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 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.
Example
print("Hello, World!")
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 ([Link]):am
Execute Python Syntax
As we learned in the previous page, Python
syntax can be executed by writing directly in
the Command Line:
>>> print("Hello, World!")
Hello, World!

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
Example
if 5 > 2:
print("Five is greater than two!")

if 5 > 2:
 print("Five is greater than two!")
if 5 > 2:
 print("Five is greater than two!")
Python Variables
In Python, variables are created when you assign a
value to it:
Example
Variables in Python:
x = 5
y = "Hello, World!"
Python has no command for declaring a variable.
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!")
Comments can be used to explain Python
code.

Creating a Comment
Comments starts with a #, and Python
will ignore them:
Example
#This is a comment
print("Hello, World!")
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
A comment does not have to be text that
explains the code, it can also be used to
prevent Python from executing code:
Example
#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
#This is a comment
#written in
#more than just one line
print("Hello, World!")
Since Python will ignore string literals that are not
assigned to a variable, you can add a multiline
string (triple quotes) in your code, and place your
comment inside it:
Example
"""
This is a comment
written in
more than just one line
"""
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
x = 5
y = "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
x = 4 # x is of type 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.
Example
x = str(3) # x will be '3'
y = int(3) # y will be 3
z = float(3) # z will be 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))
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'
Case-Sensitive
Variable names are case-sensitive.
Example
This will create two variables:
a =4
A = "Sally"
#A will not overwrite a
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
Legal variable names:
myvar = "John"
my_var = "John"
_my_var = "John"
myVar = "John"
MYVAR = "John"
myvar2 = "John
Example
Illegal variable names:
2myvar = "John"
my-var = "John"
my var = "John"
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"
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)
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)
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)
Output Variables
The Python print() function is often used
to output variables.
Example
x = "Python is awesome"
print(x)
In the print() function, you output
multiple variables, separated by a comma:
Example
x = "Python"
y = "is"
z = "awesome"
print(x, y, z)
You can also use the + operator to
output multiple variables:
Example
x = "Python "
y = "is "
z = "awesome"
print(x + y + z)
For numbers, the + character works as a
mathematical operator:
Example
x = 5
y = 10
print(x + y)
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)
The best way to output multiple
variables in the print() function is to
separate them with commas, which even
support different data types:
Example
Global Variables
Variables that are created outside of a function
(as in all of the examples in the previous pages)
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()
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()
The global Keyword
Normally, when you create a variable
inside a function, that variable is local,
and can only be used inside that function.
To create a global variable inside a
function, you can use the global keyword.
Example
If you use the global keyword, the
variable belongs to the global scope:
def myfunc():
global x
x = "fantastic"

myfunc()

print("Python is " + x)
Also, use the global keyword if you want
to change a global variable inside a
function.

To change the value of a global variable
inside a function, refer to the variable by
using the global keyword:
x = "awesome"

def myfunc():
global x
x = "fantastic"

myfunc()

print("Python is " + x)
Built-in Data Types
In programming, data type is an important
concept.
Variables can store data of different types, and
different types can do different things.
Python has the following data types built-in by
default, in these categories:
Text Type:
str
Numeric Types:
int, float, complex
Sequence Types:
list, tuple, range
Mapping Type:
Set Types:
set, frozenset
Boolean Type:
bool
Binary Types:
bytes, bytearray, memoryview
None Type:
NoneType
Getting the Data Type
You can get the data type of any object by
using the type() function:
Example
Print the data type of the variable x:
x = 5
print(type(x))
Setting the Data Type
In Python, the data type is set when you
assign a value to a variable
x = "Hello World“
#display x:

#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
int
x = 20
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
float
x = 20.5
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
complex
x = 1j
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
list
x = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
tuple
x = ("apple", "banana", "cherry")
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
range
x = range(6)
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
dict
x = {"name" : "John", "age" : 36}
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
set
x = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
frozenset
x = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
bool
x = True
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
bytes
x = b"Hello“
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
byte array
x = bytearray(5)
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
memory view
x = memoryview(bytes(5))
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
none
x = None
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
Setting the Specific Data Type
If you want to specify the data type, you
can use the following constructor
functions:
x = str("Hello World")
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
int
x = int(20)
#display x:
float
x = float(20.5)
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
complex
x = complex(1j)
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
list
x = list(("apple", "banana", "cherry"))
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
tuple
x = tuple(("apple", "banana", "cherry"))
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
range
x = range(6)
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
dict
x = dict(name="John", age=36)
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
set
x = set(("apple", "banana", "cherry"))
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
frozenset
x = frozenset(("apple", "banana",
"cherry"))
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
bool
x = bool(5)
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
bytes
x = bytes(5)
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
byte array
x = bytes(5)
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
memory view
x = memoryview(bytes(5))
#display x:
print(x)
#display the data type of x:
print(type(x))
Python Numbers
There are three numeric types in Python:
int
float
complex
Variables of numeric types are created
when you assign a value to them:
Example
x = 1 # int
y = 2.8 # float
z = 1j # complex
To verify the type of any object in
Example
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
<class 'int'>
<class 'float'>
<class 'complex'>
Int
Int, or integer, is a whole number,
positive or negative, without decimals, of
unlimited length.
Example
Integers:
x = 1
y = 35656222554887711
z = -3255522

print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
<class 'int'>
<class 'int'>
<class 'int'>
Float
Float, or "floating point number" is a
number, positive or negative, containing
one or more decimals.
Example
Floats:
x = 1.10
y = 1.0
z = -35.59
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
<class 'float'>
Float can also be scientific numbers with
an "e" to indicate the power of 10.
Example
Floats:
x = 35e3
y = 12E4
z = -87.7e100
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
<class 'float'>
<class 'float'>
<class 'float'>
Complex
Complex numbers are written with a "j"
as the imaginary part:
Example
Complex:
x = 3+5j
y = 5j
z = -5j
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
<class 'complex'>
<class 'complex'>
Type Conversion
You can convert from one type to
another with the int(), float(),
and complex() methods:
Example
Convert from one type to another:
x = 1 # int
y = 2.8 # float
z = 1j # complex

#convert from int to float:

a = float(x)
print(a)
print(b)
print(c)
print(type(a))
print(type(b))
print(type(c))
1.0
2
(1+0j)
<class 'float'>
<class 'int'>
<class 'complex'>
Random Number
Python does not have
a random() function to make a random
number, but Python has a built-in module
called random that can be used to make
random numbers:
Example
Import the random module, and display a
random number between 1 and 9:
import random
print([Link](1, 10))
3
Python Casting
Specify a Variable Type
There may be times when you want to
specify a type on to a variable. This can
be done with casting. Python is an object-
orientated language, and as such it uses
classes to define data types, including its
primitive types.
Casting in python is therefore done using
constructor functions:
int() - constructs an integer number from
an integer literal, a float literal (by
removing all decimals), or a string literal
(providing the string represents a whole
number)
float() - constructs a float number from
an integer literal, a float literal or a string
literal (providing the string represents a
float or an integer)
str() - constructs a string from a wide
variety of data types, including strings,
integer literals and float literals
Example
Integers:
x = int(1) # x will be 1
y = int(2.8) # y will be 2
z = int("3") # z will be 3
x = int(1)
y = int(2.8)
z = int("3")
print(x)
print(y)
print(z)
Float
x = float(1)
y = float(2.8)
z = float("3")
w = float("4.2")
print(x)
print(y)
print(z)
print(w)
1.0
2.8
Stings
x = str("s1")
y = str(2)
z = str(3.0)
print(x)
print(y)
print(z)
s1
2
3.0
Strings
Strings in python are surrounded by
either single quotation marks, or double
quotation marks.
'hello' is the same as "hello".
You can display a string literal with
the print() function:
#You can use double or single quotes:

print("Hello")
print('Hello')
Quotes Inside Quotes
print("It's alright")
print("He is called 'Johnny'")
print('He is called "Johnny"')
It's alright
He is called 'Johnny'
He is called "Johnny"
Assign String to a Variable
Assigning a string to a variable is done
with the variable name followed by an
equal sign and the string:
a = "Hello"
print(a)
Hello
Multiline Strings
You can assign a multiline string to a
variable by using three quotes:
Example
You can use three double quotes:
a = """Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipiscing elit,
sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt
ut labore et dolore magna aliqua."""
print(a)
Or three single quotes:
Example
a = '''Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipiscing elit,
sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt
ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.'''
print(a)
Strings are Arrays
Like many other popular programming
languages, strings in Python are arrays of
bytes representing unicode characters.
However, Python does not have a
character data type, a single character is
simply a string with a length of 1.
Square brackets can be used to access
elements of the string.
Example
Get the character at position 1 (remember that the first
character has the position 0):
a = "Hello, World!"
print(a[1])
e
Looping Through a String
Since strings are arrays, we can loop through the
characters in a string, with a for loop.
Example
Loop through the letters in the word "banana":
for x in "banana":
print(x)
b
a
n
a
String Length
To get the length of a string, use
the len() function.
Example
The len() function returns the length of a
string:
a = "Hello, World!"
print(len(a))
13
Check String
To check if a certain phrase or character
is present in a string, we can use the
keyword in.
Example
Check if "free" is present in the following
text:
txt = "The best things in life are free!"
print("free" in txt)
True
Use it in an if statement:
Example
Print only if "free" is present:
txt = "The best things in life are free!"
if "free" in txt:
print("Yes, 'free' is present.")
Yes, 'free' is present.
Check if NOT
To check if a certain phrase or character
is NOT present in a string, we can use
the keyword not in.
Example
Check if "expensive" is NOT present in
the following text:
txt = "The best things in life are free!"
print("expensive" not in txt)
True
Use it in an if statement:
Example
print only if "expensive" is NOT present:
txt = "The best things in life are free!"
if "expensive" not in txt:
print("No, 'expensive' is NOT present.")
No, 'expensive' is NOT present.
Slicing
You can return a range of characters by
using the slice syntax.
Specify the start index and the end
index, separated by a colon, to return a
part of the string.
Example
Get the characters from position 2 to
position 5 (not included):
b = "Hello, World!"
print(b[2:5])
llo
Slice From the Start
By leaving out the start index, the range
will start at the first character:
Example
Get the characters from the start to
position 5 (not included):
b = "Hello, World!"
print(b[:5])
Slice To the End
By leaving out the end index, the range
will go to the end:
Example
Get the characters from position 2, and
all the way to the end:
b = "Hello, World!"
print(b[2:])
Negative Indexing
Use negative indexes to start the slice
from the end of the string:
Example
Get the characters:
From: "o" in "World!" (position -5)
To, but not included: "d" in "World!"
(position -2):
b = "Hello, World!"
print(b[-5:-2])
orl
Python - Modify Strings
Python has a set of built-in methods that
you can use on strings.
Upper Case
Example
The upper() method returns the string in
upper case:
a = "Hello, World!"
print([Link]())
HELLO, WORLD!
Lower Case
Example
Remove Whitespace
Whitespace is the space before and/or
after the actual text, and very often you
want to remove this space.
Example
The strip() method removes any
whitespace from the beginning or the
end:
a = " Hello, World! "
print([Link]()) # returns "Hello, World!"
Hello, World!
Replace String
Example
The replace() method replaces a string
with another string:
a = "Hello, World!"
print([Link]("H", "J"))
Jello, World!
Split String
The split() method returns a list where
the text between the specified separator
becomes the list items.
Example
The split() method splits the string into
substrings if it finds instances of the
separator:
a = "Hello, World!"
print([Link](",")) # returns ['Hello', '
World!']
['Hello', ' World!']
String Methods
String Concatenation
To concatenate, or combine, two strings
you can use the + operator.
Example
Merge variable a with variable b into
variable c:
a = "Hello"
b = "World"
c=a+b
print(c)
HelloWorld
Example
To add a space between them, add a " ":
a = "Hello"
b = "World"
c=a+""+b
print(c)
Hello World
String Format
As we learned in the Python Variables
chapter, we cannot combine strings and
numbers like this:
Example
age = 36
txt = "My name is John, I am " + age
print(txt)
raceback (most recent call last):
File "demo_string_format_error.py", line
2, in <module>
txt = "My name is John, I am " + age
TypeError: must be str, not int
But we can combine strings and numbers by
using f-strings or the format() method!
F-Strings
F-String was introduced in Python 3.6, and is now
the preferred way of formatting strings.
To specify a string as an f-string, simply put an f in
front of the string literal, and add curly
brackets {} as placeholders for variables and other
operations.
Example
Create an f-string:
age = 36
txt = f"My name is John, I am {age}"
print(txt)
My name is John, I am 36
Placeholders and Modifiers
A placeholder can contain variables,
operations, functions, and modifiers to
format the value.
Example
Add a placeholder for the price variable:
price = 59
txt = f"The price is {price} dollars"
print(txt)
The price is 59 dollars
A placeholder can include a modifier to
format the value.
A modifier is included by adding a
colon : followed by a legal formatting
type, like .2f which means fixed point
number with 2 decimals:
Example
Display the price with 2 decimals:
price = 59
txt = f"The price is {price:.2f} dollars"
print(txt)
The price is 59.00 dollars
A placeholder can contain Python code,
like math operations:
Example
Perform a math operation in the
placeholder, and return the result:
txt = f"The price is {20 * 59} dollars"
print(txt)
The price is 1180 dollars
Escape Character
To insert characters that are illegal in a
string, use an escape character.
An escape character is a
backslash \ followed by the character you
want to insert.
An example of an illegal character is a
double quote inside a string that is
surrounded by double quotes:
Example
You will get an error if you use double
quotes inside a string that is surrounded
by double quotes:
txt = "We are the so-called "Vikings" from
the north."
File "demo_string_escape_error.py", line 1
txt = "We are the so-called "Vikings"
from the north."
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
To fix this problem, use the escape
character \":
Example
The escape character allows you to use
double quotes when you normally would
not be allowed:
txt = "We are the so-called \"Vikings\"
from the north."
We are the so-called "Vikings" from the
north.
Escape Characters
\'
Single Quote
txt = 'It\'s alright.'
print(txt)
\\
Backslash
txt = "This will insert one \\ (backslash)."
print(txt)
This will insert one \ (backslash).
\n
New Line
txt = "Hello\nWorld!"
print(txt)
Hello
World!
\r
Carriage Return
txt = "Hello\rWorld!"
print(txt)
Hello
World!
\t
Tab
txt = "Hello\tWorld!"
print(txt)
\b
Backspace
#This example erases one character
(backspace):
txt = "Hello \bWorld!"
print(txt)
HelloWorld!
\f
Form Feed
String Methods
Python has a set of built-in methods that you can
use on strings.
Python String capitalize() Method
Upper case the first letter in this sentence:
txt = "hello, and welcome to my world.“
x = [Link]()
print (x)
Hello, and welcome to my world.
Definition and Usage
The capitalize() method returns a string where the
first character is upper case, and the rest is lower
case.
Syntax
[Link]()
Example
The first character is converted to upper
case, and the rest are converted to lower
case:
txt = "python is FUN!“
x = [Link]()
print (x)
txt = "python is FUN!“
x = [Link]()
print (x)
Example
See what happens if the first character is
a number:
txt = "36 is my age.“
x = [Link]()
print (x)
36 is my age
casefold()
Converts string into lower case
Example
Make the string lower case:
txt = "Hello, And Welcome To My World!“
x = [Link]()
print(x)
hello, and welcome to my world!
Definition and Usage
The casefold() method returns a string where
all the characters are lower case.
This method is similar to the lower()
method, but the casefold() method is
stronger, more aggressive, meaning that
it will convert more characters into lower
case, and will find more matches when
comparing two strings and both are
converted using the casefold() method.
Syntax
[Link]()