python_intro.md

Goals

• Learn and practice some Python fundamentals. We're assuming some comfort with these basics next class, so don't skimp on the Python learning!
• Get comfortable tinkering with code and incrementally building up a Python script by working through the Coding Challenge from the Python Syntax Crash Course. See below for details.

Python reading and practice

Work through the Python Syntax Crash Course if you were absent or if we didn't complete it during class.

Read and work through the specified sections of Chapters 0-2 in Automate the Boring Stuff, 2nd Edition.

NOTE: You don't have to do the exercises in Automate the Boring Stuff, but you should type in the commands for code examples throughout the text.

Ignore the book's instructions on where to write code. You should use the standard python or ipython interactive shells and a text editor such as VS Code, as appropriate. See the crash course for help on the interpreter.

• Chapter 0 - Introduction - Read from top through Programming is a Creative Activity
• Chapter 1 - Python Basics - Work through the whole chapter. For Your First Program, use VS Code or another code editor to create hello.py. Then run it on the command line by executing python hello.py.
• Chapter 2 - Flow Control - Read through Flow Control Statements - Elif Statements (stop just before while Loop Statements)
• "for" loops (W3C) - Read and work through all sections

Code

Work through the Code Challenge at the end of the Python Syntax Crash Course.

Transfer the code to a Python script called filter_animals.py. The script can be run/tested on the Bash shell by navigating to the directory where you saved the script and running python filter_animals.py.

The script should produce the same output as in the Python interactive interpeter.

See below for advice on workflow and details on submitting the code.

Workflow advice

This assignment is designed in part to get you comfortable experimenting in an interactive Python environment and incrementally transferring code to a script. This back-and-forth process is a natural workflow when creating Python "shell" scripts. It's not the only way to work, but it's very helpful when starting out.

We do NOT recommend trying to write the entire script in VS Code all at once.

Instead, try the below workflow to incrementally build up your script.

• Run a Python expression or statement in the interactive Python shell.
• If the code works in the shell, copy/paste it over to filter_animals.py. Be sure you do NOT copy over the >>> or ... from the interactive environment!
• Run python filter_animals.py on the Bash shell to see if the script works.
• If you have bugs in filter_animals.py, fix the bugs in the script until it's working as expected. Pay special attention to code indentation, which is a common source of bugs with this copy/paste workflow.
• Return to the interactive Python environment and repeat the above process for the next bit of code.

Check out the Tinker, copy, run. Repeat YouTube video for a visual explainer on this incremental coding process (it uses Bash shell script but the same workflow works for Python).

Submission

Once the filter_animals.py script is complete, create a GitHub gist with the code and submit its URL via Canvas.