Python from Scratch LiveLessons

Python from Scratch LiveLessons

by Brian Ray
Released March 2017
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 0134745922

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Video description

5 Hours of Video Instruction

Description

Python from Scratch LiveLessons is a gentler, more entertaining, and more practical starting point to learning the Python programming language. Unlike the typical approach to teaching a programming language that covers each feature section by section, this course is structured more like a cooking class. You can follow along and execute all the code being demonstrated in an interactive notebook as you watch the video, much the same way you would watch a cooking video in your kitchen.

Download the resources needed to use this LiveLesson:

Skill Level
  • Beginner level for anyone new to Python and object-oriented programming. Builds from scratch from beginner to more advanced topics through a follow-along approach.

What You Will Learn
  • How to use the interactive Jupyter notebook platform to execute simple commands
  • How to use the import statement to use external code and read input from an external source
  • How to work with strings and how to use indexing operators
  • How to write program controls
  • How to use built-in types and write/use user-defined types
  • How to access elements in dictionaries
  • How to use if and elif control structures
  • How to take advantage of dictionaries and tuples
  • How to write complex functions
  • How to use keyword arguments in functions
  • How to write classes and use inheritance
  • How to read data in and push data out to other programs
  • How to create callbacks and mock classes
  • How to use third-party libraries
  • How to document Python code

Who Should Take This Course
  • Anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of programming using Python who prefers a more hands-on, pragmatic approach to learning

Course Requirements
  • Assumes basic familiarity with programming concepts, but no previous experience programming in Python is required
  • Python 3 with Jupyter (http://bit.ly/PyScratchInstall) installed on your computer, along with the source files found on http://bit.ly/PyScratch. Anaconda downloads are available for Apple OS X, Microsoft Windows, and most Linux distributions.
  • Modern web browser like Google Chrome (https://www.google.com/chrome)

Lesson Descriptions

Lesson 1: Setup
This lesson shows how to set up on the platform used throughout the course. It also demonstrates the final product--a Pie Factory that you interact with through a web browser. The backend demonstrates how to hold the logic and data that powers the factory.

Lesson 2: The Recipe–Python Handling Text
This lesson focuses on how to read input from an external source. In this case, it's a copy of my Grandmother's Apple pie recipe saved to disk. We break the text up into parts. We introduce the concept of functions. Finally, we refactor all the breaking up of the recipe code into functions to introduce reusability.

Lesson 3: Ingredients–Python Base Types (string, int, decimal, tuple, lists)
This lesson focuses on converting the text in the recipe into some representative data types so we can work with them. For example, our program needs to know what the string "1/2 cup of flour" really means.

Lesson 4: Mixing Ingredients–Python Dictionaries
In Lesson 2, we read the ingredients/steps. In Lesson 3, we parsed those ingredients to gain some understanding of what they do. Now we take the steps and mix the ingredients so that you come to a deeper understanding of advanced data structures, like dictionaries.

Lesson 5 Bake It–Python: Functions
This lesson goes deeper into functions in Python. You learn about the syntax, how to write, how to execute, and how to document. You learn a little bit about how to run many functions at the same time. Finally, you learn about parameters and arguments and how they can be customized in order to form more functionality to accomplish real tasks while re-using code.

Lesson 6: Many Types of Pie–Python Classes
In this lesson, we start creating our own Pie Class. The running metaphor melds nicely with the idea of repeatability without giving up flexibility. We experience the beauty of Python as we start to dive deeper into the concepts of object- oriented programming.

Lesson 7: Pie Factory–Object-Oriented Python
In this lesson, you learn how Python works as a glue language. You learn about Application Program Interfaces (APIs) and how and why to use them. Similar to Lesson 2, when we read data into our program, you now learn how we both read data in and push data out to other programs. This enables our program to talk to another program. Before we do so, we set a simulation so we can isolate functionally before we hook it all up in Lesson 8.

Lesson 8: Pie Store–Visuals UX/UI Design
In this final lesson, we create our complete program and talk about the technology stack. We create a simple User Interface for the browser, and we hook that up to our code. We learn about a couple of open source libraries that provide some underlying functionality to support us in the task.

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Table of contents

  1. Introduction
    1. Python from Scratch LiveLessons: Introduction 00:02:02
  2. Lesson 1: Setup
    1. Learning objectives (or Topics) 00:00:25
    2. 1.1 Installation 00:02:23
    3. 1.2 This is a Jupyter notebook 00:05:17
    4. 1.3 Complete Pie Factory 00:03:23
  3. Lesson 2: The Recipe—Python Handling Text
    1. Learning objectives (or Topics) 00:00:25
    2. 2.1 Everything starts with a recipe 00:04:20
    3. 2.2 Break text up into parts 00:13:33
    4. 2.3 DRY stands for Don't Repeat Yourself 00:07:05
    5. 2.4 Break up the recipe some more 00:04:18
    6. 2.5 Putting it all together into functions 00:17:23
    7. 2.6 One function to do it all 00:05:44
  4. Lesson 3: Ingredients—Python Base Types (string, int, decimal, tuple, lists)
    1. Learning objectives (or Topics) 00:00:21
    2. 3.1 What is an ingredient? What is a type? 00:06:45
    3. 3.2 User-defined types 00:04:28
    4. 3.3 Storing quantities of ingredients 00:04:36
    5. 3.4 What type? 00:21:05
    6. 3.5 Putting it all together 00:05:45
  5. Lesson 4: Mixing Ingredients—Python Dictionaries
    1. Learning objectives (or Topics) 00:00:26
    2. 4.1 Logging and control 00:03:57
    3. 4.2 Start with the filling 00:10:15
    4. 4.3 Notes on dicts 00:03:03
    5. 4.4 Reusable code 00:13:32
    6. 4.5 Putting it all together 00:02:59
    7. 4.6 Code-reuse 00:01:33
  6. Lesson 5: Bake It—Python Functions
    1. Learning objectives (or Topics) 00:00:27
    2. 5.1 Functions 00:03:36
    3. 5.2 Bake it function 00:06:29
    4. 5.3 A brief introduction to parameters and arguments 00:04:43
    5. 5.4 Arguments in the kitchen 00:03:18
  7. Lesson 6: Many Types of Pie—Python Classes
    1. Learning objectives (or Topics) 00:00:21
    2. 6.1 Making the pie class 00:07:02
    3. 6.2 Different types of pie 00:05:27
    4. 6.31 Combining functionality to make pies—Part 1 00:08:34
    5. 6.32 Combining functionality to make pies—Part 2 00:11:39
    6. 6.4 Mixing many pies 00:05:27
  8. Lesson 7: Pie Factory—Object-Oriented Python
    1. Learning objectives (or Topics) 00:00:34
    2. 7.1 Read the API documentation for our Factory Conveyor Belt we will use (already exists) 00:06:04
    3. 7.2 Creating callbacks 00:02:17
    4. 7.3 Using the mock server 00:07:41
    5. 7.4 Running 00:02:59
    6. 7.5 Creating more callbacks and putting it all together 00:18:38
  9. Lesson 8: Pie Store—Visuals UX/UI Design
    1. Learning objectives (or Topics) 00:00:23
    2. 8.1 Connecting a user interface 00:02:04
    3. 8.2 Create the client code 00:08:43
    4. 8.3 Creating a simple server 00:05:16
    5. 8.4 Assembling the complete Pie Factory 00:15:56
  10. Summary
    1. Python from Scratch LiveLessons: Summary 00:01:17

Product information

  • Title: Python from Scratch LiveLessons
  • Author(s): Brian Ray
  • Release date: March 2017
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 0134745922