Introduction to Python 3

 

Users who want to learn Python and use it for application development, system administration, or just to automate tasks in a simple, yet powerful way
 

• Working/user level knowledge of an operating system such as Linux, Windows, or MacOS
• Basic skill with at least one other programming language is desirable

About this Course

• Welcome
• Classroom etiquette
• Course outline
• Student files
• Extracting the student files
• Examples
• Lab exercises
• Appendices

Chapter 1: An Overview of Python

• What is Python?
• The Birth of Python
• Python Timeline
• About Interpreted Languages
• Advantages of Python
• Disadvantages of Python
• How to Get Python
• Which version of Python?
• The end of Python 2
• Getting Help
• One day on Dagobah

Chapter 2: The Python Environment

• Starting Python
• If the Interpreter is Not in Your PATH
• Using the Interpreter
• Trying Out a Few Commands
• Running Python Scripts
• Using pydoc
• Python Editors and IDEs

Chapter 3: Getting Started

• Using Variables
• Keywords and Builtins
• Variable Typing
• Strings
• Single-delimited String Literals
• Triple-delimited String Literals
• Raw String Literals
• Unicode Characters
• String Operators and Methods
• String Methods
• Numeric literals
• Math Operators and Expressions
• Converting Among Types
• Writing to the Screen
• String Formatting
• Command Line Parameters
• Reading From the Keyboard

Chapter 4: Flow Control

• About Flow Control
• What's with the White Space
• If and Elif
• Conditional Expressions
• Relational Operators
• Boolean Operators
• While Loops
• Alternate Ways to Exit a Loop

Chapter 5: Array Types

• About Array Types
• Lists
• Indexing and slicing
• Tuples
• Iterable Unpacking
• Nested Sequences
• Functions for all sequences
• Using enumerate()
• Operators and keywords for sequences
• The range() function
• List comprehensions
• Generator Expressions

Chapter 6: Working with files

• Text File I/O
• Opening a Text File
• The With Block
• Reading a Text File
• Writing to a Text File

Chapter 7: Dictionaries and Sets

• About Dictionaries
• When to Use Dictionaries?
• Creating Dictionaries
• Getting Dictionary Values
• Iterating Through a Dictionary
• Reading File Data into a Dictionary
• Counting with Dictionaries
• About Sets
• Creating Sets
• Working with Sets

Chapter 8: Functions

• Defining a Function
• Returning Values
• Function Parameters
• Variable Scope

Chapter 9: Sorting

• Sorting Overview
• The Sorted() Function
• Custom sort keys
• Lambda Functions
• Sorting Nested Data
• Sorting Dictionaries
• Sorting in Reverse
• Sorting Lists in Place

Chapter 10: Errors and Exception Handling

• Syntax errors
• Exceptions
• Handling exceptions with try
• Handling multiple exceptions
• Handling generic exceptions
• Ignoring exceptions
• Using else
• Cleaning up with finally

Chapter 11: Using Modules

• What is a module?
• Creating Modules
• The import statement
• Where did _pycache_ come from?
• Module search path
• Packages
• Example
• Module Aliases
• When the batteries aren't included

Chapter 12: Regular Expressions

• Regular Expressions
• RE Syntax Overview
• Finding matches
• RE Objects
• Compilation Flags
• Groups
• Special Groups
• Replacing text
• Replacing with a callback
• Splitting a string

Chapter 13: Using the Standard Library

• The Sys Module
• Interpreter Information
• STDIO
• Launching External Programs
• Paths, Directories, and Filenames
• Walking Directory Trees
• Grabbing data from the web
• Sending E-Mail
• Math Functions
• Random Values
• Dates And Times
• Zipped Archives

Chapter 14: An Introduction to Python Classes

• About O-O Programming
• Defining Classes
• Constructors
• Instance Methods
• Properties
• Class Methods and Data
• Static Methods
• Private Methods
• Inheritance
• Untangling the Nomenclature

Appendix A: Where do I go from here?

• Resources for learning Python

Appendix B: Python Bibliography Appendix C: String Formatting

• Overview
• Parameter Selectors
• Data types
• Field widths
• Alignment
• Fill characters
• Signed numbers
• Parameter Attributes
• Formatting Dates
• Run-time formatting
• Miscellaneous tips and Tricks

Index