.
Practical Game Design with Unity and Playmaker
by Sergey MohovA practical guide packed with examples that helps you to build a full-fledged game with the help of Unity and Playmaker. A few exercises and useful external resources are also provided to improve both the game and your skills.This book is for animation artists and 3D artists, designers, and engineers who want to create interactive content with little or no programming. This book is also for game programmers who want to create a game from scratch in Unity and Playmaker. You are expected to have basic knowledge of game programming and Unity 3D.
Practical Game Design: Learn the art of game design through applicable skills and cutting-edge insights
by Ennio De Nucci Adam KramarzewskiDesign accessible and creative games across genres, platforms, and development realitiesKey FeaturesImplement the skills and techniques required to work in a professional studioAce the core principles and processes of level design, world building, and storytellingDesign interactive characters that animate the gaming worldBook DescriptionIf you are looking for an up-to-date and highly applicable guide to game design, then you have come to the right place! Immerse yourself in the fundamentals of game design with this book, written by two highly experienced industry professionals to share their profound insights as well as give valuable advice on creating games across genres and development platforms.Practical Game Design covers the basics of game design one piece at a time. Starting with learning how to conceptualize a game idea and present it to the development team, you will gradually move on to devising a design plan for the whole project and adapting solutions from other games. You will also discover how to produce original game mechanics without relying on existing reference material, and test and eliminate anticipated design risks. You will then design elements that compose the playtime of a game, followed by making game mechanics, content, and interface accessible to all players. You will also find out how to simultaneously ensure that the gameplay mechanics and content are working as intended.As the book reaches its final chapters, you will learn to wrap up a game ahead of its release date, work through the different challenges of designing free-to-play games, and understand how to significantly improve their quality through iteration, polishing and playtesting.What you will learnDefine the scope and structure of a game projectConceptualize a game idea and present it to othersDesign gameplay systems and communicate them clearly and thoroughlyBuild and validate engaging game mechanicsDesign successful business models and prepare your games for live operationsMaster the principles behind level design, worldbuilding and storytellingImprove the quality of a game by playtesting and polishing itWho this book is forWhether you are a student eager to design a game or a junior game designer looking for your first role as a professional, this book will help you with the fundamentals of game design. By focusing on best practices and a pragmatic approach, Practical Game Design provides insights into the arts and crafts from two senior game designers that will interest more seasoned professionals in the game industry.
Practical GameMaker Projects: Build Games with GameMaker Studio 2
by Ben TyersMake ten simple, casual games, and learn a ton of GML coding along the way. Each of these games is the kind you can play when you have a minute or two free, and are great for playing on your PC, or exported to HTML5 or Android.Each game in Practical GameMaker Projects has its own chapter that explains the process of making each game, along with sketches, screenshots, coding, explanations, and tips. For each game there is a YYZ project file of the completed game that is ready to load and play. Also, all resources are available so you can make the game as you follow along in the book.Each chapter has an introduction that explains what the aim of the game is, followed by a design and coding section which will cover the coding of the game. You’re free to re-use code in your own projects, both free and paid. At the end of each chapter there is a things-to-try page that gives you five things to add to the game to improve its playability or appearance – pushing you a little to improve your planning and GML skills. What You'll LearnBuild ten game applications using GameMaker Studio 2Use the GameMaker Markup Language along the wayMaster the concepts behind each of the ten game apps Design and code for each of the ten game examplesTry some add-ons for each of the ten gamesWho This Book Is ForGame developers with at least some prior game development experience. GameMaker Studio experience recommended, but not required.
Practical GameMaker: Studio
by Ben TyersGain the skills required to create fun and compelling games using GameMaker: Studio, and its GML programming language. In this full-color book you'll learn 24 practical programming elements that are important when creating any game. Each section includes an introduction to a new programming element, some examples, a worksheet, and mini projects to allow you to test your new knowledge. After completing all elements, you will put into action what you have learned in a classic arcade style game. In Practical GameMaker: Studio, you will create a fully featured game, with guidance and in color. After each section you'll see how you'll apply what you've learned to the final game, and discover additional projects to try. These mini projects include a separate scoring guide, and a working example for each, which is useful if you're using this book in an educational environment. Similarly, the book also contains a number of assignments, which you may include as part of any associated coursework in your classes. What You Will Learn Use GameMaker: Studio and GameMaker Language (GML) to create games Work with GML variables, conditionals, drawing, keyport I/O, objects, and events Create GML sprites, health/lives, alarms, collisions, and rooms Improve your game with GML backgrounds, sound and music, splash screens and menus, and effects Include GML random and AI movements in your game Use GML loops, arrays, ds_lists, paths, and scripts Who This Book Is For Experienced game developers new to GameMaker or for those with at least some prior exposure or experience with GameMaker: Studio but who are new to GML.
Practical Git: Confident Git Through Practice
by Johan AbildskovPractice your Git skills using exercises in your own environment. This book introduces concepts in an abstract visual way, and then enforces this learning through exercises - the Git katas. You will start with basic interactions such as commits and branches, and move on to both internals and collaborative workflows. Best practices are introduced and rehearsed throughout with hands-on exercises. Each topic is supplemented with interactive Git exercises that can be solved using any Git client – either the ubiquituous CLI or one of the many graphical clients so you'll learn in the environment you work in. The importance of Git is hard to overstate – it is used by 90% of software engineers worldwide and is the de facto standard for version control. Honing your Git skills is guaranteed to make you a better and more efficient developer. Building software can be stressful, but it doesn’t need to be. Practical Git will give you the Git skills you need, and help keep your Git skills sharp. Add it to your library today. What You'll LearnUse Git through scripted exercises and the Git katas Understand Git’s graph modelTroubleshoot common and rare scenarios you may faceSelect and apply the right Git tool for the taskMaintain and collaborate on Git repositoriesTweak Git to gain the most from this powerful tool Who This Book Is For Anyone who is currently using Git in a copy-paste fashion. It will take you from using Git to knowing Git.
Practical GitLab Services: A Complete DevOps Guide for Developers and Administrators
by Jeffrey PainterLearn all about GitLab administration, the open-source DevOps platform helping millions develop and deploy safe and secure software. This book is designed to be your one-stop shop to get up and running with complete ease. Start with the basics like setting up a GitLab account and exploring user options before moving on to GitLab’s primary function as a source code management tool. From there, you’ll learn about one of the most unique features of GitLab: CI/CD configuration files. The next step on the journey is a discussion of how to organize code into projects and groups, along with defining access permissions using roles. You’ll also examine the various planning tools provided by GitLab. With the basic features out of the way, you’ll delve into more specialized services such as the built-in Docker image repository, the package registry, web page creation, and binary file storage. The book concludes with more advanced administrative topics such as working with GitLab’s REST and GraphQL APIs, setting up a proof-of-concept GitLab service using Amazon Web Services (AWS), and spinning up a production service that takes high availability and disaster recovery into account. With an abundance of information available for deploying secure software, selecting the right documentation can often be daunting. From planning to monitoring, Practical GitLab Services eliminates the unknown in your DevOps lifecycle. What You Will Learn Use GitLab to manage source code files, track and plan issues, run builds and tests, and deploy software See how administrators can support developers using GitLab Set up your own standalone installation using AWS Who This Book Is For Software developers, potential GitLab administrators, supporting team members such as testers and project managers.
Practical GitOps: Infrastructure Management Using Terraform, AWS, and GitHub Actions
by Rohit SalechaInfrastructure as Code (IaC) is gaining popularity and developers today are deploying their application environments through IaC tools to the cloud. However, it can become extremely difficult and time-consuming to manage the state of the infrastructure that has been deployed. This book will provide a complete walkthrough of deploying a SpringBoot application on AWS with multiple environments like production, staging and development. Everything is orchestrated through GitHub Actions and executed through Terraform Cloud to monitor changes in your infrastructure and manage its state. You'll start by reviewing how your infrastructure can be stored in code by spinning up an EC2 server first through the console, then AWS CLI and then using Terraform. You'll then be presented with a practical scenario of setting up a simple EC2 server in a multi-environment (production, staging and development) using GitHub Actions and Terraform Cloud. In the advanced section that follows, this simple EC2 server is expanded into an application that is deployed on an AWS EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) using AWS RDS (Relational Database Service) exposed through an AWS ALB (Application Load Balancer) protected using AWS ACM (AWS Certificate Manager), and accessible by setting the AWS Route53. The book then builds up on this infrastructure and demonstrates how it can be deployed in a multi-environment scenario by implementing accounts through AWS organizations. You'll see how to put in restrictions through Service Control Policies, how to protect secrets using AWS Secrets Manager, and how to work with least privileges using IRSA (IAM Roles for Service Accounts). Finally, you'll make the infrastructure more observable using Graphana, Prometheus, and AWS OpenSearch, run security tools, host Route53 zones dynamically based on environments, and implement CloudWatch Alarms for various use cases.
Practical Glimpse: Learn to Edit and Create Digital Photos and Art with This Powerful Open Source Image Editor
by Phillip WhittLearn how to edit images and create compelling digital art with Glimpse, the newest open source alternative to Adobe Photoshop and GIMP. This book explores Glimpse's broad selection of tools and features that can create beautiful (raster) digital art; painting, drawings, and art created from photos by applying one of the many filters to create artistic effects. You will quickly become acquainted with this powerful program and understand how to use workspace tools and layers. You will learn step-by-step how to correct exposure, digitally retouch and repair damaged photos, and handle just about any photo editing task—even colorizing grayscale images. Practice files are provided with step-by-step instructions to jump into photo editing and art creation. Glimpse is a powerful program that is a viable alternative to Adobe Photoshop and other proprietary software. The possibilities of the art one can create are almost limitless—get started with it using this book today.What You'll LearnNavigate the Glimpse workspaceUse layers, which are essential in any professional quality image editing programWork with the varied tools that Glimpse offersEnhance, retouch, and modify digital imagesRestore and repair damaged family photos, and create composites such as replacing backgroundsCreate compelling digital artwork using the drawing tools and by applying artistic filtersWho This Book Is For Anyone desiring to learn serious image editing with Glimpse. It can be used by both fledgling and professional photographers, freelance graphic designers, students, genealogists, and more. Because it’s free, it can be especially advantageous to teachers, students, and small business owners on a budget.