NOTES FOR ELECTIVE: PYTHON
What is Python?
Python is a popular programming language. It was created by Guido van Rossum, and
released in 1991.
It is used for:
web development (server-side),
software development,
mathematics,
system scripting.
What can Python do?
Python can be used on a server to create web applications.
Python can be used alongside software to create workflows.
Python can connect to database systems. It can also read and modify files.
Python can be used to handle big data and perform complex mathematics.
Python can be used for rapid prototyping, or for production-ready software
development.
Execute Python Syntax
As we learned in the previous page, Python syntax can be executed by writing directly
in the Command Line:
>>> print("Hello, World!")
Hello, World!
Or by creating a python file on the server, using the .py file extension, and running it in
the Command Line:
C:\Users\Your Name>python [Link]
Python Indentation
Indentation refers to the spaces at the beginning of a code line.
Where in other programming languages the indentation in code is for readability only,
the indentation in Python is very important.
Python uses indentation to indicate a block of code.
if 5 > 2:
print("Five is greater than two!")
Python Variables
In Python, variables are created when you assign a value to it:
Example
Variables in Python:
x=5
y = "Hello, World!"
Python has no command for declaring a variable.
Comments
Python has commenting capability for the purpose of in-code documentation.
Comments start with a #, and Python will render the rest of the line as a comment:
Example
Comments in Python:
#This is a comment.
print("Hello, World!")
Python Comments
Comments can be used to explain Python code.
Comments can be used to make the code more readable.
Comments can be used to prevent execution when testing code.
Creating a Comment
Comments starts with a #, and Python will ignore them:
#This is a comment
print("Hello, World!")
Variables
Variables are containers for storing data values.
Creating Variables
Python has no command for declaring a variable.
A variable is created the moment you first assign a value to it.
x=5
y = "John"
print(x)
print(y)
Variables do not need to be declared with any particular type, and can even change
type after they have been set.
Example
x=4 # x is of type int
x = "Sally" # x is now of type str
print(x)
Casting
If you want to specify the data type of a variable, this can be done with casting.
Example
x = str(3) # x will be '3'
y = int(3) # y will be 3
z = float(3) # z will be 3.0
Variable Names
A variable can have a short name (like x and y) or a more descriptive name (age,
carname, total_volume). Rules for Python variables:
A variable name must start with a letter or the underscore character
A variable name cannot start with a number
A variable name can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores (A-
z, 0-9, and _ )
Variable names are case-sensitive (age, Age and AGE are three different
variables)
A variable name cannot be any of the Python keywords
EXAMPLES:
myvar = "John"
my_var = "John"
_my_var = "John"
myVar = "John"
MYVAR = "John"
myvar2 = "John"
Built-in Data Types
In programming, data type is an important concept.
Variables can store data of different types, and different types can do different things.
Python has the following data types built-in by default, in these categories:
Text Type: str
Numeric Types: int, float, complex
Sequence Types: list, tuple, range
Mapping Type: dict
Set Types: set, frozenset
Boolean Type: bool
Binary Types: bytes, bytearray, memoryview
None Type: NoneType
Getting the Data Type
You can get the data type of any object by using the type() function:
Example
Print the data type of the variable x:
x=5
print(type(x))
Setting the Specific Data Type
If you want to specify the data type, you can use the following constructor functions:
Example Data Type
x = str("Hello World") str
x = int(20) int
x = float(20.5) float
x = complex(1j) complex
x = list(("apple", "banana", "cherry")) list
x = tuple(("apple", "banana", "cherry")) tuple
x = range(6) range
x = dict(name="John", age=36) dict
x = set(("apple", "banana", "cherry")) set
x = frozenset(("apple", "banana", "cherry")) frozenset
x = bool(5) bool
x = bytes(5) bytes
x = bytearray(5) bytearray
x = memoryview(bytes(5)) memoryview
Python Numbers
There are three numeric types in Python:
int
float
complex
Variables of numeric types are created when you assign a value to them:
x = 1 # int
y = 2.8 # float
z = 1j # complex
Int
Int, or integer, is a whole number, positive or negative, without decimals, of unlimited
length.
Example
Integers:
x=1
y = 35656222554887711
z = -3255522
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
Float
Float, or "floating point number" is a number, positive or negative, containing one or
more decimals.
Example
Floats:
x = 1.10
y = 1.0
z = -35.59
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
Complex
Complex numbers are written with a "j" as the imaginary part:
Example
Complex:
x = 3+5j
y = 5j
z = -5j
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
Python Operators
Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.
In the example below, we use the + operator to add together two values:
print(10 + 5)
Python divides the operators in the following groups:
Arithmetic operators
Assignment operators
Comparison operators
Logical operators
Identity operators
Membership operators
Bitwise operators
Python Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used with numeric values to perform common mathematical
operations:
Operator Name Example
+ Addition x+y
- Subtraction x-y
* Multiplication x*y
/ Division x/y
% Modulus x%y
** Exponentiation x ** y
// Floor division x // y
Python Logical Operators
Logical operators are used to combine conditional statements:
Operator Description Example
and Returns True if both statements are true x < 5 and x < 10
or Returns True if one of the statements is true x < 5 or x < 4
not Reverse the result, returns False if the result is true not(x < 5 and x < 10)
Python Identity Operators
Identity operators are used to compare the objects, not if they are equal, but if they are
actually the same object, with the same memory location:
Operator Description Example
is Returns True if both variables are the same x is y
object
is not Returns True if both variables are not the x is not y
same object
List
Lists are used to store multiple items in a single variable.
Lists are one of 4 built-in data types in Python used to store collections of data, the
other 3 are Tuple, Set, and Dictionary, all with different qualities and usage.
Lists are created using square brackets:
Create a List:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print(thislist)
List Items
List items are ordered, changeable, and allow duplicate values.
List items are indexed, the first item has index [0], the second item has index [1] etc.
Ordered
When we say that lists are ordered, it means that the items have a defined order, and
that order will not change.
If you add new items to a list, the new items will be placed at the end of the list.
Note: There are some list methods that will change the order, but in general: the order
of the items will not change.
Changeable
The list is changeable, meaning that we can change, add, and remove items in a list
after it has been created.
Allow Duplicates
Since lists are indexed, lists can have items with the same value:
Example
Lists allow duplicate values:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "apple", "cherry"]
print(thislist)
List Items - Data Types
List items can be of any data type:
Example
String, int and boolean data types:
list1 = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
list2 = [1, 5, 7, 9, 3]
list3 = [True, False, False]\
Python Collections (Arrays)
There are four collection data types in the Python programming language:
List is a collection which is ordered and changeable. Allows duplicate members.
Tuple is a collection which is ordered and unchangeable. Allows duplicate
members.
Set is a collection which is unordered, unchangeable*, and unindexed. No
duplicate members.
Dictionary is a collection which is ordered** and changeable. No duplicate
members.
*Set items are unchangeable, but you can remove and/or add items whenever you like.
**As of Python version 3.7, dictionaries are ordered. In Python 3.6 and earlier,
dictionaries are unordered.
When choosing a collection type, it is useful to understand the properties of that type.
Choosing the right type for a particular data set could mean retention of meaning, and, it
could mean an increase in efficiency or security.
Tuple
Tuples are used to store multiple items in a single variable.
Tuple is one of 4 built-in data types in Python used to store collections of data, the other
3 are List, Set, and Dictionary, all with different qualities and usage.
A tuple is a collection which is ordered and unchangeable.
Tuples are written with round brackets.
Create a Tuple:
thistuple = ("apple", "banana", "cherry")
print(thistuple)
Set
Sets are used to store multiple items in a single variable.
Set is one of 4 built-in data types in Python used to store collections of data, the other 3
are List, Tuple, and Dictionary, all with different qualities and usage.
A set is a collection which is unordered, unchangeable*, and unindexed.
* Note: Set items are unchangeable, but you can remove items and add new items.
Sets are written with curly brackets.
Create a Set:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
print(thisset)
Dictionary
Dictionaries are used to store data values in key:value pairs.
A dictionary is a collection which is ordered*, changeable and do not allow duplicates.
As of Python version 3.7, dictionaries are ordered. In Python 3.6 and earlier, dictionaries
are unordered.
Dictionaries are written with curly brackets, and have keys and values:
Create and print a dictionary:
thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
print(thisdict)
Python Conditions and If statements
Python supports the usual logical conditions from mathematics:
Equals: a == b
Not Equals: a != b
Less than: a < b
Less than or equal to: a <= b
Greater than: a > b
Greater than or equal to: a >= b
These conditions can be used in several ways, most commonly in "if statements" and
loops.
An "if statement" is written by using the if keyword.
If statement:
a = 33
b = 200
if b > a:
print("b is greater than a")
In this example we use two variables, a and b, which are used as part of the if
statement to test whether b is greater than a. As a is 33, and b is 200, we know that 200
is greater than 33, and so we print to screen that "b is greater than a".
Indentation
Python relies on indentation (whitespace at the beginning of a line) to define scope in
the code. Other programming languages often use curly-brackets for this purpose.
If statement, without indentation (will raise an error):
a = 33
b = 200
if b > a:
print("b is greater than a") # you will get an error
Python Loops
Python has two primitive loop commands:
while loops
for loops
The while Loop
With the while loop we can execute a set of statements as long as a condition is true.
Print i as long as i is less than 6:
i=1
while i < 6:
print(i)
i += 1
Note: remember to increment i, or else the loop will continue forever.
The while loop requires relevant variables to be ready, in this example we need to
define an indexing variable, i, which we set to 1.
The break Statement
With the break statement we can stop the loop even if the while condition is true:
Example
Exit the loop when i is 3:
i=1
while i < 6:
print(i)
if i == 3:
break
i += 1
Python For Loops
A for loop is used for iterating over a sequence (that is either a list, a tuple, a dictionary,
a set, or a string).
This is less like the for keyword in other programming languages, and works more like
an iterator method as found in other object-orientated programming languages.
With the for loop we can execute a set of statements, once for each item in a list, tuple,
set etc.
Print each fruit in a fruit list:
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in fruits:
print(x)
The for loop does not require an indexing variable to set beforehand.
Looping Through a String
Even strings are iterable objects, they contain a sequence of characters:
Example
Loop through the letters in the word "banana":
for x in "banana":
print(x)
The break Statement
With the break statement we can stop the loop before it has looped through all the
items:
Example
Exit the loop when x is "banana":
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in fruits:
print(x)
if x == "banana":
break
Creating a Function
In Python a function is defined using the def keyword:
def my_function():
print("Hello from a function")
Calling a Function
To call a function, use the function name followed by parenthesis:
Example
def my_function():
print("Hello from a function")
my_function()
Arrays
Note: This page shows you how to use LISTS as ARRAYS, however, to work with
arrays in Python you will have to import a library, like the NumPy library.
Arrays are used to store multiple values in one single variable:
Create an array containing car names:
cars = ["Ford", "Volvo", "BMW"]
What is an Array?
An array is a special variable, which can hold more than one value at a time.
If you have a list of items (a list of car names, for example), storing the cars in single
variables could look like this:
car1 = "Ford"
car2 = "Volvo"
car3 = "BMW"
However, what if you want to loop through the cars and find a specific one? And what if
you had not 3 cars, but 300?
The solution is an array!
An array can hold many values under a single name, and you can access the values by
referring to an index number.
