What goes into building a spreadsheet application in Python that runs in the browser? How do you make it launch quickly, and where do you store the cells of data? This week on the show, we speak with Chris Laffra about his project, PySheets, and his book “Communication for Engineers.”

As a software engineer, Chris has worked at IBM, Google, Uber, and several financial institutions. He speaks about developer productivity and communication skills as an engineer. We begin our conversation by digging into his background, his approach to building engineering teams, and strategies for improving communication.

Chris’ idea for PySheets is to have Excel inside Python with everything running locally in your browser. He was inspired by the success of Jupyter Notebooks but wanted to develop a tool more suited to a spreadsheet’s non-linear graph structure.

PySheets is built to run locally in the user’s browser, taking advantage of PyScript. We discuss finding the right solution for storing data in the browser and developing a graphic toolkit to create the UI. Chris also shares the novel method he found to get the interface up and running while the larger assets are loading.

This episode is sponsored by Sentry.

Topics:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction


• 00:02:25 – Background with building engineering teams


• 00:08:43 – Communication for Engineers book


• 00:16:17 – What do customers want and experiences at IBM


• 00:24:28 – Starting the development of PySheets


• 00:27:19 – Working with the DOM


• 00:29:41 – Success of Jupyter notebooks


• 00:35:46 – Sponsor: Sentry


• 00:36:52 – Little Toolkit for PyScript


• 00:43:24 – Finding funding


• 00:46:58 – Building a product before selling


• 00:52:27 – Video Course Spotlight


• 00:53:46 – Finding the right data storage in IndexedDB


• 01:01:57 – Exploring the trial page and extensibility


• 01:08:26 – Contributing to the project or forking


• 01:11:56 – What are you excited about in the world of Python?


• 01:16:20 – What do you want to learn next?


• 01:17:25 – How can people follow your work online?


• 01:18:05 – Thanks and goodbye

Show Links:

• Chris Laffra


• C4E - Communication for Engineers (ePUB)


• PySheets - Spreadsheet UI for Python


• PySheets: Source for PySheets


• PyScript - Python in the browser - Chris Laffra - YouTube


• Python in Excel - Microsoft 365


• pyscript/ltk: LTK is a little toolkit for writing UIs in PyScript


• LTK - Little Toolkit


• PROCOL: a parallel object language with protocols - ACM SIGPLAN


• IndexedDB API - MDN


• First steps - PyScript


• Pyodide — Version 0.26.3


• PyScript Updates: Bytecode Alliance, Pyodide, and MicroPython


• MicroPython - Python for microcontrollers


• FreeCAD: Your own 3D parametric modeler


• Chris Laffra - How to become a Happy and Productive Engineer - YouTube

Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:

• What's New in Python 3.13


• Python Plotting With Matplotlib


• Understanding Python's Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)

Support the podcast & join our community of Pythonistas