I719 Fundamentals of Python
About
This class is python for beginners, taught Spring 2017
Contact
My email is eroman@itcollege.ee
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I know already
It would be good to know:
- How to use the unix command line
- GIT
What editor/IDE should I use?
Whatever you want! I recommend learning emacs or vim. If you do not know how to use any specific editor and do not want to learn one now, then use spyder for writing python.
What python version are we using?
I will teach using python 3
What books/resources do you recommend?
This page contains most of python's syntax: https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/python3/
What software do I need to install?
You only need python 3 and an editor.
I recommend that you install an interactive python shell, like IPython1 or bpython2
Grading
There will be a test on the last day. It is pass/fail. You may do a project instead of the test. I recommend this, since it will be more fun and you will learn more.
Test
The test will cover only builtin python types and only use the standard library. There will be 3 test dates. The format will be A series of unit test cases which you must write a function that will make the unit test pass.
You may use the internet during the exam.
Test dates
Primary date: Thursday March 23rd, starting at 8:15AM Primary date for class 2: May 25th, starting at 8:15AM
Makeup date 1: 01.06.2017 10:00-11:30 410
Makeup date 2: in august, TBA
Test topics
if
,elif
,else
statements- functions
- lists and dictionaries
- for loops
- basic string manipulation
Example problem
from unittest import TestCase
class StringCountTestCase(TestCase):
"""
Write a function that for any string, prepends 'Hello '
>>> test_function('Bob')
'Hello Bob'
"""
def setUp(self):
self.test_function = None # Assign to your function
def test_sally(self):
result = self.test_function('Sally')
self.assertEqual(result, 'Hello Sally')
Example solution
python3 -m unittest exam.py
from unittest import TestCase
def prepend_hello(string):
return "Hello {}".format(string)
class StringCountTestCase(TestCase):
"""
Write a function that for any string, prepends 'Hello '
>>> test_function('Bob')
'Hello Bob'
"""
def setUp(self):
self.test_function = prepend_hello
def test_sally(self):
result = self.test_function('Sally')
self.assertEqual(result, 'Hello Sally')
Practice Test
https://gist.github.com/evrom/4f8158b2613cb80c5050e7315fa309cc
Real Test for 23/03/17
https://gist.github.com/evrom/d948b56afe9a41aa2c18b8a3094eddad
Project due date
Git Repo with Readme, before 6th class
Completed project, 7th class
Project Requirements
- it can do something
- it uses version control
- it has more than one commit
- it has commit messages that are relevant to the commit
- it has a relevant unit test
- it has a README that describes what it does and how to run it.
Project idea examples
- a game
- exploring a technology like image recognition
- a command line tool that does something
- a web application in python
- a web scraper
- many websites have HTTP APIs that can give you data, you can make something that uses data from public APIs.
If you want to do things with cryptography
- a cryptographic chat app
- a password storage bank like KeePassX
Can I ...?
Can I use python 2?
Yes
Can I use external libraries outside of the standard library?
Yes
If you use external libraries, include a requirements.txt
or setup.py
which has a list of packages required by your project
Project Tips
.gitignore
include a .gitignore
file in the root directory of your project. This will prevent .pyc
and __pycache__
from being added to your git project.
You can save this file as .gitignore
: https://github.com/github/gitignore/blob/master/Python.gitignore
Lecture Notes
Recordings
recordings are found here: https://echo360.e-ope.ee/ess/portal/section/fc0c6bfd-9187-4365-b2c9-0085b3a89906
Testing Python Code
https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/testing
Lecture 1
Running python, integers, booleans, strings, lists, for
and if
, functions https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture1v2
Old lecture notes:
Basic types, lists, for-loops, functions, imports and classes https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture1
Lecture 2
Dictionaries, importable modules, classes
https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture2v2
Old lecture notes:
importable modules, unit tests, dictionaries https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture2
Lecture 3
Console input, exceptions, unit testing, command line arguments, opening files
https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture3v3
Old version:
Command line arguements, opening and using files, csv files https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture3
Assets
file to count words in: http://pastebin.com/3faqcc5j csv file: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uSbHeppEyKNxF0WncvhxTBF8wj_co0v5XOYlXKLL8Lg/edit?usp=sharing
Lecture 4
Making a basic dynamic website https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture4v2
Old version:
Exceptions, slices, Http request to get JSON data, Basic dynamic website https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture4
Lecture 5
datetime, csv files
https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture5v2
Old version:
Advanced testing, datetime, python style guide. https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture5
Lecture 6
List and Dictionary transformations and manipulations. Intro to numpy with linear algebra and intro to pandas with extracting data from a csv. https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture6
Lecture 7
Reduce function, using break and return for control flow, handling user input, handling errors
https://wiki.itcollege.ee/index.php/I719_Fundamentals_of_Python/lecture7