Learn Python the Hard Way

Autorentext

Zed A. Shaw is the author of the popular books, Learn Python the Hard Way, Learn Ruby the Hard Way, and Learn C the Hard Way. He is also the creator of several open source software projects and has been programming and writing for nearly 30 years. Most of his free time is devoted to the study of painting and art history.

Klappentext

"Zed Shaw has created the world's most reliable system for learning Python. Follow it and you will succeed--just like the millions of beginners Zed has taught to date! You bring the discipline, persistence, and attention; the author supplies the masterful knowledge you need to succeed. In Learn Python the Hard Way, Fifth Edition, you'll learn Python by working through 60 lovingly crafted exercises. Read them. Type in the code. Run it. Fix your mistakes. Repeat. As you do, you'll learn how a computer works, how to solve problems, and how to enjoy programming . . . even when it's driving you crazy."--

Zusammenfassung

You Will Learn Python!

Zed Shaw has created the world's most reliable system for learning Python. Follow it and you will succeed--just like the millions of beginners Zed has taught to date! You bring the discipline, persistence, and attention; the author supplies the masterful knowledge you need to succeed.

In Learn Python the Hard Way, Fifth Edition, you'll learn Python by working through 60 lovingly crafted exercises. Read them. Type in the code. Run it. Fix your mistakes. Repeat. As you do, you'll learn how a computer works, how to solve problems, and how to enjoy programming . . . even when it's driving you crazy.

• Install a complete Python environment
• Organize and write code
• Fix and break code
• Basic mathematics
• Strings and text
• Interact with users
• Work with files
• Looping and logic
• Object-oriented programming
• Data structures using lists and dictionaries
• Modules, classes, and objects
• Python packaging
• Automated testing
• Basic SQL for Data Science
• Web scraping
• Fixing bad data (munging)
• The "Data" part of "Data Science"
  It'll be frustrating at first. But if you keep trying, you'll get it--and it'll feel amazing! This course will reward you for every minute you put into it. Soon, you'll know one of the world's most powerful, popular programming languages. You'll be a Python programmer.

This Book Is Perfect For

• Total beginners with zero programming experience
• Junior developers who know one or two languages
• Returning professionals who haven't written code in years
• Aspiring Data Scientists or academics who need to learn to code
• Seasoned professionals looking for a fast, simple crash course in Python for Data Science
  Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.

Inhalt

Preface xix

Module 1: Getting Started in Python 1

Exercise 0: Gearing Up 2
General Instructions 2
Minimalist Start 3
Complete Instructions 3
Testing Your Setup 3
Learning the Command Line 4
Next Steps 5

Exercise 1: A Good First Program 6
What You Should See 7
Study Drills 8
Common Student Questions 9
The Blue Plus 9

Exercise 2: Comments and Pound Characters 10
What You Should See 10
Study Drills 10
Common Student Questions 11

Exercise 3: Numbers and Math 12
What You Should See 13
Study Drills 13
Common Student Questions 13

Exercise 4: Variables and Names 16
What You Should See 17
Study Drills 17
Common Student Questions 17

Exercise 5: More Variables and Printing 20
What You Should See 20
Study Drills 21
Common Student Questions 21

Exercise 6: Strings and Text 22
What You Should See 23
Study Drills 23
Break It 23
Common Student Questions 24

Exercise 7: Combining Strings 26
What You Should See 26
Study Drills 26
Break It 27
Common Student Questions 27

Exercise 8: Formatting Strings Manually 28
What You Should See 28
Study Drills 29
Common Student Questions 29

Exercise 9: Multi-Line Strings 30
What You Should See 30
Study Drills 31
Common Student Questions 31

Exercise 10: Escape Codes in Strings 32
What You Should See 33
Escape Sequences 33
Study Drills 34
Common Student Questions 34

Exercise 11: Asking People Questions 36
What You Should See 36
Study Drills 37
Common Student Questions 37

Exercise 12: An Easier Way to Prompt 38
What You Should See 38
Study Drills 38
Common Student Questions 39

Exercise 13: Parameters, Unpacking, Variables 40
Code Description 41
Hold Up! Features Have Another Name 42
What You Should See 42
Study Drills 43
Common Student Questions 43

Exercise 14: Prompting and Passing 46
What You Should See 47
Study Drills 47
Common Student Questions 47

Exercise 15: Reading Files 50
What You Should See 51
Study Drills 51
Common Student Questions 52

Exercise 16: Reading and Writing Files 54
What You Should See 55
Study Drills 55
Common Student Questions 56

Exercise 17: More Files 58
What You Should See 59
Study Drills 59
Common Student Questions 59

Module 2: The Basics of Programming 61

Exercise 18: Names, Variables, Code, Functions 62
Exercise Code 63
What You Should See 65
Study Drills 65
Common Student Questions 66

Exercise 19: Functions and Variables 68
What You Should See 69
Study Drills 70
Common Student Questions 70

Exercise 20: Functions and Files 72
What You Should See 73
Study Drills 73
Common Student Questions 74

Exercise 21: Functions Can Return Something 76
What You Should See 77
Study Drills 77
Common Student Questions 78

Exercise 22: Strings, Bytes, and Character Encodings 80
Initial Research 80
Switches, Conventions, and Encodings 82
Dissecting the Output 84
Dissecting the Code 84
Encodings Deep Dive 86
Breaking It 87

Exercise 23: Introductory Lists 88
Accessing Elements of a List 88
Practicing Lists 89
The Code 89
The Challenge 90
Final Challenge 91

Exercise 24: Introductory Dictionaries 92
Key/Value Structures 92
Combining Lists with Data Objects 93
The Code 94
What You Should See 95
The Challenge 95
Final Challenge 96

Exercise 25: Dictionaries and Functions 98
Step 1: Function Names Are Variables 98
Step 2: Dictionaries with Variables 98
Step 3: Dictionaries with Functions 99
Step 4: Deciphering the Last Line 99
Study Drill 100

Exercise 26: Dictionaries and Modules 102
Step 1: Review of import 102
Step 2: Find the dict 102
Step 3: Change the dict 103
Study Drill: Find the "Dunders" 104

Exercise 27: The Five Simple Rules to the Game of Code 106
Rule 1: Everything Is a Sequence of Instructions 106
Rule 2: Jumps Make the Sequence Non-Linear 108
Rule 3: Tests Control Jumps 110
Rule 4: Storage Controls Tests 111
Rule 5: Input/Output Controls Storage 112
Putting It All Together 113

Exercise 28: Memorizing Logic 116
The Truth Terms 116
The Truth Tables 117
Common Student Questions 119

Exercise 29: Boolean Practice 120
What You Should See 122
Study Drills 122
Common Student Questions 122

Exercise 30: What If 124
What You Should See 124
dis() It 125
Study Drill 125
Common Student Questions 125

Exercise 31: Else and If 126
What You Should See 127
dis() It 127
Study Drills 128
Common Student Questions 128

Exercise 32: Making Decisions 130
What You Should See 131
dis() It 131
Study Drills 132
Common Student Questions 132

Exercise 33: Loops and Lists 134
What You Should…