Python QuickStart Guide

Robert Oliver

Description

Learn Python fundamentals that can be used in any programming setting – use the guidance in this book to program your own game in a unique and practical Python learning experience.

    

Learning Python opens the door to a world of programming possibilities.

    

From AI and machine learning to video game, app, and web development, Python is a critical behind-the-scenes component of everyday technology.

    

Python powers the services of household names like Google, Netflix, and Spotify along with tech pioneers like NASA, IBM, and Intel. Put simply, Python is the in-demand and easy-to-learn programming language that gets stuff done.

    

In Python QuickStart Guide, senior developer and programmer Robert Oliver lays out the quickest and most accessible path yet to the mastery of Python fundamentals.

    

Distilling his experience drawn from over two decades of working with Python and other programming languages, Robert’s clear voice and writing present a practical, hands-on approach that anyone, at any experience level, can use to become a Python programmer.

    

It doesn’t matter if you are a new or existing programmer, a job seeker looking for a career change or promotion, or just someone who wants to learn how to automate basic tasks with Python—Robert’s step-by-step approach, complete with a hands-on companion Python video game project, is the perfect starting point to master Python fundamentals!

    

Python QuickStart Guide is Perfect for:

• New or experienced programmers looking to enhance their career opportunities with an in-demand programming language
 
• Job seekers who want to supercharge their resumes and increase their value in the job marketplace
 
• Students or recent college grads who have their sights set on a lucrative position in the tech industry
 
• Full stack developers or programmers who need to round out their programming skills to take on new projects
 
• Coding or programming bootcamp students looking for supplemental learning material
 
• Anyone who wants to explore the world of programming, use Python to automate tedious tasks, or enhance their resume and future-proof their skills!
 

Python QuickStart Guide Explains 

• The best practical approach to learning Python—follow along with the exercises in the book to program your own video game and learn along the way
 
• How to master Python building blocks and build a robust set of programming skills at your own pace
 
• How to avoid common pitfalls new programmers face, how to debug code, and how to eliminate frustrating errors
 
• Coding best practices that anyone can use to level up their programming skills using Python or any other programming language

    

You Will Learn

• How to Use Python – Practical Examples, Code Snippets, Plus Follow Along to Code Your Own Game!
 
• Python Fundamentals – How to Use Python for Web Design and Interfacing with GitHub, SQL, and Other Applications
 
• Object-Oriented Programming Principles – Managing Data, Scripts, Logic, Inputs, Outputs, and More!
 
• Programming Essentials – Debugging, Producing Clean Code, Best Practices, Time-Savers, and Tips
 
• Python Next Steps –Testing, Optimization, Speed Improvements, Integrations with Other Applications, and More!

*Lifetime Access To Free Python Programming Digital Assets*In addition to the follow-along Python game included with the exercises in the book, Python QuickStart Guide comes with a library of references and cheat sheets to help you go beyond the book and get the most out of your Python learning experience.

    

QuickStart Guides are books for beginners, written by experts.

   

Introduction

Chapter 1: Getting to Know Python

Chapter 2: Understanding Python Data Structures

Chapter 3: Controlling Program Flow

Chapter 4: Handling Errors

Chapter 5: Creating Reusable Tasks with Functions

Chapter 6: Classes

Chapter 7: Inheritance and Design Patterns

Chapter 8: Saving Time with Dataclasses

Chapter 9: Reusing Code with Modules and Packages

Chapter 10: Advanced Strings

Chapter 11: Math in Python

Chapter 12: Input and Output

Chapter 13: The Internet

Chapter 14: Debugging Python Code

Chapter 15: Developing Websites

Chapter 16: Interfacing with SQLite

Chapter 17: Test-Driven Development

Chapter 18: Managing Your Code with Git

Chapter 19: The Junk Drawer

Chapter 20: Optimizing Python

Chapter 21: What's Next?

Conclusion

Sujets

• Open Source
• Langages
• Web Programming
• Programming
• Computers
• Informatique
• Código abierto
• Web development
• Language
• Computer programming
• Internet
• Python

Informations

• Publié par: ClydeBank Media LLC
• Date de parution: 24 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781636100364
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 9 Mo

Extrait

PRAISE FOR

Really well written with lots of practical information. These books have a very concise way of presenting each topic and everything inside is very actionable!
– ALAN F.
My new book is so helpful, it’s so easy to understand and I can recommend it to any client no matter what level of expertise they have (or don’t have).
– AMANDA K.
Everything is written in a beautiful font which is great for people who get bored with reading.
– ANGEL L.
The book was a great resource, every page is packed with information, but [the book] never felt overly-wordy or repetitive. Every chapter was filled with very useful information.
– CUTRIS W.
I appreciated how accessible and how insightful the material was and look forward to sharing the knowledge that I’ve learned [from this book].
– SCOTT B.
My new QuickStart Guide is very easy to follow, it’s really well written and it breaks everything down, especially the essentials.
– ARIZE O.
After reading this book, I must say that it has been one of the best decisions of my life!
– ROHIT R.
This book is one-thousand percent worth every single dollar!
– HUGO C.
The read itself was worth the cost of the book, but the additional tools and materials make this purchase a better value than most books.
– JAMES D.
This is a “go-to” book for not only beginners but also as a refresher for experienced practitioners.
– CHARLES C.
I finally understand this topic … this book has really opened doors for me!
– MISTY A.
I dedicate this book to Marsha, my wife.
Only through her steadfast support was this possible.
Contents
INTRODUCTION
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
What Is Python?
What Is Programming?
What We’ll Cover in This Book
How to Use This Book
Example Code
What You’ll Need
Operating System and Python Version Notes
Getting Ready
Visual Studio Code Walk-Through

PART I – GETTING STARTED WITH PYTHON
| 1 | Getting to Know Python
Before Our First Line of Code
Hello, World!
Working with Variables
Strings
Numbers
A Few Comments
Newlines
What’s in a Name?
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: Our First Cup
| 2 | Understanding Python Data Structures
Lists
Tuples
Sets
Dictionaries
Boolean Variables
Combining Data Structures
Picking the Right Data Structure
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: Starting the Grind
| 3 | Controlling Program Flow
Logical Comparisons
Nested Comparisons
Loops
Number-Guessing Game
ClydeBank Coffee Shop Simulator: The Circle of Life
| 4 | Handling Errors
Exceptions
Mopping Up the Mess with Finally
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: Spilt Milk

PART II – FUNCTIONS AND CLASSES
| 5 | Creating Reusable Tasks with Functions
Our First Function
Passing Values and Returning a Result
Modifying Arguments
Default Arguments
Keyword Arguments
Arbitrary Arguments
Scope
Generator Functions
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: Our First Major Refactor
| 6 | Classes
The Hello World Class
Instance Variables
Scope in Classes
Object Lifecycle
Properties and Private Variables
Inches to Centimeters
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: Our Second Refactor
| 7 | Inheritance and Design Patterns
Parent and Child
Expanding Child Classes
Multilevel Inheritance
Multiple Inheritance
Introduction to Design Patterns
A Fantasy World
| 8 | Saving Time with Dataclasses
Automatic Instance Variables
Dataclass Features
Dataclasses Compatibility
| 9 | Reusing Code with Modules and Packages
Namespaces
Importing Modules
Creating Your Own Module
Standard Modules
Packages
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: Modularizing the Game

PART III – PYTHON IN ACTION
| 10 | Advanced Strings
Standard String Operations
Regular Expressions
String Formatting
Data Compression
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: Inventory Woes
| 11 | Math in Python
Integer Math
Floating-Point Math
Percentages
Statistical Math
Date and Time
Counting the Days
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: A More Accurate Simulation
| 12 | Input and Output
Disk I/O
Standard I/O
Serialization with Pickle
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: Saving Your Game
| 13 | The Internet
Fetching a Web Page
Saving a Web Page
Sending an Email
| 14 | Debugging Python Code
Logging
Debugging in Visual Studio Code

PART IV – ADVANCED PYTHON
| 15 | Developing Websites
web.py
Flask
Connecting to a Database
Django
JSON
| 16 | Interfacing with SQLite
The sTunes Database
Installation
Running SQLite
A Brief Tour of sTunes
More SQL: Beyond SELECT
Querying Data with Python
Modifying Data with Python
Further Ideas
| 17 | Test-Driven Development
Getting Started with Unit Testing
Assertions
Test Driven Design
Test Coverage
ClydeBank Coffee Shop: Test-Driven Coffee Serving
| 18 | Managing Your Code with Git
Installing Git
Forking and Cloning the ClydeBank Coffee Shop Game
Committing Changes to Your Repository
Pushing to Remote
Using Branches
Viewing Changes
Viewing Your Commit Log
Pull Requests
Syncing with the Official Repository
| 19 | The Junk Drawer
Getting Help Inside Python
Sorting Lists and Dictionaries
Environment Variables
Using Command Line Arguments
Lambda Expressions
Threading
Cryptographic Hashing
Working with CSV Files
Pip
Compiled Modules
| 20 | Optimizing Python
Profiling
Apparent Speed Usually Matters More
Don't Reinvent the Wheel
Cache Results
Use Multiple Assignment
Exit As Soon As Possible
Use Lazy Loading
Use the Latest Python Version
Optimizing the Coffee Shop Simulator
| 21 | What's Next?
Keeping Up with Python
The Python Package Index
Python News through Google
Getting Help
Python Is Open-Source Software
The ClydeBank Coffee Shop Simulator Game
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT CLYDEBANK MEDIA
GLOSSARY
REFERENCES
BEFORE YOU START READING, DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE DIGITAL ASSETS!
Introduction
Welcome to Python.
My name is Robert Oliver and I’ll be your guide through the exciting, engaging, and challenging endeavor of learning a programming language.
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
While I now program quite a bit at night, my programming journey started on a bright, sunny early June morning. As a young teenager, I sat in front of my stepmother’s Tandy 1000 (an older computer, even in the early 1990s) and enjoyed playing the myriad of video games that had been installed on it. Even though I previously had some computer experience, I was mystified by the possibilities.
It was summer break, and I had all the time in the world, so I started reading the BASIC (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) language source code to some of these games. It was a struggle at first, as I really didn’t know much about programming, but soon I started to see patterns in the code and how everything fit together to make the video games run.
Armed with several books, I taught myself DOS, BASIC, and even dabbled in a little Pascal, another programming language, as I fully extracted the computing goodness that old Tandy had to offer. Later, I got my own computer, a Tandy 2500, an Intel 386 computer that ran MS-DOS 5 and Windows 3.1. Armed with QBasic, I wrote my own video games and programs. It was fun, but I quickly ran into problems.
Video games take a lot of computing power, and computers back then didn’t exactly have that to spare. So, to extract the most performance from the machine and power my games, I wrote critical parts of the games in assembly language —a bare-metal language that computers natively understand—to speed things along. Granted, I ran into numerous problems talking back and forth between my BASIC and assembly programs, but I eventually worked out a solution that made me reasonably happy.
I poked and prodded into every corner of that machine’s memory, and by the time I had moved to Windows 98 (I largely skipped Windows 95), I could tell you everything about that computer you could possibly want to know, down to the basic hardware level. My immense love of systems programming came from this era, and it hasn’t left me.
My dad bought me Visual Basic 6 and some great manuals in the Windows 98 years, and from this I really started to formalize my programming knowledge, learning about classes, objects, and all the things I’d need to know to program professionally. From there, I went into web programming, but I continued to write scripts and programs—first with Perl, then with Python from 2006 onward.
Despite having learned so much since then, nothing can replace the joy I felt when I mastered the mystical world of computing by telling my computer exactly what I wanted it to do. I want you to feel that same joy, too.
By the end of this book, you’ll have a good understanding of Python and will have written a fair number of lines of code. In addition, we’ll be building a coffee shop game that will be both fun to write and fun to play. You’ll not only have experience coding in Python, but you’ll have a project to show for it, and the knowledge to create your own programs.
What Is Python?
There are two ways to answer that question. First, here’s the technical explanation with computer science terminology kept to a minimum.
Python is a multipurpose programming language. It is flexible enough to allow several different programming approaches and comes with a large array of functionality right out of the box. It enforces a strict code formatting style that places a high emphasis on readability.
Now, what is Python in everyday terms? It’s an awesome programming language that lets you do a wide variety of tasks—everything from system utilities to business programs to games to website backends and even artificial intelligence. Many Fortune 500 companies use Python, including household names like Google, IBM, Intel, Netflix, and Spotify. And Python is very popular in scientific circles. In fact, NASA uses Python heavily.
What Is Programming?
This might seem like an unusual question to ask in a programming