Python Training

An Overview of Python

• What is Python?
• Interpreted languages
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Downloading and installing
• Which version of Python
• Where to find documentation

Running Python Scripts

• Structure of a Python script
• Using the interpreter interactively
• Running standalone scripts under Unix and Windows

Getting Started

• Using variables
• String types: normal, raw and Unicode
• String operators and expressions
• Math operators and expressions
• Writing to the screen
• Command line parameters
• Reading from the keyboard

Flow Control

• About flow control
• Indenting is significant
• The if and elif statements
• while loops
• Using lists
• Using the for statement
• The range() function

Sequence Data

• list operations
• list methods
• Strings are special kinds of lists
• tuples
• sets
• Dictionaries

Defining Functions

• Syntax of function definition
• Formal parameters
• Global versus local variables
• Passing parameters and returning values

Working with Files

• Text file I/O overview
• Opening a text file
• Reading text files
• Raw (binary) data
• Using the pickle module
• Writing to a text file

Dictionaries and Sets

• Dictionary overview
• Creating dictionaries
• Dictionary functions
• Fetching keys or values
• Testing for existence of elements
• Deleting elements

Errors and Exception Handling

• Dealing with syntax errors
• Exceptions
• Handling exceptions with try/except
• Cleaning up with finally

Using Modules

• What is a module?
• The import statement
• Function aliases
• Packages

Regular Expressions

• RE Objects
• Pattern matching
• Parsing data
• Subexpressions
• Complex substitutions
• RE tips and tricks

An Introduction to Python Classes

• About o-o programming
• Defining classes
• Constructors
• Instance methods
• Instance data
• Class methods and data
• Destructors