Python basics refresher

ITEC 3160 Python Programming for Data Analysis,
Cengiz Günay

(License: CC BY-SA 4.0)

Prev - Introduction, Next - Object Oriented Programming

The very basics

• Python history: version 2 vs 3; now popular for AI & ML
• Whitespace, quotations, language conventions, operators
• Control statements: blocks, if-elif-else, while
• Modules and import

An ephemeral Python practice area (wait for it to load)

How to practice Python

Do one or more of these based on your preferences!

• Use online IDEs (Brython Editor - no ads, can get share link)
• Download from Pyton.org
• Download IDE PyCharm (student discount )
• Download IDE Visual Studio Code with Python plugin
• Download Jupyter (we’ll use it in second half of semester)

A crash course into Python

• Zen of Python
• Installing
• Virtual environments
• Whitespace
• Modules and import
• Functions
• Strings

Practice functions

Work in teams, but only one person should submit. Write Python code online or in your own IDE to:

• List everyone’s names at the top in a comment
• Add a function that prints out a salutation message
• Create a list and a for loop that prints out each element
• Add an if-statement that behaves differently for some elements of the list

Add two more functions around a theme of your choice and make sure to use:

• docstrings: show usage
• f-strings: print or return
• lambda functions: show a use example
• default function parameters: show usage for provided vs missing parameters

Make it interesting!

Language basics

(Continuing DSS Chapter 2)

• Lists
• Tuples
• Dictionaries (default, Counter)

Practice basics in-class exercise

Work in teams on any IDE, create a program with a theme of your choice that uses:

• input from a user in a loop
• a dictionary to store a list of items and their associated values
• check if items exist in the dictionary and

In addition, make sure your program includes the following:

• A function that returns multiple values using a tuple
• Use list unpacking to assign variables from tuple
• Access a list’s elements by using slicing
• A loop that deletes from a dictionary
• Finish by printing out the dictionary

Misc Python Oddities

(Continuing DSS Chapter 2)

• Sets
• Control flow
• Truthiness
• Sorting
• List comprehensions
• Zip and argument unpacking
• Type annotations (just the basics)

Practice Misc Python Stuff

Work in teams on any IDE. Create a program that includes:

• A set: add elements and check for membership
• An if-elif-else statement
• A loop with use of break and continue
• Use truthiness of data structures in a conditional statement (other than simple binary operators), could be for loop logic
• sort a data structure and print them out
• create a list using the list comprehension syntax, you can use the data from the set
• use zip somewhere
• specify type annotations in at least one place
• make sure it’s sufficiently distinct from others’ submissions and that your program has a theme