Scribd
Upload
2 views2 pages

Python Quick Reference

This document is a quick reference guide for Python, covering core syntax, data structures, control flow, functions, classes, error handling, file handling, and common standard library modules. It includes examples and idiomatic practices to enhance coding efficiency and readability. Key topics include variable types, list comprehensions, and Pythonic idioms.

Uploaded by

aymanko2007
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
2 views2 pages

Python Quick Reference

This document is a quick reference guide for Python, covering core syntax, data structures, control flow, functions, classes, error handling, file handling, and common standard library modules. It includes examples and idiomatic practices to enhance coding efficiency and readability. Key topics include variable types, list comprehensions, and Pythonic idioms.

Uploaded by

aymanko2007
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

PYTHON QUICK REFERENCE

Core Syntax, Data Structures, and Idioms

1. Variables & Basic Types


x = 5 # int y = 3.14 # float name = "Ada" #
str is_ready = True # bool nothing = None # NoneType

2. Core Data Structures


Lists (ordered, mutable)
nums = [1, 2, 3] [Link](4) nums[0] # 1 nums[-1] # 4 nums[1:3]
# [2, 3]

Dictionaries (key-value)
person = {"name": "Ada", "age": 30} person["age"] # 30
[Link]("city", "?") # "?" if missing for k, v in [Link]():
print(k, v)

Tuples & Sets


point = (3, 4) # immutable unique = {1, 2, 2, 3} # {1, 2, 3}

3. Control Flow
if x > 0: print("positive") elif x == 0: print("zero") else:
print("negative") for i in range(5): print(i) while x > 0: x -= 1

4. Functions
def greet(name, greeting="Hello"): return f"{greeting}, {name}!"
greet("Ada") # "Hello, Ada!" greet("Ada", "Hi") # "Hi,
Ada!"

Functions are first-class objects — they can be assigned to variables, passed as arguments, and returned from
other functions.

5. List Comprehensions
squares = [n**2 for n in range(10)] evens = [n for n in range(20) if n % 2 == 0]
pairs = {n: n**2 for n in range(5)} # dict comprehension

Comprehensions are generally faster and more idiomatic than manual for-loops with .append() for simple
transformations.

6. Classes & Objects


class Animal: def __init__(self, name, sound): [Link] = name
[Link] = sound def speak(self): return f"{[Link]} says
{[Link]}" dog = Animal("Rex", "Woof") print([Link]())

7. Error Handling
try: result = 10 / 0 except ZeroDivisionError as e: print("Cannot divide
by zero:", e) finally: print("Done")
8. File Handling
with open("[Link]", "r") as f: content = [Link]() with open("[Link]",
"w") as f: [Link]("Hello, file!")

Using 'with' guarantees the file is closed automatically, even if an exception occurs inside the block.

9. Common Standard Library Modules


Module Purpose
os Interact with the operating system: paths, environment variables, directories
sys Interpreter-level control: command-line args, exit codes
json Parse and write JSON data
re Regular expressions for pattern matching in strings
datetime Work with dates and times
collections Specialized containers: Counter, defaultdict, deque
itertools Efficient looping tools: combinations, permutations, chain

10. Pythonic Idioms Worth Knowing


• Use enumerate() instead of range(len(list)) when you need both index and value.
• Use zip() to iterate over multiple lists in parallel.
• Prefer f-strings (f"{x}") over .format() or % formatting for readability.
• Unpack values directly: a, b = b, a swaps two variables without a temp variable.
• Use context managers (with) for anything that needs cleanup — files, network connections, locks.

You might also like