Getting Started with Python by Dusty Phillips

Harness the power of Python objects and data structures to implement algorithms for analyzing your data and efficiently extracting information

Key Features

• Turn your designs into working software by learning the Python syntax
• Write robust code with a solid understanding of Python data structures
• Understand when to use the functional or the OOP approach

Book Description

This Learning Path helps you get comfortable with the world of Python. It starts with a thorough and practical introduction to Python. You’ll quickly start writing programs, building websites, and working with data by harnessing Python's renowned data science libraries. With the power of linked lists, binary searches, and sorting algorithms, you'll easily create complex data structures, such as graphs, stacks, and queues. After understanding cooperative inheritance, you'll expertly raise, handle, and manipulate exceptions. You will effortlessly integrate the object-oriented and not-so-object-oriented aspects of Python, and create maintainable applications using higher level design patterns. Once you’ve covered core topics, you’ll understand the joy of unit testing and just how easy it is to create unit tests.

By the end of this Learning Path, you will have built components that are easy to understand, debug, and can be used across different applications.

This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products:

• Learn Python Programming - Second Edition by Fabrizio Romano
• Python Data Structures and Algorithms by Benjamin Baka
• Python 3 Object-Oriented Programming by Dusty Phillips

What you will learn

• Use data structures and control flow to write code
• Use functions to bundle together a sequence of instructions
• Implement objects in Python by creating classes and defining methods
• Design public interfaces using abstraction, encapsulation and information hiding
• Raise, define, and manipulate exceptions using special error objects
• Create bulletproof and reliable software by writing unit tests
• Learn the common programming patterns and algorithms used in Python

Who this book is for

If you are relatively new to coding and want to write scripts or programs to accomplish tasks using Python, or if you are an object-oriented programmer for other languages and seeking a leg up in the world of Python, then this Learning Path is for you. Though not essential, it will help you to have basic knowledge of programming and OOP.

Fabrizio Romano holds a master's degree in computer science engineering from the University of Padova. He is also a certified scrum master, Reiki master and teacher, and a member of CNHC. He moved to London in 2011 to work for companies, such as Glasses Direct and TBG/Sprinklr. He now works at Sohonet as a principal engineer/team lead. He has given talks on Teaching Python and TDD at two editions of EuroPython, and at Skillsmatter and ProgSCon in London. Benjamin Baka works as a software developer and considers himself to be language agnostic and seeks out the elegant solutions which his toolset of C, Java, Python, Ruby, and other languages can enable him to accomplish. With a huge interest in algorithms, he seeks to always write code that borrows from Dr. Knuth's words, both simple and elegant. He also enjoys playing the bass guitar and listening to silence. He currently works with mPedigree Network. Dusty Phillips is a software developer and author currently living in New Brunswick. He has been active in the open source community for two decades and has been programming in Python for nearly as long. He holds a master's degree in computer science and has worked for Facebook, the United Nations, and several start-ups. He's currently researching privacy-preserving technology at beanstalk.network. Python 3 Object-Oriented Programming is his first book. He has also written Creating Apps in Kivy, and self-published Hacking Happy, a journey to mental wellness for the technically inclined. A work of fiction is coming as well, so stay tuned!