Introduction to

Python Programming
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.
Why Python?
• Python works on different platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux,
Raspberry Pi, etc.).
• Python has a simple syntax similar to the English
language.
• Python has syntax that allows developers to write programs
with fewer lines than some other programming languages.
• Python runs on an interpreter system, meaning that code
can be executed as soon as it is written. This means that
prototyping can be very quick.
• Python can be treated in a procedural way, an object-
oriented way or a functional way.
Python Syntax compared to other
programming languages
• Python was designed for readability, and has some
similarities to the English language with influence
from mathematics.
• Python uses new lines to complete a command, as
opposed to other programming languages which often
use semicolons or parentheses.
• Python relies on indentation, using whitespace, to
define scope; such as the scope of loops, functions
and classes. Other programming languages often use
curly-brackets for this purpose.
Python Getting Started
Python Install
• Many PCs and Macs will have python already
installed.

• To check if you have python installed on a Windows

PC, search in the start bar for Python or run the
following on the Command Line (cmd.exe):

• C:\Users\Your Name>python --version

Python Getting Started
Python Install

• To check if you have python installed on a Linux or Mac,

then on Linux open the command line or on Mac open the
Terminal and type:

• python –version

• If you find that you do not have Python installed on your

computer, then you can download it for free from the
following website: https://www.python.org/
Python QuickStart
• Python is an interpreted programming language, this
means that as a developer you write Python (.py) files
in a text editor and then put those files into the
python interpreter to be executed.

• The way to run a python file is like this on the

command line:

• C:\Users\Your Name>python helloworld.py

Where "helloworld.py" is the name of your python file.

Let's write our first Python file, called
helloworld.py, which can be done in any text editor.

• print("Hello, World!")

Simple as that. Save your file. Open your command line,

navigate to the directory where you saved your file, and
run:

• C:\Users\Your Name>python helloworld.py

 The output should read:

Hello, World!
Congratulations, you have written and
executed your first Python program.
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.
Example
if 5 > 2:
print("Five is greater than two!")

• Python will give you an error if you skip the

indentation:

• File "demo_indentation_test.py", line 2

print("Five is greater than two!")
^
IndentationError: expected an indented block
The number of spaces is up to you as a
programmer, the most common use is four, but
it has to be at least one.

• if 5 > 2:
• print("Five is greater than two!")
• if 5 > 2:
• print("Five is greater than two!")
Output
• Five is greater than two!
Five is greater than two!
You have to use the same number of spaces in
the same block of code, otherwise Python will
give you an error:
• Example • Output
• if 5 > 2: • File
• print("Five is greater than two!") "demo_indentation2_error.py",
• print("Five is greater than line 3
two!")
• print("Five is greater
than two!")
• ^
• IndentationError: unexpected
indent
Python Variables
• In Python, variables are created when you assign a
value to it:

• Example
• Variables in Python:

•x = 5
• y = "Hello, World!"
• Example: • Output:
•x = 5
• y = "Hello, World!"

• print(x) 5
Hello, World!
• print(y)
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!")
• Example: • Output:
• #This is a comment. • Hello, World!
• 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:

Example: Output:

• #This is a comment • Hello, World!

• print("Hello, World!")
Creating a Comment
• Comments can be placed at the end of a line, and Python will
ignore the rest of the line:

• Example:

• print("Hello, World!") #This is a comment

• Output:

• Hello, World!
Creating a Comment
• A comment does not have
to be text that explains
the code, it can also be
used to prevent Python
from executing code:

Output:
Example:
• Cheers, Mate!
• #print("Hello, World!")
• print("Cheers, Mate!")
Multiline Comments
• Python does not really have a
syntax for multiline comments.
• To add a multiline comment you
could insert a # for each
line:

Example: Output:
• #This is a comment
• Hello, World!
• #written in
• #more than just one line
• print("Hello, World!")
Multiline Comments
• Or, not quite as intended, you can use
a multiline string.
As long as the string is
not assigned to a variable,
• Since Python will ignore string Python will read the code,
literals that are not assigned to a but then ignore it, and you
variable, you can add a multiline
string (triple quotes) in your code,
have made a multiline
and place your comment inside it: comment.
Example:

• """ Output:
• This is a comment
• written in
• more than just one line
• Hello, World!
• """
• print("Hello, World!")
Python Variables
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.
Example: Output:

•x = 5 •5
• y = "John" 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: Output:
•x = 4 # x is of type • Sally
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.

Examples:

• x = str(3) # x will be '3'

• y = int(3) # y will be 3
• Z = float(3) # z will be 3.0
Casting
• If you want to specify the data type of a
variable, this can be done with casting.

Output:

•3
•3
• 3.0
Get the Type

• You can get the data type of a variable with

the type() function.

Example:

• x = 5
• y = "John"
• print(type(x))
• print(type(y))
Get the Type

You can get the data type of a variable with

the type() function.

Output:

• <class 'int'>
<class 'str'>
Single or Double Quotes?

String variables can be declared either

by using single or double quotes:
Example:

• x = "John"
• # is the same as
• x = 'John'
Single or Double Quotes?

String variables can be declared either

by using single or double quotes:
Output:

• John
• John
Case-Sensitive

Variable names are case-sensitive.

Example:
This will create two variables:

•a = 4
• A = "Sally"
• #A will not overwrite a
Case-Sensitive

Variable names are case-sensitive.

Output:
This will create two variables:

•4
• Sally
Python - Variable Names
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.
Example: Output:
Legal variable names: Legal variable
names:
• myvar = "John"
• my_var = "John" • John
• _my_var = "John" John
• myVar = "John" John
• MYVAR = "John" John
John
• myvar2 = "John"
John
Example: Output:
Illegal variable Illegal variable
names: names:

• File "./prog.py",
• 2myvar = "John" line 1 2myvar =
• my-var = "John" "John" ^
• my var = "John" SyntaxError:
invalid syntax
During handling of
• #This example will the above
produce an error in exception, another
the result exception occurred:
Multi Words Variable Names

• Variable names with more than one word can be

difficult to read.

• There are several techniques you can use to make

them more readable:
Camel Case

Each word, except the first, starts

with a capital letter:

myVariableName = "John"
Pascal Case

Each word starts with a capital letter:

MyVariableName = "John"
Snake Case

Each word is separated by an underscore

character:

my_variable_name = "John"
Python Variables - Assign
Multiple Values
Many Values to Multiple Variables

Python allows you to assign values to multiple variables in one line:

Example:

• x, y, z = "Orange", "Banana", "Cherry"

• print(x)
• print(y)
• print(z)

Note: Make sure the number of variables matches the number of values, or else
you will get an error.
Python Variables - Assign
Multiple Values

Many Values to Multiple Variables

Python allows you to assign values to multiple variables

in one line:

Output:

• Orange
• Banana
• Cherry
One Value to Multiple Variables

And you can assign the same value to multiple

variables in one line:

Example:

• x = y = z = "Orange"
• print(x)
• print(y)
• print(z)
One Value to Multiple Variables

And you can assign the same value to multiple

variables in one line:

Output:

• Orange
• Orange
• Orange
Unpack a Collection

If you have a collection of values in a list, tuple

etc. Python allows you to extract the values into
variables. This is called unpacking.

Example:
Unpack a list:

• fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

• x, y, z = fruits
• print(x)
• print(y)
• print(z)
Unpack a Collection

If you have a collection of values in a list,

tuple etc. Python allows you to extract the
values into variables. This is called unpacking.

Output:
Unpack a list:

• apple
• banana
• cherry
Unpack a Collection

If you have a collection of values in a list,

tuple etc. Python allows you to extract the
values into variables. This is called unpacking.

Output:
Unpack a list:

• apple
• banana
• cherry
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

The Python print() function is often

used to output variables.

Example:
• x = "Python is awesome"
• print(x)
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

The Python print() function is often

used to output variables.

Output:
• Python is awesome
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

In the print() function, you output multiple

variables, separated by a comma:

Example:
• x = "Python"
• y = "is"
• z = "awesome"
• print(x, y, z)
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

You can also use the + operator to output multiple

variables:

Example:
• x = "Python "
• y = "is "
• z = "awesome"
• print(x + y + z)

Notice the space character after "Python " and "is ", without them the
result would be "Pythonisawesome".
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

You can also use the + operator to

output multiple variables:

Output:
• Python is awesome
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

For numbers, the + character works as a

mathematical operator:

Example:
•x = 5
• y = 10
• print(x + y)
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

For numbers, the + character works as a

mathematical operator:

Ouput:
• 15
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

In the print() function, when you try to combine

a string and a number with the + operator,
Python will give you an error:

Example:
• x = 5
• y = "John"
• print(x + y)
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

In the print() function, when you try to

combine a string and a number with
the + operator, Python will give you an error:

Output:
• TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for +: 'int' and
'str'
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

The best way to output multiple variables in

the print() function is to separate them with
commas, which even support different data types:

Example:
• x = 5
• y = "John"
• print(x, y)
Python - Output Variables
Output Variables

The best way to output multiple variables in

the print() function is to separate them with
commas, which even support different data
types:

Output:

• 5 John
Python - Global Variables
Global Variables

Variables that are created outside of a

function (as in all of the examples
above) are known as global variables.

Global variables can be used by

everyone, both inside of functions and
outside.
Example:
Create a variable outside of a function, and use
it inside the function

• x = "awesome"

• def myfunc():
• print("Python is " + x)

• myfunc()
Output:
Create a variable outside of a function, and use
it inside the function

• Python is awesome
Python - Global Variables
Global Variables

If you create a variable with the same

name inside a function, this variable
will be local, and can only be used
inside the function. The global
variable with the same name will remain
as it was, global and with the original
value.
Example:
Create a variable inside a function, with the same
name as the global variable

• x = "awesome"

• def myfunc():
• x = "fantastic"
• print("Python is " + x)

• myfunc()

• print("Python is " + x)
Output:
Create a variable inside a function, with the same
name as the global variable

• Python is fantastic
• Python is awesome