Programming In Python

CT088-0-M version 1 (November 2017)

Problem solving with Python

 Topic & Structure of the lesson

• strings
– Defining string type of data
– Searching through string / list
– Finding element in a string/ list
– Looping through string/ list
• List
– Creation
– Processing

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 Learning outcomes

• At the end of this lecture you should be

able to:
– Develop a problem-based strategy for
creating and applying programmed solutions
– Create, edit, compile, run, debug and test
programs using an appropriate development
environment

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 Key terms you must be able to
use
• If you have mastered this topic, you
should be able to use the following terms
correctly in your assignments and exams:

– str
– len
– list

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 String Data Type
• A string is a sequence of >>> str1 = "Hello”
>>> str2 = 'there'
characters >>> bob = str1 + str2
• A string literal uses >>> print(bob)
quotes 'Hello' or “Hello” Hellothere
>>> str3 = '123'
• For strings, + means >>> str3 = str3 + 1
“concatenate” Traceback (most recent call last): File
"<stdin>", line 1, in
• When a string contains <module>TypeError: cannot
numbers, it is still a string concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
>>> x = int(str3) + 1
• We can convert numbers >>> print(x)
in a string into a number 124
using int() >>>

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 Reading and
Converting >>> name = input('Enter:')
Enter:Chuck
• We prefer to read data >>> print(name)
in using strings and Chuck
then parse and convert >>> apple = input('Enter:')
the data as we need Enter:100
>>> x = apple – 10
• This gives us more
Traceback (most recent call last): File
control over error "<stdin>", line 1, in
situations and/or bad <module>TypeError: unsupported
user input operand type(s) for -: 'str' and 'int'
• Raw input numbers >>> x = int(apple) – 10
must be converted from >>> print(x)
strings 90

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 Looking Inside Strings

• We can get at any single

character in a string using b a n a n a
an index specified in 0 1 2 3 4 5
square brackets
• The index value must be
an integer and starts at >>> fruit = 'banana'
>>> letter = fruit[1]
zero
>>> print(letter)
• The index value can be an a
expression that is >>> n = 3
>>> w = fruit[n - 1]
computed >>> print(w)
n

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 A Character Too Far

• You will get a

python error if you
attempt to index >>> zot = 'abc'
>>> print(zot[5])
beyond the end of Traceback (most recent call last): File
"<stdin>", line 1, in
a string. <module>IndexError: string index out
of range
• So be careful >>>

when constructing
index values and
slices
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 Strings Have Length

• There is a built-in
function len that b a n a n a
gives us the length 0 1 2 3 4 5
of a string
>>> fruit = 'banana'
>>> print(len(fruit))
6

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 Len Function

>>> fruit = 'banana' A function is some stored

>>> x = len(fruit) code that we use. A
>>> print x function takes some input
6 and produces an output.

'banana' len() 6
(a number)
(a string)
function

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 Looping Through Strings

• Using a while
statement and an
iteration variable, and
the len function, we fruit = 'banana' 0b
can construct a loop index = 0 1a
while index < len(fruit) : 2n
to look at each of the letter = fruit[index] 3a
letters in a string print index, letter 4n
individually index = index + 1 5a

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 Looping Through Strings

• A definite loop
using a for
statement is much
b
more elegant a
fruit = 'banana' n
• The iteration for letter in fruit : a
variable is print letter n
a
completely taken
care of by the for
loop

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 Looping Through Strings

• A definite loop
using a for fruit = 'banana'
for letter in fruit :
statement is much print letter b
more elegant a
n
• The iteration a
variable is n
index = 0 a
completely taken while index < len(fruit) :
care of by the for letter = fruit[index]
print letter
loop index = index + 1

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 Looping and Counting

• This is a simple
loop that loops
through each letter
in a string and word = 'banana'
count = 0
counts the number for letter in word :
of times the loop if letter == 'a' :
count = count + 1
encounters the 'a' print count
character.

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 Looking deeper into in

• The iteration variable

“iterates” though the
sequence (ordered set) Six-character string
• The block (body) of Iteration variable
code is executed once
for each value in the
sequence
• The iteration variable for letter in 'banana' :
moves through all of print letter
the values in the
sequence

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 Yes
Advance b a n a n a
Done?
letter

print letter

for letter in 'banana' :

print letter

The iteration variable “iterates” though the string and the block (body)
of code is executed once for each value in the sequence

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 M o n t y P y t h o n
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

• We can also look at any

continuous section of a
string using a colon >>> s = 'Monty Python'
operator >>> print s[0:4]
Mont
• The second number is >>> print s[6:7]
one beyond the end of the P
slice - “up to but not >>> print s[6:20]
Python
including”
• If the second number is
beyond the end of the
string, it stops at the end

Slicing Strings
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 M o n t y P y t h o n
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

• If we leave off the

first number or the >>> s = 'Monty Python'
>>> print s[:2]
last number of the Mo
slice, it is >>> print s[8:]
Thon
assumed to be the >>> print s[:]
beginning or end Monty Python

of the string
respectively

Slicing Strings
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 String Concatenation

• When the +
operator is >>> a = 'Hello'
applied to >>> b = a + 'There'
>>> print b
strings, it HelloThere
means >>> c = a + ' ' + 'There'
>>> print c
"concatenation" Hello There
>>>

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 Using in as an Operator

• The in keyword can

also be used to >>> fruit = 'banana’
>>> 'n' in fruit
check to see if one True
string is "in" another >>> 'm' in fruit
string False
>>> 'nan' in fruit
• The in expression is
True
a logical expression >>> if 'a' in fruit :
and returns True or ... print 'Found it!’
False and can be ...
Found it!
used in an if >>>
statement

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 String Library
• Python has a number of
string functions which are
in the string library
• These functions are
>>> greet = 'Hello Bob'>>> zap =
already built into every greet.lower()>>> print zaphello bob
string - we invoke them by >>> print greet
appending the function to Hello Bob>>> print 'Hi
There'.lower()
the string variable hi there
• These functions do not >>>
modify the original string,
instead they return a new
string that has been altered
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 >>> stuff = 'Hello world’
>>> type(stuff)<type 'str'>
>>> dir(stuff)
['capitalize', 'center', 'count', 'decode', 'encode', 'endswith', 'expandtabs',
'find', 'format', 'index', 'isalnum', 'isalpha', 'isdigit', 'islower', 'isspace',
'istitle', 'isupper', 'join', 'ljust', 'lower', 'lstrip', 'partition', 'replace', 'rfind',
'rindex', 'rjust', 'rpartition', 'rsplit', 'rstrip', 'split', 'splitlines', 'startswith',
'strip', 'swapcase', 'title', 'translate', 'upper', 'zfill']

http://docs.python.org/lib/string-methods.html
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 http://docs.python.org/lib/string-methods.html
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 String Library

str.capitalize() str.replace(old, new[, count])

str.center(width[, fillchar]) str.lower()
str.endswith(suffix[, start[, end]]) str.rstrip([chars])
str.find(sub[, start[, end]]) str.strip([chars])
str.lstrip([chars]) str.upper()

http://docs.python.org/lib/string-methods.html
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 Searching a
String
• We use the find() b a n a n a
function to search for a
substring within another 0 1 2 3 4 5
string
• find() finds the first
occurance of the
>>> fruit = 'banana'
substring
>>> pos = fruit.find('na')
• If the substring is not >>> print pos
found, find() returns -1 2
• Remember that string >>> aa = fruit.find('z')
position starts at zero >>> print aa
-1

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 Making everything UPPER CASE

• You can make a copy of a

string in lower case or upper
case
>>> greet = 'Hello Bob'
• Often when we are >>> nnn = greet.upper()
searching for a string using >>> print nnn
HELLO BOB
find() - we first convert the >>> www = greet.lower()
string to lower case so we >>> print www
can search a string hello bob
>>>
regardless of case

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 Search and Replace

• The replace()
function is like a
“search and
replace” operation
in a word >>> greet = 'Hello Bob'
>>> nstr = greet.replace('Bob','Jane')
processor
>>> print nstr
• It replaces all Hello Jane
occurrences of the >>> nstr = greet.replace('o','X')
search string with >>> print nstrHellX BXb
the replacement >>>
string

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 Stripping Whitespace

• Sometimes we want
to take a string and
remove whitespace at
>>> greet = ' Hello Bob '
the beginning and/or >>> greet.lstrip()
end 'Hello Bob '
>>> greet.rstrip()
• lstrip() and rstrip() to ' Hello Bob'
the left and right only >>> greet.strip()
• strip() Removes both 'Hello Bob'
>>>
begin and ending
whitespace

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 Prefixes

>>> line = 'Please have a nice day’

>>> line.startswith('Please')
True
>>> line.startswith('p')
False

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 What are list?

• Group similar items

• Python facilitate this with Lists.
• Should not be confused with Array module
of python, which gives more functionalities
• List are defined by square brackets
new_list = [3, 4, 5, 6]

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 Creating a list

• To create an empty list in python

new_list = []
• To create a list with some elements
new_list = [3, 4, 5, 6]
new_list = list(range(10))
new_list = list(range(2,7))

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 Adding data to list
• Create a list first
new_list = []
new_list = [3, 4, 5, 6]
new_list = list(range(10))
new_list = list(range(2,7))
• To add an element
new_list.append(3)# added to the end
new_list[4] = 145 # 5th element is
modified

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 Important !!!
• Lists are heterogeneous:
• That is, the elements in a list need not be of the same
type, can have integers and strings together.
new_list.append(‘hello’)
new_list.append(123)
new_list[4] = 345
new_list[4] = ‘hi’
• Can even have another list as an element.
new_list1 = [3, 4, 5, 6]
new_list2 = [1,24, 45]
new_list1[2] = new_list2
new_list1.append(new_list2)

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 View the list elements

• To view the contents of a list

print(new_list)
• We can index and slice the list, just like
strings
print(new_list[4])
print(new_list[0:3])

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 List Processing

• Scan through the lists

for item in new_list:
print(item)
• Search for an element
for item in new_list:
if (item == 4):
print(item)

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 List Processing

• Search for a name/string/text

new_list = ['John','Cat','Marry','Gold']
name = input("Enter a name to search for ")
for item in new_list:
if (item == name):
print(item)

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 List functions
• append() # to add an element at the
end
• insert(0, 200) # insert at position 0
the element 200
• len(list_name)# return the length
• min(list_name)
• max(list_name)# return the min and
max so long as the list is well
defined
• sum(list_name)#returns the sum of
elements so long as they're numbers
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