Python

By justin wokocha, Alice Deeklean and John Arkhamburge

Python, a popular programming language, is user friendly and versatile. It is true that anyone can learn to code with Python. The simple syntax of Python is uncomplicated and effortless for both programmers and non-programmers. This book covers all the basic concepts in Python. All the topics in this book are explained with examples that have a brief description, so you can create your own samples and practice in the interpreter. You will enjoy learning Python with this book; it is easy to understand and free of any complicated terms. For the convenience of the readers, any technical terms are defined and explained.

You will also get to know about debugging and the proper way to write code in Python. Learning about how to properly write your code will help you when you start working with Python. These concepts will take you one step ahead of Python's basic concepts. The future of Python is bright and many more new technologies will be adopting Python for their applications. Start the learning process today, so you can walk with the world in the future.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: justin wokocha
• Release date: Nov 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201349776

Book preview

Introduction

Python is a programming language. It is really easy to learn compared to other programming languages. According to software professionals, anyone can learn Python programming because of its simple syntax. You do not need to learn complex commands to process work using Python; your regular English commands work in Python.

Guido van Russom developed Python in 1989. An interesting fact about Python is the origin of its name. When you first learned about this language, you might have thought about the Python snake, but it is actually named after Monty Python’s Flying Circus, a television show from the 70s. (TK, 2019).

Why do you want to learn the language? Is it because it is a popular computer language,do you want to learn something new but simple, or are you already familiar with the language but want to explore it further? Whatever your reason is for learning Python, you have come to the right place. Python has gained such popularity  mostly because of its easy-to-understand commands and free availability.

Yes! You can start coding online without any charges. But first, you will have to learn how to code. Where, for other computer languages you have to learn the language commands, in Python you just need to understand how to apply the commands. It is easy to read and learn. Thus, anyone can learn to code with Python.

Machine learning, which is gaining huge popularity lately, also uses Python codes to write some of its applications. You might have seen product recommendations when you open Amazon, eBay, Walmart, or other websites. These recommendations are done using machine learning algorithms. Image recognition and voice recognition are some of the other popular machine learning algorithms.

Python is also used for game development, data analysis, automation solutions, and some of the desktop applications like TKinter or QT. Python can be installed on any operating system like Mac, Windows, Linux, etc. It is a free to download, open source computer language. Installing Python on your computer is simple, and a step-by-step guide is available once you download the program (Chakraborty, 2021).

You can download Python from the Python website. The interpreter for Python and extensive standard library is also available on this website. It also suggests third party websites which contain Python modules, programs, tools, and additional documentation related to Python coding. Python is also used as an extension language for many customizable applications. You can use any IDE or text editor from the internet or third-party website suggested on the Python website to run Python scripts. You can also run Python scripts on the operating system command-line or terminal, Python interactive mode, and file manager of your system.

If you do not want to use any other IDE, you can directly install and run Python on your system. To install Python, follow these steps (TK, 2019):

●  Download the latest version of Python from their official website.

●  Run the installer file. The installation file will instruct on each step, so follow those steps.

●  During the installation process, select the path where you want Python to be installed.

●  Also, check the box that says, Add Python to environment variables, when installing.

●  Once the installation is complete, you can open and run Python.

To run Python in immediate mode:

●  Type python in the command line of the interpreter. This will invoke the interpreter in the immediate mode. You can type any code here, to get an output.

●  Suppose, you type 1+1 and press enter. The output will be 2.

●  If you want to exit immediate mode then type quit() and press enter.

To run Python in the Integrated Development Environment (IDE):

●  Install any IDE. It is used to write Python scripts.

●  When you install Python, an IDE called IDLE is also installed with it.

●  Use this to run Python scripts.

●  You have to save the IDE file with the .py extension.

●  Write any code in the file and save it.

●  For running the file, go to Run>Run Module. You can also click F5 on your keyboard.

Once you install the environment for Python, you can start writing the script. If you have just started learning the program, don’t be overwhelmed with all the technical terms. You will learn everything while learning Python programming.

So why do you think the Python program is important and everyone should start learning it? Here are some of the reasons (Moore, 2015):

●  Easily read and maintain code: When you are writing software you have to maintain the quality of the source code so that it is easy to maintain and update the software. Whereas, Python works on syntax rules, so you do not have to write any additional code. Also, you can use the English language to write keywords instead of punctuations, which makes it more readable than other programming languages. You have to put very little effort to maintain and update the program because of its readable and clean codes.

●  Multiple programming paradigms: Python supports object oriented and structured programming and several other programming paradigms. It has automatic memory management and a dynamic system. You can build large and complex software using python programming paradigms and language features.

●  Compatibility: Python can be used on different operating systems. You can use Python to run the same code on various operating systems without recompilation. You can modify the code anytime without any extra time.

●  Powerful standard library: The bigger and powerful library gives you an option to select from the wide range of modules as per your requirements. These modules then help you in adding functionalities to the application