Learn Python Programming: A comprehensive, up-to-date, and definitive guide to learning Python , Fourth Edition

Fabrizio Romano

Heinrich Kruger

€33.99

Paperback Nov 2024 616 pages 4th Edition

Fabrizio Romano

Heinrich Kruger

€33.99

Paperback Nov 2024 616 pages 4th Edition

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Learn Python Programming

A note on IDEs

Just a few words about IDEs. To follow the examples in this book, you do not need one; any decent text editor will do fine. If you want to have more advanced features, such as syntax coloring and auto-completion, you will have to get yourself an IDE. You can find a comprehensive list of open-source IDEs (just Google "Python IDEs") on the Python website.

Fabrizio uses Visual Studio Code, from Microsoft. It is free to use and it provides many features out of the box, which one can even expand by installing extensions.

After working for many years with several editors, including Sublime Text, this was the one that felt most productive to him.

Heinrich, on the other hand, is a hardcore Neovim user. Although it might have a steep learning curve, Neovim is a very powerful text editor that can also be extended with plugins. It also has the benefit of being compatible with its predecessor, Vim, which is installed in almost every system a software developer regularly works...

Numbers

Let us start by exploring Python’s built-in data types for numbers. Python was designed by a man with a master’s degree in mathematics and computer science, so it is only logical that it has extensive support for numbers.

Numbers are immutable objects.

Integers

Python integers have an unlimited range, subject only to the available virtual memory. This means that it doesn’t really matter how big the number you want to store is—as long as it can fit in your computer’s memory, Python will take care of it.

Integer numbers can be positive, negative, or 0 (zero). Their type is int. They support all the basic mathematical operations, as shown in the following example:

>>> a = 14
>>> b = 3
>>> a + b  # addition
17
>>> a - b  # subtraction
11
>>> a * b  # multiplication
42
>>> a / b  # true division
4.666666666666667
>>> a // b  # integer division
4
>>> a ...

Mutable sequences

Mutable sequences differ from their immutable counterparts in that they can be changed after creation. There are two mutable sequence types in Python: lists and bytearrays.

Lists

Python lists are similar to tuples, but they do not have the restrictions of immutability. Lists are commonly used for storing collections of homogeneous objects, but there is nothing preventing you from storing heterogeneous collections as well. Lists can be created in many different ways. Let us see an example:

>>> []  # empty list
[]
>>> list()  # same as []
[]
>>> [1, 2, 3]  # as with tuples, items are comma separated
[1, 2, 3]
>>> [x + 5 for x in [2, 3, 4]]  # Python is magic
[7, 8, 9]
>>> list((1, 3, 5, 7, 9))  # list from a tuple
[1, 3, 5, 7, 9]
>>> list("hello")  # list from a string
['h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o']

In the previous example, we showed you how...

Mapping types: dictionaries

Of all the built-in Python data types, the dictionary is easily the most interesting. It is the only standard mapping type, and it is the backbone of every Python object.

A dictionary maps keys to values. Keys need to be hashable objects, while values can be of any arbitrary type. Dictionaries are also mutable objects. There are quite a few ways to create a dictionary, so let us give you a simple example of five ways to create a dictionary:

>>> a = dict(A=1, Z=-1)
>>> b = {"A": 1, "Z": -1}
>>> c = dict(zip(["A", "Z"], [1, -1]))
>>> d = dict([("A", 1), ("Z", -1)])
>>> e = dict({"Z": -1, "A": 1})
>>> a == b == c == d == e  # are they all the same?
True  # They are indeed

All these dictionaries map the key A to the value 1, and Z to the value -1.

Did you notice those double equals? Assignment is done with one...

Final considerations

That is it. Now you have seen a very good proportion of the data structures that you will use in Python. We encourage you to experiment further with every data type we have seen in this chapter. We also suggest that you skim through the official documentation, just to get an idea of what is available to you when writing Python. That working knowledge can be quite useful when you find it difficult to properly represent data using the most common types.

Before we leap into Chapter 3, Conditionals and Iteration, we would like to share some final considerations about some aspects that, to our minds, are important and not to be neglected.

Small value caching

While discussing objects at the beginning of this chapter, we saw that when we assign a name to an object, Python creates the object, sets its value, and then points the name to it. We can assign different names to the same value, and we expect different objects to be created, like this:

>&gt...

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Key benefits

Create and deploy APIs and CLI applications, leveraging Python’s strengths in scripting and automation
Stay current with the latest features and improvements in Python, including pattern matching and the latest exception handling syntax
Engage with new real-world examples and projects, including competitive programming problems, to solidify your understanding of Python

Description

Learn Python Programming, Fourth Edition, provides a comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to Python programming, covering fundamental concepts and practical applications. This edition has been meticulously updated to include the latest features from Python versions 3.9 to 3.12, new chapters on type hinting and CLI applications, and updated examples reflecting modern Python web development practices. This Python book empowers you to take ownership of writing your software and become independent in fetching the resources you need. By the end of this book, you will have a clear idea of where to go and how to build on what you have learned from the book. Through examples, the book explores a wide range of applications and concludes by building real-world Python projects based on the concepts you have learned. This Python book offers a clear and practical guide to mastering Python and applying it effectively in various domains, such as data science, web development, and automation.

Who is this book for?

This Python programming book is for everyone who wants to learn Python from scratch, as well as experienced programmers looking for a reference book. Prior knowledge of basic programming concepts will help you follow along, but it’s not a prerequisite

What you will learn

Install and set up Python on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Write elegant, reusable, and efficient code
Avoid common pitfalls such as duplication and over-engineering
Use functional and object-oriented programming approaches appropriately
Build APIs with FastAPI and program CLI applications
Understand data persistence and cryptography for secure applications
Manipulate data efficiently using Python's built-in data structures
Package your applications for distribution via the Python Package Index (PyPI)
Solve competitive programming problems with Python

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Learn Python Programming: A comprehensive, up-to-date, and definitive guide to learning Python , Fourth Edition

What do you get with Print?

Learn Python Programming

A note on IDEs

A word about AI

Summary

Numbers

Integers

Immutable sequences

Strings and bytes

Mutable sequences

Lists

Set types

Mapping types: dictionaries

Data types

Dates and times

Final considerations

Small value caching

Summary

Page 1 of 11

Key benefits

Description

Who is this book for?

What you will learn

Product Details

What do you get with Print?

Product Details

Table of Contents

Recommendations for you

About the authors

FAQs

Learn Python Programming: A comprehensive, up-to-date, and definitive guide to learning Python , Fourth Edition

What do you get with Print?

Contact Details

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Billing Address

Key benefits

Description

Who is this book for?

What you will learn

Product Details

What do you get with Print?

Contact Details

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Product Details

Packt Subscriptions

Table of Contents

Recommendations for you

About the authors

FAQs