Python for beginners

In this module, you'll learn:

• What a programming language does, why Python is so popular, and why it's a great choice as your first programming language.
• Why you must compile your code into a format that computers understand.
• The process of programming and the software tools you must install.

By the end of this module, you'll be able to:

• Install Python 3, if needed.
• Install and configure Visual Studio Code and extensions on your computer.
• Create a Python file.
• Write and run Python code in Visual Studio Code.

In this module, you will:

• Create Python code files and execute that code inside of Visual Studio Code.
• Write code to send a text message to the command line.
• Write code to accept user input from the command line.
• Understand why compilation and runtime errors occur, and what to do next.
• Concatenate hard-coded text with user input to display custom-formatted messages to the user.
• Perform mathematical addition on numeric data.
• Convert alphanumeric data into numeric data and back (and learn why you need to do this).

In this module, you will:

• Use the if ... elif ... else statements to add decision logic to your Python code.
• Understand the Boolean data type and what it represents in Python.
• Compose Boolean expressions by using a rich set of comparison and logic operators.

In this module, you will:

• Use escape characters in literal strings to add new lines and tabs.
• Use features of the print() function to format strings for display.
• Call one of many built-in functions to strip empty spaces, add padding, and find and replace substrings.
• Use the format() function to create a format string that contains a series of replacement fields.

In this module, you will:

• Use the type(), isinstance(), and isnumeric() methods to inspect a value's data type and its suitability for use or conversion to a numeric data type.
• Use mathematical operators to perform basic mathematical operations on numeric data.
• Use the float data type to represent values that include fractional values represented by numbers after the decimal point.

In this module, you will:

• Explore the Python standard library.
• Add the import statement to tell the Python compiler which modules you will use in your code.
• Use the pip utility to download third-party open-sourced packages.

In this module, you will:

• Use the while statement to iterate through a code block.
• Use the break, continue, and else statements to further control iteration.
• Use alternate assignment operators to perform mathematical operations that also assign values.

In this module, you will:

• Create lists of related data.
• Get an item or a subset of items from a list by using indexes and slices.
• Add and remove items from a list.
• Use helper functions for other list-related actions.
• Iterate through a list by using the for iteration statement.

In this module, you'll:

• Define functions that encapsulate functionality.
• Add input parameters to functions so they can be called using input arguments.
• Return values from functions.
• Create modules to host functions that can be imported into other code files.

• Introduction
• What is programming?
• What is compilation?
• What is the process of programming?
• Knowledge check
• Summary

• Introduction
• Validate your Python version and installation
• Install Python 3
• Install Visual Studio Code
• Install the Python extension
• Create your first Python application
• Knowledge check
• Summary

• Introduction
• Exercise - Hello world!
• Exercise - Hello name
• Exercise - Add numbers
• Challenge
• Solution
• Knowledge check
• Summary

• Introduction
• Exercise - Branch code with the if statement
• Exercise - Boolean expressions
• Challenge - Branch code execution based on user input
• Solution - Branch code execution based on user input
• Knowledge check
• Summary

• Introduction
• Exercise - Format string literals
• Exercise - Use string helper functions
• Exercise - Use the `format()` function and format strings
• Challenge - Manipulate and format strings
• Solution - Manipulate and format strings
• Knowledge check
• Summary

• Introduction
• Exercise - Determine the data types of values
• Exercise - Determine whether a string can be converted to a number
• Exercise - Perform mathematical operations on numbers
• Challenge - Convert temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius
• Solution - Convert temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius
• Challenge - Build a simple calculator
• Solution - Build a simple calculator
• Check your knowledge
• Summary

• Introduction
• Overview of the Python standard library
• Exercise - Use an import statement to utilize a standard library module
• Exercise - Install a third-party package using pip
• Knowledge check
• Summary

• Introduction
• Exercise - The while statement
• Exercise - Assignment operators
• Challenge - Guess a number
• Solution - Guess a number
• Challenge - Improved number guessing
• Solution - Improved number guessing
• Knowledge check
• Summary

• Introduction
• Exercise - Work with lists of data
• Exercise - Iterate through lists by using the for statement
• Challenge - Deal a deck of cards
• Solution - Deal a deck of cards
• Knowledge check
• Summary

• Introduction
• Exercise - Define a function
• Exercise - Add arbitrary argument lists and keyword arguments to functions
• Exercise - Define a module
• Challenge - Fill in the missing functions
• Solutions - Fill in the missing functions
• Knowledge check
• Summary