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Python Programming (Basic)

Course outline

5 days
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Duration

5 days

Part I. Getting Started

  • A Python Q&A Session
  • Why Do People Use Python?
  • Software Quality
  • Developer Productivity
  • Is Python a “Scripting Language”?
  • OK, but What’s the Downside?
  • Who Uses Python Today?
  • What Can I Do with Python?
  • Systems Programming
  • GUIs
  • Internet Scripting
  • Component Integration
  • Database Programming
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Numeric and Scientific Programming
  • And More: Gaming, Images, Data Mining, Robots, Excel
  • How Is Python Developed and Supported?
  • Open Source Tradeoffs
  • What Are Python’s Technical Strengths?
  • It’s Object-Oriented and Functional
  • It’s Free
  • It’s Portable
  • It’s Powerful
  • It’s Mixable
  • It’s Relatively Easy to Use
  • It’s Relatively Easy to Learn
  • It’s Named After Monty Python
  • How Does Python Stack Up to Language X?
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • How Python Runs Programs
  • Introducing the Python Interpreter
  • Program Execution
  • The Programmer’s View
  • Python’s View
  • Execution Model Variations
  • Python Implementation Alternatives
  • Execution Optimization Tools
  • Frozen Binaries
  • Future Possibilities?
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • How You Run Programs
  • The Interactive Prompt
  • Starting an Interactive Session
  • The System Path
  • New Windows Options in 3.3: PATH, Launcher
  • Where to Run: Code Directories
  • What Not to Type: Prompts and Comments
  • Running Code Interactively
  • Why the Interactive Prompt?
  • Usage Notes: The Interactive Prompt
  • System Command Lines and Files
  • A First Script
  • Running Files with Command Lines
  • Command-Line Usage Variations
  • Usage Notes: Command Lines and Files
  • Unix-Style Executable Scripts: #!
  • Unix Script Basics
  • The Unix env Lookup Trick
  • The Python 3.3 Windows Launcher: #! Comes to Windows
  • Clicking File Icons
  • Icon-Click Basics
  • Clicking Icons on Windows
  • The input Trick on Windows
  • Other Icon-Click Limitations
  • Module Imports and Reloads
  • Import and Reload Basics
  • The Grander Module Story: Attributes
  • Usage Notes: import and reload
  • Using exec to Run Module Files
  • The IDLE User Interface
  • IDLE Startup Details
  • IDLE Basic Usage
  • IDLE Usability Features
  • Advanced IDLE Tools
  • Usage Notes: IDLE
  • Other IDEs
  • Other Launch Options
  • Embedding Calls
  • Frozen Binary Executables
  • Text Editor Launch Options
  • Still Other Launch Options
  • Future Possibilities?
  • Which Option Should I Use?
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Test Your Knowledge: Part I Exercises

Part II. Types and Operations

  • Introducing Python Object Types
  • The Python Conceptual Hierarchy
  • Why Use Built-in Types?
  • Python’s Core Data Types
  • Numbers
  • Strings
  • Sequence Operations
  • Immutability
  • Type-Specific Methods
  • Getting Help
  • Other Ways to Code Strings
  • Unicode Strings
  • Pattern Matching
  • Lists
  • Sequence Operations
  • Type-Specific Operations
  • Bounds Checking
  • Nesting
  • Comprehensions
  • Dictionaries
  • Mapping Operations
  • Nesting Revisited
  • Missing Keys: if Tests
  • Sorting Keys: for Loops
  • Iteration and Optimization
  • Tuples
  • Why Tuples?
  • Files
  • Binary Bytes Files
  • Unicode Text Files
  • Other File-Like Tools
  • Other Core Types
  • How to Break Your Code’s Flexibility
  • User-Defined Classes
  • And Everything Else
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Numeric Types
  • Numeric Type Basics
  • Numeric Literals
  • Built-in Numeric Tools
  • Python Expression Operators
  • Numbers in Action
  • Variables and Basic Expressions
  • Numeric Display Formats
  • Comparisons: Normal and Chained
  • Division: Classic, Floor, and True
  • Integer Precision
  • Complex Numbers
  • Hex, Octal, Binary: Literals and Conversions
  • Bitwise Operations
  • Other Built-in Numeric Tools
  • Other Numeric Types
  • Decimal Type
  • Fraction Type
  • Sets
  • Booleans
  • Numeric Extensions
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • The Dynamic Typing Interlude
  • The Case of the Missing Declaration Statements
  • Variables, Objects, and References
  • Types Live with Objects, Not Variables
  • Objects Are Garbage-Collected
  • Shared References
  • Shared References and In-Place Changes
  • Shared References and Equality
  • Dynamic Typing Is Everywhere
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • String Fundamentals
  • This Chapter’s Scope
  • Unicode: The Short Story
  • String Basics
  • String Literals
  • Single- and Double-Quoted Strings Are the Same
  • Escape Sequences Represent Special Characters
  • Raw Strings Suppress Escapes
  • Triple Quotes Code Multiline Block Strings
  • Strings in Action
  • Basic Operations
  • Indexing and Slicing
  • String Conversion Tools
  • Changing Strings I
  • String Methods
  • Method Call Syntax
  • Methods of Strings
  • String Method Examples: Changing Strings II
  • String Method Examples: Parsing Text
  • Other Common String Methods in Action
  • The Original string Module’s Functions (Gone in 3.X)
  • String Formatting Expressions
  • Formatting Expression Basics
  • Advanced Formatting Expression Syntax
  • Advanced Formatting Expression Examples
  • Dictionary-Based Formatting Expressions
  • String Formatting Method Calls
  • Formatting Method Basics
  • Adding Keys, Attributes, and Offsets
  • Advanced Formatting Method Syntax
  • Advanced Formatting Method Examples
  • Comparison to the % Formatting Expression
  • Why the Format Method?
  • General Type Categories
  • Types Share Operation Sets by Categories
  • Mutable Types Can Be Changed in Place
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Lists and Dictionaries
  • Lists
  • Lists in Action
  • Basic List Operations
  • List Iteration and Comprehensions
  • Indexing, Slicing, and Matrixes
  • Changing Lists in Place
  • Dictionaries
  • Dictionaries in Action
  • Basic Dictionary Operations
  • Changing Dictionaries in Place
  • More Dictionary Methods
  • Example: Movie Database
  • Dictionary Usage Notes
  • Other Ways to Make Dictionaries
  • Dictionary Changes in Python 3.X and 2.7
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Tuples, Files, and Everything Else
  • Tuples
  • Tuples in Action
  • Why Lists and Tuples?
  • Records Revisited: Named Tuples
  • Files
  • Opening Files
  • Using Files
  • Files in Action
  • Text and Binary Files: The Short Story
  • Storing Python Objects in Files: Conversions
  • Storing Native Python Objects: pickle
  • Storing Python Objects in JSON Format
  • Storing Packed Binary Data: struct
  • File Context Managers
  • Other File Tools
  • Core Types Review and Summary
  • Object Flexibility
  • References Versus Copies
  • Comparisons, Equality, and Truth
  • The Meaning of True and False in Python
  • Python’s Type Hierarchies
  • Type Objects
  • Other Types in Python
  • Built-in Type Gotchas
  • Assignment Creates References, Not Copies
  • Repetition Adds One Level Deep
  • Beware of Cyclic Data Structures
  • Immutable Types Can’t Be Changed in Place
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Test Your Knowledge: Part II Exercises

Part III. Statements and Syntax

  • Introducing Python Statements
  • The Python Conceptual Hierarchy Revisited
  • Python’s Statements
  • A Tale of Two ifs
  • What Python Adds
  • What Python Removes
  • Why Indentation Syntax?
  • A Few Special Cases
  • A Quick Example: Interactive Loops
  • A Simple Interactive Loop
  • Doing Math on User Inputs
  • Handling Errors by Testing Inputs
  • Handling Errors with try Statements
  • Nesting Code Three Levels Deep
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Assignments, Expressions, and Prints
  • Assignment Statements
  • Assignment Statement Forms
  • Sequence Assignments
  • Extended Sequence Unpacking in Python 3.X
  • Multiple-Target Assignments
  • Augmented Assignments
  • Variable Name Rules
  • Expression Statements
  • Expression Statements and In-Place Changes
  • Print Operations
  • The Python 3.X print Function
  • The Python 2.X print Statement
  • Print Stream Redirection
  • Version-Neutral Printing
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • if Tests and Syntax Rules
  • if Statements
  • General Format
  • Basic Examples
  • Multiway Branching
  • Python Syntax Revisited
  • Block Delimiters: Indentation Rules
  • Statement Delimiters: Lines and Continuations
  • A Few Special Cases
  • Truth Values and Boolean Tests
  • The if/else Ternary Expression
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • while and for Loops
  • while Loops
  • General Format
  • Examples
  • break, continue, pass, and the Loop else
  • General Loop Format
  • pass
  • continue
  • break
  • Loop else
  • for Loops
  • General Format
  • Examples
  • Loop Coding Techniques
  • Counter Loops: range
  • Sequence Scans: while and range Versus for
  • Sequence Shufflers: range and len
  • Nonexhaustive Traversals: range Versus Slices
  • Changing Lists: range Versus Comprehensions
  • Parallel Traversals: zip and map
  • Generating Both Offsets and Items: enumerate
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Iterations and Comprehensions
  • Iterations: A First Look
  • The Iteration Protocol: File Iterators
  • Manual Iteration: iter and next
  • Other Built-in Type Iterables
  • List Comprehensions: A First Detailed Look
  • List Comprehension Basics
  • Using List Comprehensions on Files
  • Extended List Comprehension Syntax
  • Other Iteration Contexts
  • New Iterables in Python 3.X
  • Impacts on 2.X Code: Pros and Cons
  • The range Iterable
  • The map, zip, and filter Iterables
  • Multiple Versus Single Pass Iterators
  • Dictionary View Iterables
  • Other Iteration Topics
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • The Documentation Interlude
  • Python Documentation Sources
  • # Comments
  • The dir Function
  • Docstrings: __doc__
  • PyDoc: The help Function
  • PyDoc: HTML Reports
  • Beyond docstrings: Sphinx
  • The Standard Manual Set
  • Web Resources
  • Published Books
  • Common Coding Gotchas
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Test Your Knowledge: Part III Exercises

Part IV. Functions and Generators

  • Function Basics
  • Why Use Functions?
  • Coding Functions
  • def Statements
  • def Executes at Runtime
  • A First Example: Definitions and Calls
  • Definition
  • Calls
  • Polymorphism in Python
  • A Second Example: Intersecting Sequences
  • Definition
  • Calls
  • Polymorphism Revisited
  • Local Variables
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Scopes
  • Python Scope Basics
  • Scope Details
  • Name Resolution: The LEGB Rule
  • Scope Example
  • The Built-in Scope
  • The global Statement
  • Program Design: Minimize Global Variables
  • Program Design: Minimize Cross-File Changes
  • Other Ways to Access Globals
  • Scopes and Nested Functions
  • Nested Scope Details
  • Nested Scope Examples
  • Factory Functions: Closures
  • Retaining Enclosing Scope State with Defaults
  • The nonlocal Statement in 3.X
  • nonlocal Basics
  • nonlocal in Action
  • Why nonlocal? State Retention Options
  • State with nonlocal: 3.X only
  • State with Globals: A Single Copy Only
  • State with Classes: Explicit Attributes (Preview)
  • State with Function Attributes: 3.X and 2.X
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Arguments
  • Argument-Passing Basics
  • Arguments and Shared References
  • Avoiding Mutable Argument Changes
  • Simulating Output Parameters and Multiple Results
  • Special Argument-Matching Modes
  • Argument Matching Basics
  • Argument Matching Syntax
  • The Gritty Details
  • Keyword and Default Examples
  • Arbitrary Arguments Examples
  • Python 3.X Keyword-Only Arguments
  • The min Wakeup Call!
  • Full Credit
  • Bonus Points
  • The Punch Line
  • Generalized Set Functions
  • Emulating the Python 3.X print Function
  • Using Keyword-Only Arguments
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Advanced Function Topics
  • Function Design Concepts
  • Recursive Functions
  • Summation with Recursion
  • Coding Alternatives
  • Loop Statements Versus Recursion
  • Handling Arbitrary Structures
  • Function Objects: Attributes and Annotations
  • Indirect Function Calls: “First Class” Objects
  • Function Introspection
  • Function Attributes
  • Function Annotations in 3.X
  • Anonymous Functions: lambda
  • lambda Basics
  • Why Use lambda?
  • How (Not) to Obfuscate Your Python Code
  • Scopes: lambdas Can Be Nested Too
  • Functional Programming Tools
  • Mapping Functions over Iterables: map
  • Selecting Items in Iterables: filter
  • Combining Items in Iterables: reduce
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Comprehensions and Generations
  • List Comprehensions and Functional Tools
  • List Comprehensions Versus map
  • Adding Tests and Nested Loops: filter
  • Example: List Comprehensions and Matrixes
  • Don’t Abuse List Comprehensions: KISS
  • Generator Functions and Expressions
  • Generator Functions: yield Versus return
  • Generator Expressions: Iterables Meet Comprehensions
  • Generator Functions Versus Generator Expressions
  • Generators Are Single-Iteration Objects
  • Generation in Built-in Types, Tools, and Classes
  • Example: Generating Scrambled Sequences
  • Don’t Abuse Generators: EIBTI
  • Example: Emulating zip and map with Iteration Tools
  • Comprehension Syntax Summary
  • Scopes and Comprehension Variables
  • Comprehending Set and Dictionary Comprehensions
  • Extended Comprehension Syntax for Sets and Dictionaries
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • The Benchmarking Interlude
  • Timing Iteration Alternatives
  • Timing Module: Homegrown
  • Timing Script
  • Timing Results
  • Timing Module Alternatives
  • Other Suggestions
  • Timing Iterations and Pythons with timeit
  • Basic timeit Usage
  • Benchmark Module and Script: timeit
  • Benchmark Script Results
  • More Fun with Benchmarks
  • Other Benchmarking Topics: pystones
  • Function Gotchas
  • Local Names Are Detected Statically
  • Defaults and Mutable Objects
  • Functions Without returns
  • Miscellaneous Function Gotchas
  • Chapter Summary
  • Test Your Knowledge: Quiz
  • Test Your Knowledge: Answers
  • Test Your Knowledge: Part IV Exercises

Programme scope, delivery arrangements and suitability are confirmed during enquiry.