The Quick Python Book, Third Edition

Chapter 4. The absolute basics

This chapter covers

• Indenting and block structuring
• Differentiating comments
• Assigning variables
• Evaluating expressions
• Using common data types
• Getting user input
• Using correct Pythonic style

This chapter describes the absolute basics in Python: how to use assignments and expressions, how to type a number or a string, how to indicate comments in code, and so forth. It starts with a discussion of how Python block structures its code, which differs from every other major language.

4.1. Indentation and block structuring

Python differs from most other programming languages because it uses whitespace and indentation to determine block structure (that is, to determine what constitutes the body of a loop, the else ...