Getting Started With Python

SD322308 L Gui Talarico

Autodesk University 2019 @gtalarico

Learning Objects
🙈 Learn how to set up a programming environment for Python
🖥 Learn how Python code is interpreted and executed
📝 Learn how to read and write files using Python
📘 Learn the basic data types and flow-control features of Python
Description
This is an introductory class to Python—no previous experience required. The
class will walk through basic concepts of Python and how to set up a Python
programming environment. It will cover Python’s basic data types, flow control
mechanisms, and some of the native libraries that you can use to develop your
own automation tools in Python. At the end of the session, attendees will be able
to develop a working Python script that can read and write files that can be used
to transfer data between different platforms.

Speaker
Gui Talarico is a Software Engineer at Airbnb's Samara Design Studio. Prior to
joining Airbnb, he was a Software Engineer at WeWork where his work focused on
the integration of software development, physical space data, and design
processes.
Beyond his professional work, Gui is an active contributor to open source
projects, and online communities, including is Revit API Docs, an online

Getting Started With Python 1

 Documentation platform for the Revit API. Since launching in late 2016,
RevitApiDocs.com has received over 5 million views and has been widely
recognized as a valuable resource to the Revit developer Community.
At Autodesk University 2017, Gui Talarico received the Best New Speaker Award
as well as a Top Rated Speaker Honorable mention for his Hands on Lab session
Untangling Python.

Links
Presentation
Github Repo

Python Overview
What is Python?
Python is a high-level, general-purpose, open-source programming language. The
language is widely used in a variety of fields, including mathematics, data-
science, and web-development.
Python is also an interpreted language, meaning, its code is interpreted and does
not require compilation. The program that interprets and executes python source
code is called an Interpreter.
The most popular Python Interpreter implementation it’s CPython, which is written
in the language “C”. CPython is the most popular, or reference Python
implementation, and will be the implementation referenced in this session

Getting Started With Python 2

 💡 Ifis allnotthisrequired
sounds confusing, do not worry. Understanding these concepts
to to learn Python. But if you are curious and want to dig
deeper, these wikipedia entries explain these concepts in greater
details:
* Programing Paradigms
* Python
* Interpreter

What is IronPython?
IronPython is an implementation of the Python specs created written in C#. Fun
fact, "Iron" stands for "Implementation Runs On .NET", according to one its
maintainers, Alex Earl (Talk Python to Me, Episode #74 Past, Present, and Future
of IronPython @ 9 20 .
The C# implementation allows the interpreted python code to interact directly
with other applications compatible with Microsoft's .NET framework C#, F#, VB,
etc) through the Common Language Runtime ( module).
clr

This language interoperability has made IronPython a popular language for

creating embedded scripting environments within Windows applications that use
the .NET framework. Some applications that offer embedded python scripting
environments are Rhino + Grasshopper, Autodesk Maya, and of course, Dynamo.
While Python code can be written to be compatible with both mainstream Python
and IronPython, this is only true when the code doesn’t take advantage of
implementation-specific features. For example, code that requires .NET
interoperability requires the ironpython-exclusive module. Conversely,
clr

Python code that depends on libraries that rely on native C code cannot run in
IronPython Numpy, Pandas, etc).
Another disadvantage of IronPython is that development is several years behind
CPython. The latest stable release is IronPython 2.7, while CPython is 3.8. Python
2.7 will reach end-of-life in 2020 and will no longer supported by the python
community.
Getting Started With Python 3
 💡 Weherewillis because
not be using IronPython in this session. The topic is covered
IronPython is used widely in AEC industry so it's helpful
to understand the differences and when one might chose one over the
other.

CPython x IronPython: Which One Should You Use?

If you are using Python within Revit or Rhino, you generally* need to use
IronPython. If you are using Python to develop scripts to be used outside of these
application, you are better of targeting CPython.
This class will focus on using CPython, and in the context of all this document,
CPython and "Python" will be used interchangeably.
If you are interested in using Python within Dynamo, my AU 2017 session on
Python for Dynamo is a better resource - https://github.com/gtalarico/au2017

💡 *CPython
There are is experimental project called PythonNet which allows
to integrate with .NET's clr. It has some limitations, it does
work as advertise and has shown substantial improvement over the last
few years

Why Learn Python

Recognized as having a shallow learning curve, Python has become a popular
choice for education environments and beginners. The syntax and language-
constructs are simple and promote code-readability - when well written; its code
is often considered easy to read even by non-programmers.

Getting Started With Python 4

 Python’s language design also makes it an excellent language to create short
macro-like scripts and automation logic due to its conciseness and
comprehensive standard library (modules that are built-in and shipped with the
language).
Adding a language like Python to your toolset enables you to develop tools and
workflows that are often faster than pure visual-programming, but also allow you
to overcome limitations where the programs fall short.
As you develop your Python skills by writing simple scripts, you can start expand
your usage of Python to develop websites, Web scrappers and APIs, machine
learning models, and much more.

Learning Journey
Learning a new language is no easy feat. It takes time and a lot of patience. Each
person will have their own unique journey and destination. Some may want to
simply automate some work tasks, while others want change careers and become
a software developer.

💡 Iflearning
Python is not your first language, you are in luck! You can expect your
curve to be substantially shallower!

As you start your learning journey, you might also enjoy reading this article by
Erik Trautman
Why Learning to Code is So Damn Hard. The article offer interesting analogies
and insights into the challenges we go through when learning a new programming
language.

Getting Started With Python 5

 https://www.thinkful.com/blog/why-learning-to-code-is-so-damn-hard/

First Things First - Learning the Syntax

Computer languages have a clearly defined syntax which defines how the
language is structure, which words have special meaning, and how operations like
variable assignment and loops are defined.
Learning the syntax of a language is not hard. Most people can spend one or two
weekends going through a python tutorial and will have learned how to write
most language constructs.
Most beginners manage to learn the syntax, but then struggle with what comes
next:
How to troubleshoot and debug your code
How to combine different language constructs together into useful software
How to distribute or run your code on different contexts (eg. a server)

Getting Started With Python 6

 These skills take more time, and one can spend their entire career continuously
refining them. In the next section we will define a framework and suggestions to
help you increase your learning speed and effectiveness.

Language Concepts and Idioms

As a beginners, we do not want to reinvent the wheel. Instead of trying to create
our own pattern from scratch. It's much easier to follow well community
conventions and to reuse establish patterns.
There multiple ways to do achieve the same result with code, although often
some are considered "better" than others. Python code that follows accepted
language conventions and express intent clearly is often referred to as more
"pythonic".

Below are two relevant PEPs (Python Enhancement Proposal) that are considered
important documents in establishing the language's guiding principles:

Pep 20 - Zen of Python

Beautiful is better than ugly.
Explicit is better than implicit.
Simple is better than complex.
Complex is better than complicated.
Flat is better than nested.
Sparse is better than dense.
Readability counts.
Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
Although practicality beats purity.
...

Getting Started With Python 7

 There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way
to do it.
...
Pep 8 - Style Guide for Python Code
Pep8 defines standards for code-formatting and naming conventions. While you
should not attempt to memorize in it's entirety, it is helpful to become familiar
with it and revisit it as needed.
I also highly recommend the use of linters. Linters are programs that analyze
code and return a list of warnings or errors. Visual Studio Code, which will be
used in this session, supports several linters out of the box.

Idiomatic Python
Written by Jeff Knupp, this book documents the good and bad ways of writing
python. It's short and simple but fun to read and I highly recommend. You can get
a sneak peak of the content on this Blog Post. Learning resources like this are
always a great way to immerse yourself into the language, practice reading
source code, learn better patterns.

Application Patterns
Complex Application patterns are beyond the scope of this session. For
beginners, the best way to improve your ability to develop clean and
maintainable code is write code, iterate, and read application source code.
A good place to read application source code is the Awesome Python Application
repository.

Troubleshooting and Debugging

Troubleshooting is the process of identifying errors in your application (eg. why it
doesn't run, or why is a certain error being raised). We will learn more about
Getting Started With Python 8
 identifying errors as we start to code, but it's helpful to familiarize yourself with
the built-in Python Errors & Exceptions.
Debugging, is a form of troubleshooting, but usually refers to the process of
identifying a bug in your application or understanding why it's not behaving the
way you expected.

There are two primary ways to debug our program: print it's output, or insert a
breakpoint and inspect the values interactively. While the "print" method is easiest
and most common, using breakpoints is more powerful and often more effective.
Later into the session will will explore both methods.

Getting Help
Learning how to find solutions online or how to ask for help is one of the most
valuable skills a beginner can have. If you run into an error, often a simple search
will help you find the solution. However, if the issue you have is specific to your
application, or if you are not sure how to build something, being able to ask a
good question is key.
A well asked question is more likely to a get a fast and good response, while a
poorly structured question will likely be ignored or even removed from Q&A
platforms.
This post on Stackoverflow outlines some important pointers to consider:
https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask

If your issue is related to an open source library, the issues section on it's
repository is also a great place to search for solutions.

When asking others for help, be sure to consider the following:

Are you giving enough context?
Are you providing a way for someone to reproduce?
Is your question clear and property formatted?
Getting Started With Python 9
 Have you shown effort and included how you have attempted to solve the
issue?
Always be kind and respectful

Other Learning Resources

Documentation
Python official docs can be found at docs.python.org.
I highly recommend all beginners become familiar with it's structure and content.
In particular, I recommend you read at least the Tutorial and the Built In Functions
sections.

Dive into Python Book

http://www.diveintopython.net/

Tutorials
One you are familiar with the basic syntax, tutorials are an excellent next step to
learn how language constructs are assembled to together to achieve a purpose.

A list of simple automation tutorials

automatetheboringstuff.com

Mathematical and computer programming challenges

projecteuler.net/archives

Create a website using Django

Getting Started With Python 10

 docs.djangoproject.com/en/2.2/intro/tutorial01/

Crete a website using Flask

blog.miguelgrinberg.com/post/the-flask-mega-tutorial-part-i-hello-world

Solve some problems on Leetcode

https://leetcode.com/problemset/all/?difficulty=Easy

Community and Language Immersion

Read Python Source Code on Github regularly
Read Python Questions on Stackoverflow regularly
Learn How to Ask and Answer Questions on Stackoverflow
Listen to Talk Python to Me and Python Bytes
Attend your local Python Meetup

Learning Checklist
If you are not sure where to start, you can use the list below:

Read two sections 1 4 of Python Tutorial

Complete One project from automatetheboringstuff.com
Reach 100 Reputation Points on Stackoverflow by asking and responding to
questions
Web Track: Start the Flask Mega Tutorial

Getting Started With Python 11

 Setting up a Python Developing Environment
Installation
Learning how to properly install and setup an intuitive development environment
can a difficult hurdle to overcome. Understanding how the language works and
how your code executed can give beginners a much needed confidence to
progress quickly

While installation techniques vary between Operating systems and version

requirements, we will focus on installing Python for Windows.
Head of to python.org/downloads/ and download version 3.7.5
If you are not sure which installer to get use Windows x86 64 executable
installer

💡 Why 3.7.5 ? Python3.8.x was released very recently Oct 2019 and you
more likely to encounter library compatibility issues. 3.7.5 is the latest
stable version of the 3.7.x releases

Installation Steps
If you comfortable following the Installation wizard on your own, go for it. If you
need additional help, you can refer to the step-by-step instructions on Real

Getting Started With Python 12

 Python Installing Python Tutorial.

However you decide to setup your installation, just make sure you check the box
"Add Python 3.x to PATH". This will ensure the Python interpreter can be found
when you type on the command prompt
python

Checking your Installation

Open a Command Prompt and enter python . If you installed it correctly, it should
start a python interpreter
C:\>python

Python 3.7.3 (default, Jun 4 2019, 11:29:12)

[Clang 11.0.0 (clang-1100.0.20.17)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>

Writing and Executing Python Code

Using a Command Prompt
Learning how to use a command prompt, or terminal, is an important skill to learn
as most programing languages require its use. While no advanced knowledge is
required, we will need to learn at least a few commands to find our way around
the prompt:

C:\>dir
# list files and directory

C:\>mkdir test

Getting Started With Python 13

 # makes a folder named test

C:\>cd test
# changes current directory to test

C:\test> explorer .
# open a windows explorer window at current directory

Where to Save Your Files

Keeping your code organize is important. For this session, let's create a folder
under the C \ drive.
c:\
└── au-2019-python
├── test.py
└── <other files>

You can create the directory manually from using Windows Explorer, you can also
do this quickly from the command prompt:
c:\>mkdir au-2019-python

While you can save your files anywhere, it's important to understand the their
location affects how the code is executed. The interpreter will look for the
following
c:\>python <relative-path-to-a-python-file>
# Ie. from c:\, you need to enter the full file path
c:\>python au-2019-python/test.py

Alternatively, you can cd to where your files are and run them from there

Getting Started With Python 14

 c:\>cd au-2019-python
c:\au-2010-python>python test.py

If you try to run a file with the incorrect location, Python will tell you:
c:\>python test.py
python: can't open file 'test.py': [Errno 2] No such file or directory

Editors
Python code can be written using any text editor, although most developers use
robust text editors like Atom, Sublime, Visual Studio Code, or Notepad ++.
Integrated Development Environments like PyCharm or Visual Studio can also be
used, however, I find they are often intimidating for beginners.
You can also write your code directly in embedded editors such as the one
provided by Dynamo, although they usually lack many of the features provided
by the alternatives above like code completion, code linting, and file
management.

You should use whichever editor feels more intuitive to you. This class will teach
use VS Code editor and execute code directly through the Python Interpreter.

Head over to code.vistualstudio.com and install a copy on your computer.

Getting Started With Python 15

 For this session, we will also leverage Visual Studio Code built in terminal. This
will make it easier for us to write and edit code in one environment.

Launching VSCode
You can launch Visual Studio Code from anywhere, but I often prefer to launch it
from a terminal. This ensures the current directory is set correctly.

c:\au-2010-python>code .

Launching a Terminal
To launch a new terminal go to the Terminal and click New Terminal.

Getting Started With Python 16

 Using Python Interpreter Interactively
The Python interpreter is the core of the language. It's binary application that can
take Python source code and executed.
The interpreter is an invaluable tool for testing code samples and exploring the
language with interactive feedback.

For this session we will run the interpreter and then execute python code one line
at the time. To start a new interpreter session just type python

Note the caret indicates the code is being run from an interpreter in
>>>

interactive mode.In some examples, blank lines might follow to indicate the
output or result of the line executed.

c:\au-2010-python> python
Python 3.7.3 (default, Jun 4 2019, 11:29:12)
[Clang 11.0.0 (clang-1100.0.20.17)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> 2 + 2
4

It can be used in two ways:

Type commands interactively using the interactive interpreter
Execute python source code that has been saved into a file:
eg. c:\python test.pywill execute the source code saved in test.py through
the python interpreter

# c:\au-2010-python\hello.py
print("Hello!")

Getting Started With Python 17

 C:\au-2010-python\>python hello.py
Hello!

Language Primitives
Now that we have a Python installation setup, an editor, and a terminal, we will
dive into the language by playing with it interactively.

Print
Python programs can output values using the function . The print function
print()

takes an argument (the value inside the parenthesis) and outputs it's
representation below.

>>> print('Hello World')

Hello World
>>> print(2 + 4)
6

💡 There
below
many other built-in functions available - for a full list see the link
https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#built-in-funcs

Commenting
Getting Started With Python 18
 A hash or pound character (#) can be used to tell the interpreter to ignore all
subsequent characters in the same line. This is commonly used to add comments
to yourself and others.
>>> # This line will not be executed

Basic Data Types

String
Strings are used to represent text-like objects and must be enclosed by single or
double quotes.
Triple quoted strings (single or double) can be used to represent multiline text.
>>> print("abc")
abc
>>> print('another string')
another string
>>> type("abc")
<class 'str'>

Integer
Positive or negative whole numbers with no decimal points.
>>> print(5)
5
>>> print(-10)
-10

Float
Getting Started With Python 19
 Positive or negative Integer values, with decimals separated by a dot.
>>> print(5.5)

Boolean
Valid boolean-type values are True and False. These types are case sensitive, so
True is not the same as true. In the example below we use the operator to is

compare boolean values/

>>> True
>>> False
>>> True is False
False
>>> True is True
True

List
Array-like container object that can hold a collection of data-types including
other lists (nested lists). Unlike other languages, Python lists can hold different
data-types mixed together, although that’s often not a good idea. Lists are
represented with square brackets. When lists are created, they are often
immediately assigned to a variable, as in the examples below.
>>> numbers = [1,2,3]
>>> points = [[0,0,0], [2,3,4], [5,5,5]]
>>> objects = ['Desk', 'Chair', 'Lamp']
>>> print(objects)
['Desk', 'Chair', 'Lamp']

List items can be accessed using its index wrapped in square brackets. Indexes
start at 0.

Getting Started With Python 20

 >>> objects[0] # Retrieves item of index 0 (first)
'Desk'

Nested lists can be accessed in the same way.

>>> points[1][0] # Item of index 1 (2nd), then first in nested list
2

Dictionary
Container-like objects that holds data using key-value pairs. Strings are often
used as keys, but they can be of other data-types - including integers and floats.
Dictionaries are represented using curly braces, with key-colon-value pairs,
separated by commas.
>>> elevations= {'Level 1': 10.0, 'Level 2': 25.0}
>>> coordinates = {'absolute': [0,0,0], 'relative': [20,20,0]}
>>> person = {'Name': 'Mark', 'Age': 20, 'Address': '123 Street'}

None
None is a unique object type that’s used to represent an undefined value or the
absence of a value. None is also case-sensitive.
>>> active_view = None

Alternative Constructors & Converting Types

In addition to using the literal representation of the data types ('abc' → string, 1 →
int) you can also use built in functions provided for each type. Note howerver,
Getting Started With Python 21
 these functions are usually use to create objects, instead, they can be used to
convert, or cast.
Each type has specific behaviour and supported conversions.
>>> int(10)
10
>>> int(5.2)
5
>>> float(5)
5.0
>>> str(5)
"5"
>>> bool(0)
False
>>> bool(1)
True

Expressions and Statements

Expression are statements that make up the core syntactical structure of the
language. You do not have to memorize these, but knowing them helps form a
vocabulary that can be used to better understand and discuss a language.
Expressions and Operators
An expression is a combination of values and operators that can be evaluated
down to a single value or object. The examples below use operators to combine
data types.

Operators are symbol which can be used to perform an operation between 2

datatypes. The operation can return another symilar datatype (eg returns
2 + 2

integer ) or return a different type (

4 returns boolean ). Note while
3 > 1 True

some operators can perform implicite type castings, not all combinations are
possible.
>>> 2 * 2
4
>>> 'Hello ' + 'You' + "!"
'Hello You!'

Getting Started With Python 22

 >>> 4 > 2
True
>>> 3 == 3
True
>>> 3 == 3
True
>>> 5 * "a"
"aaaaa"
>>> 5 + "a"
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for +: 'int' and 'str'

Statements Overview
In contrast, statements are basically everything else, often associated with an
action. Common statements are variable assignment ( x = 2 ), and other flow-
control features such as (if, else, for, etc).
>>> x = 3 # Assign the value 3 to the variable x
>>> if x == 3: # Checks if the variable x is equal to the value 3
... x = 5 # Assign the value 5 to the variable x

Assignment Statement
A single ‘=’ symbol is used to assign a value to a variable name. This is different
than two ‘==’, which is a check for equality, as shown above.
>>> x = 1
>>> y = 3
>>> print(x+y)
4

"If" Statement (Conditional Flow)

If, else, and elif can be used to check for conditions, and control the flow of the
program based on whether those conditions are met.

Getting Started With Python 23

 >>> x = 5
>>> if x > 3:
... print('x is larger than 3')
... elif x == 3:
... print('x is 3')
... else:
... print('x is less than 3')

For Loop Statement (Iteration)

For Loops allow us to iterate over any iterable elements. Some of the most
common iterables elements are Lists, Strings, and Dictionaries, :
>>> for letter in 'Hello':
... print(letter)
'H' FIX
'e'
'l'
'l'
'o'

>>> for number in [1,2,3]:

... print(letter)
1
2
3

White Space
One of the most controversial and loved features of Python is the obligatory use
of white space. Unlike other languages which use brackets to group blocks of
code, Python uses spaced indentation. While "tab" characters are allowed, the
official Python Style Guide advise use of 4x space characters instead.
Using the same example from above, note how indentation is used to control
execution flow:
>>> x = 3
>>> if x == 3:
... #### note
... # Only do this if x is equal to 3
... else:
... # Do this if x is NOT EQUAL 3

Getting Started With Python 24

 >>> # Do something at the end, Regardless of the value of x

>>> for n in [1,2,3]:

... # Execute this line 3x times - first as 1, then 2, then 3
... # After looop ends, continue execution here.

Functions and Methods

Functions
A function is a named block of code that performs an action. Functions can be
defined using the keyword def followed by the function name and arguments.
Functions are called by adding parentheses () after their name. Arguments are the
values passed to a function (x and y in the example below). Functions can use the
keyword return to return a value, although that is not a requirement.
>>> def print_text(): # Function Takes no arguments
... print('My Text') # Performs a function, but doesn't return any value
>>> print_text()
'My Text'
>>> def feet_to_inches(num_in_feet): # Function receives 1 argument
... return num_in_feet * 12 # Returns the arg multiplied by 12
>>> feet = feet_to_inches(2) # total variable will hold the value 7 returned
>>> print(feet)
24

Methods
Methods are functions defined and stored within an object. Many built-in data-
types come with pre-defined methods built-in. That enables us to call or apply a
function directly to an object. As you learn how to define your own data-types,
you can create your own method, but for now we will stick with using methods
defined by the built-in types.

In the examples below, we use the a list's method to append a new item,
append

and a string's method to convert all characters to lower case.

lower()

Getting Started With Python 25

 >>> numbers = [1, 2, 3]
>>> numbers.append(4) # appends an item to a list
[1, 2, 3, 4]
>>> 'LEVEL 01'.lower()
'level 01'
>>> 'i like to type'.capitalize()
'I like To type '

A list of all String Methods and List Methods are detailed in the official Python
documentation.

Classes
Classes are recipes for custom data-types. For instance, one could create a class
called . An instance of this class might have a property
Door door.is_open that
returns or
True False, a property that returns its width, and a method
door.width

door.open() which sets it's attribute to

is_open True

Classes are fairly advanced topic and further details are beyond the scope of
this this course, but we will include an example below for your reference. You can
read more about Python Classes on the official docs at
docs.python.org/3/tutorial/classes.html

class Door():
""" This class represents a Door """

def __init__(self, width, height):

self.width = width
self.height = height
self.is_open = True

def open(self):
self.is_open = True

def close(self):
self.is_open = False

>>> my_door = Door(30, 60)

>>> my_door.width
30

Getting Started With Python 26

 >>> my_door.is_open
True
>>> my_door.close()
>>> my_door.is_open

Imports
Imports can be used to load additional modules, classes, or functions into your
script. These can come from another script you have written, or from the Python
Standard Library. The standard library is a large collection of packages that is
shipped with Python to extend functionality. For instance, the math module
contains additional math-related tools; the time module gives you tools for
working with time. You can read more about all the modules available in the
Standard library on https://docs.python.org
Below are two simple examples that use the os and sys module to access
functionality related to the operating system and the interpreter:
>>> import os # imports the os module
>>> os.listdir('C:/') # call listdir method to get files in directory
['Program Files', 'ProgramData', 'Users', 'Windows', 'Logs' ]

>>> from datetime import datetime

>>> print(datetime.now())

Note on * Imports
It’s worth mentioning that although the template uses the syntax from
Namespace import * , this is generally considered bad practice by the Python
Community. The asterisk at the end tells Python to load all classes and methods
inside the module. Depending on the namespace, you could be loading hundreds
or even thousands of identifiers into the context of your script. This practice also
has the following disadvantages:
1. Loading all modules can cause a namespace conflict. For example, if another
module also contains a class with the same name, the first one loaded will be
Getting Started With Python 27
 overwritten.
2. As objects loaded are used throughout our code, it’s hard for other
programmers to tell from which one of the Assemblies/Namespaces the
object came from.
A better solution is to either load only the class you need, or to reference them
using the parent module. For example, if you want to use the Circle and Vector
classes, you could use

Hands on Project
See https://github.com/gtalarico/au-2019-python for updated Handout

Getting Started With Python 28