Working with text and strings

A good starting point for Python is to gain an understanding of basic text handling and strings. A string is a block of characters stored together as a value. As you will learn, they can be viewed as a simple list of characters.

We will create a script to obtain the user's input, use string manipulation to switch around the letters, and print out a coded version of the message. We will then extend this example by demonstrating how encoded messages can be passed between parties without revealing the encoding methods, while also showing how to reuse sections of the code within other Python modules.

Getting ready

You can use most text editors to write Python code. They can be used directly on the Raspberry Pi or remotely through VNC or SSH.

The following are a few text editors that are available with the Raspberry Pi:

• nano: This text editor is available at the terminal and includes syntax highlighting and line numbers (with the -c option). Refer to the following...