Introduction

Python is an example of a language that does everything right within the domain of things that it’s designed to do. This isn’t just me saying it, either: Programmers have voted by using Python enough that it’s now the first-ranked language in the world (see https://www.tiobe.com/tiobe-index/ for details). The amazing thing about Python is that you really can write an application on one platform and use it on every other platform that you need to support. In contrast to other programming languages that promised to provide platform independence, Python really does make that independence possible. In this case, the promise is as good as the result you get.

Python emphasizes code readability and a concise syntax that lets you write applications using fewer lines of code than other programming languages require. You can also use a coding style that meets your needs, given that Python supports the functional, imperative, object-oriented, and procedural coding styles (see Chapter 3 for details). In addition, because of the way Python works, you find it used in all sorts of fields that are filled with nonprogrammers. Beginning Programming with Python For Dummies, 3rd Edition is designed to help everyone, including nonprogrammers, get up and running with Python quickly.

Some people view Python as a scripted language, but it really is so much more. (Chapter 19 gives you just an inkling of the occupations that rely on Python to make things work.) However, Python does lend itself to educational and other uses for which other programming languages can fall short. In fact, this book uses both Google Colab and Jupyter Notebook for examples, which rely on the highly readable literate programming paradigm advanced by Stanford computer scientist Donald Knuth (see Chapter 4 for details). Your examples end up looking like highly readable reports that almost anyone can understand with ease.

About This Book

Beginning Programming with Python For Dummies, 3rd Edition is all about getting up and running with Python quickly. You want to learn the language fast so that you can become productive in using it to perform your real job, which could be anything. With the goal in mind of making things simple in every environment, this book emphasizes a code anywhere approach. If you want to code on your smart phone (not really recommended unless you like to squint a lot), you can do so as long as your smart phone has a browser that can access Google Colab. Likewise, coding while watching a TV equipped with a keyboard is possible, but not necessarily recommended because of the distractions involved. Besides, trying to write code that you can see only in that small square in the corner of the screen would be very tough. Highly recommended is your desktop, laptop, or tablet.

Unlike most books on the topic, this one starts you right at the beginning by showing you what makes Python different from other languages and how it can help you perform useful work in a job other than programming. As a result, you gain an understanding of what you need to do from the start, using hands-on examples and spending a good deal of time performing actually useful tasks. By the time you finish working through the examples in this book, you’ll be writing simple programs and performing tasks such as sending an email using Python. No, you won’t be an expert, but you will be able to use Python to meet specific needs in the job environment. To make absorbing the concepts even easier, this book uses the following conventions:

• Text that you’re meant to type just as it appears in the book is bold. The exception is when you’re working through a step list: Because each step is bold, the text to type is not bold.
• When you see words in italics as part of a typing sequence, you need to replace that value with something that works for you. For example, if you see “Type Your Name and press Enter,” you need to replace Your Name with your actual name.
• Web addresses and programming code appear in monofont. If you’re reading a digital version of this book on a device connected to the Internet, note that you can click the web address to visit that website, like this: www.dummies.com.
• When you need to type command sequences, you see them separated by a special arrow, like this: File ⇒ New File. In this case, you go to the File menu first and then select the New File entry on that menu. The result is that you see a new file created.

Foolish Assumptions

You might find it difficult to believe that I’ve assumed anything about you — after all, I haven’t even met you yet! Although most assumptions are indeed foolish, I made these assumptions to provide a starting point for the book.

Familiarity with the platform you want to use is important because the book doesn’t provide any guidance in this regard. To provide you with maximum information about Python, this book doesn’t discuss any platform-specific issues. You really do need to know how to install applications (when working with a desktop system), use applications, work with your browser, and generally work with your chosen platform before you begin working with this book.

This book also assumes that you can locate information on the Internet. Sprinkled throughout are numerous references to online material that will enhance your learning experience. However, these added sources are useful only if you actually find and use them.

Icons Used in This Book

As you read this book, you see icons in the margins that indicate material of interest (or not, as the case may be). This section briefly describes each icon in this book.

Tips are nice because they help you save time or perform some task without a lot of extra work. The tips in this book are time-saving techniques or pointers to resources that you should try in order to get the maximum benefit from Python.

I don’t want to sound like an angry parent or some kind of maniac, but you should avoid doing anything marked with a Warning icon. Otherwise, you could find that your program only serves to confuse users, who will then refuse to work with it.

Whenever you see this icon, think advanced tip or technique. You might find these tidbits of useful information just too boring for words, or they could contain the solution you need to get a program running. Skip these bits of information whenever you like.

If you don’t get anything else out of a particular chapter or section, remember the material marked by this icon. This text usually contains an essential process or a bit of information that you must know to write Python programs successfully.

Beyond the Book

This book isn’t the end of your Python programming experience — it’s really just the beginning. I provide online content to make this book more flexible and better able to meet your needs. That way, as I receive email from you, I can do things like address questions and tell you how updates to either Python or its associated libraries affect book content. In fact, you gain access to all these cool additions:

• Cheat sheet: You remember using crib notes in school to make a better mark on a test, don’t you? You do? Well, a cheat sheet is sort of like that. It provides you with some special notes about tasks that you can do with Python that not every other developer knows. You can find the cheat sheet for this book by going to www.dummies.com and searching for Beginning Programming with Python For Dummies, 3rd Edition Cheat Sheet. It contains really neat information like how to perform magic when using Python.

• Updates: Sometimes changes happen. For example, I might not have seen an upcoming change when I looked into my crystal ball during the writing of this book. In the past, that simply meant the book would become outdated and less useful, but you can now find updates to the book by going to www.dummies.com and searching for this book's title.

  In addition to these updates, check out the blog posts with answers to reader questions and demonstrations of useful book-related techniques at http://blog.johnmuellerbooks.com/.

• Companion files: Hey! Who really wants to type all the code in the book? Most readers would prefer to spend their time actually working through coding examples, rather than typing. Fortunately for you, the source code is available for download, so all you need to do is read the book to learn Python coding techniques. Each of the book examples even tells you precisely which example project to use. You can find these files by going to www.dummies.com and searching for this book's title. You can also find the downloadable source on my website at http://www.johnmuellerbooks.com/source-code/; just click the Download button for Beginning Programming with Python For Dummies, 3rd Edition. Be sure to unzip the file using the instructions at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/zip-and-unzip-files-8d28fa72-f2f9-712f-67df-f80cf89fd4e5 before attempting to use the source code, even if you can see it in Windows Explorer.

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