Reference guide: Python
concepts from module 2
Google Cybersecurity Certificate
Sections
User-defined functions
Built-in functions
Importing modules and libraries
Comments
User-defined functions
The following keywords are used when creating user-defined functions.
def
Placed before a function name to define a function
def greet_employee():
Defines the greet_employee() function
def calculate_fails(total_attempts, failed_attempts):
Defines the calculate_fails() function, which includes the two parameters
of total_attempts and failed_attempts
return
Used to return information from a function; when Python encounters this keyword, it
exits the function after returning the information
def calculate_fails(total_attempts, failed_attempts):
fail_percentage = failed_attempts / total_attempts
return fail_percentage
Returns the value of the fail_percentage variable from the
calculate_fails() function
Built-in functions
The following built-in functions are commonly used in Python.
max()
Returns the largest numeric input passed into it
print(max(10, 15, 5))
Returns 15 and outputs this value to the screen
min()
Returns the smallest numeric input passed into it
print(min(10, 15, 5))
Returns 5 and outputs this value to the screen
sorted()
Sorts the components of a list (or other iterable)
print(sorted([10, 15, 5]))
Sorts the elements of the list from smallest to largest and outputs the sorted list
of [5, 10, 15] to the screen
print(sorted(["bmoreno", "tshah", "elarson"]))
Sorts the elements in the list in alphabetical order and outputs the sorted list of
["bmoreno", "elarson", "tshah"] to the screen
Importing modules and libraries
The following keyword is used to import a module from the Python Standard Library or
to import an external library that has already been installed.
import
Searches for a module or library in a system and adds it to the local Python
environment
import statistics
Imports the statistics module and all of its functions from the Python
Standard Library
from statistics import mean
Imports the mean() function of the statistics module from the Python
Standard Library
from statistics import mean, median
Imports the mean() and median() functions of the statistics module from
the Python Standard Library
Comments
The following syntax is used to create a comment. (A comment is a note programmers
make about the intention behind their code.)
#
Starts a line that contains a Python comment
# Print approved usernames
Contains a comment that indicates the purpose of the code that follows it is to
print approved usernames
""" (documentation strings)
Starts and ends a multi-line string that is often used as a Python comment; multi-line
comments are used when you need more than 79 characters in a single comment
"""
The estimate_attempts() function takes in a monthly
login attempt total and a number of months and
returns their product.
"""
Contains a multi-line comment that indicates the purpose of the
estimate_attempts() function
