Beginning Programming with Python For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 7

Managing Information

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding the Python view of data

Using operators to assign, modify, and compare data

Organizing code using functions

Interacting with the user

Whether you use the term information or data to refer to the content that applications manage, the fact is that you must provide some means of working with it or your application really doesn’t have a purpose. Throughout the rest of the book, you see information and data used interchangeably because they really are the same thing, and in real-world situations, you’ll encounter them both, so getting used to both is a good idea. No matter which term you use, you need some means of assigning data to variables, modifying the content of those variables to achieve specific goals, and comparing the result you receive with desired results. This chapter addresses all three requirements so that you can start to control data within your applications.

Also essential is to start working through methods of keeping your code understandable. Yes, you could write your application as a really long procedure, ...