Automatetheboringstuff

Automate the Boring Stuff
with Python
Practical Programming for Total Beginners
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Chapter 1 Python Basics

Support the Author: Buy the book on Amazon or
the book/ebook bundle directly from No Starch Press.
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Read the author's other free Python books:
Python Basics
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Entering Expressions into the Interactive Shell

All Programs
GUI)
Applications
MacPython 3.3
Python 3.3
IDLE (Python
IDLE
idle3
>>>
2 + 2
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>>> 2 + 2
4
Python 3.3.2 (v3.3.2:d047928ae3f6, May 16 2013, 00:06:53) [MSC v.1600 64 bit

(AMD64)] on win32
Type "copyright", "credits" or "license()" for more information.
>>> 2 + 2
4
>>>
2 + 2
expression
values
operators
evaluate
2 + 2
>>> 2
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2
ERRORS ARE OKAY!
Programs will crash if they contain code the computer cant understand, which will cause Python to show an error message.
An error message wont break your computer, though, so dont be afraid to make mistakes. A crash just means the
program stopped running unexpectedly.
If you want to know more about an error message, you can search for the exact message text online to find out more about
that specific error. You can also check out the resources at http://nostarch.com/automatestuff/ to see a list of common
Python error messages and their meanings.
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Table 1-1. Math Operators from Highest to Lowest Precedence

Operator
Operation
Example
Evaluates to...
**
Exponent
2 ** 3
Modulus/remainder
22 % 8
//
Integer division/floored quotient
22 // 8
Division
22 / 8
2.75
Multiplication
3 * 5
15
Subtraction
5 - 2
Addition
2 + 2
precedence
**
+
* / //
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>>> 2 + 3 * 6
20
>>> (2 + 3) * 6
30
>>> 48565878 * 578453
28093077826734
>>> 2 ** 8
256
>>> 23 / 7
3.2857142857142856
>>> 23 // 7
3
>>> 23 % 7
2
>>> 2
4
>>> (5 - 1) * ((7 + 1) / (3 - 1))
16.0
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Figure 1-1. Evaluating an expression reduces it to a single value.
This is a grammatically correct English sentence.

This grammatically is sentence not English correct a.
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SyntaxError
>>> 5 +
File "<stdin>", line 1
5 +
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>>> 42 + 5 + * 2
File "<stdin>", line 1
42 + 5 + * 2
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
The Integer, Floating-Point, and String Data Types

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data type
-2
integer
30
int
floating-point numbers
3.14
42
floats
42.0
Table 1-2. Common Data Types
Data type
Examples
Integers
-2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Floating-point numbers
-1.25, -1.0, --0.5, 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.25
Strings
'a', 'aa', 'aaa', 'Hello!', '11 cats'
strings
'
''
'Hello'
strs
'Goodbye cruel world!'
blank string
SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string
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literal
>>> 'Hello world!

SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal
String Concatenation and Replication

+
+
string concatenation
>>> 'Alice' + 'Bob'

'AliceBob'
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>>> 'Alice' + 42
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<pyshell#26>", line 1, in <module>
'Alice' + 42
TypeError: Can't convert 'int' object to str implicitly
Can't convert 'int' object to str implicitly

'Alice'
str() int()
float()
*
string replication
>>> 'Alice' * 5
'AliceAliceAliceAliceAlice'
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>>> 'Alice' * 'Bob'

'Alice' * 'Bob'
TypeError: can't multiply sequence by non-int of type 'str'
>>> 'Alice' * 5.0
'Alice' * 5.0
TypeError: can't multiply sequence by non-int of type 'float'
Storing Values in Variables

variable
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Assignment Statements
assignment statement
assignment operator
spam = 42
spam
42
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Figure 1-2. spam = 42 is like telling the program, The variable spam now has the integer value 42 in it.
>>> spam = 40
>>> spam
40
>>> eggs = 2
>>> spam + eggs
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42
>>> spam + eggs + spam
82
>>> spam = spam + 2
>>> spam
42
initialized
spam
42
40
overwriting
>>> spam = 'Hello'

>>> spam
'Hello'
>>> spam = 'Goodbye'
>>> spam
'Goodbye'
spam
'Hello'
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'Goodbye'
Figure 1-3. When a new value is assigned to a variable, the old one is forgotten.
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Variable Names
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Table 1-3. Valid and Invalid Variable Names

Valid variable names
Invalid variable names
balance
current-balance (hyphens are not allowed)
currentBalance
current balance (spaces are not allowed)
current_balance
4account (cant begin with a number)
_spam
42 (cant begin with a number)
SPAM
total_$um (special characters like $ are not allowed)
account4
'hello' (special characters like ' are not allowed)
spam SPAM Spam
lookLikeThis
sPaM
looking_like_this
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Consistency with the style guide is important. But most importantly: know when to be inconsistentsometimes
the style guide just doesnt apply. When in doubt, use your best judgment.
Stuff
eggs
spam
bacon
Your First Program
file editor
File New File
ENTER
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>>>
>>>
# This program says hello and asks for my name.

print('Hello world!')
print('What is your name?')
# ask for their name
myName = input()
print('It is good to meet you, ' + myName)
print('The length of your name is:')
print(len(myName))
print('What is your age?')
# ask for their age
myAge = input()
print('You will be ' + str(int(myAge) + 1) + ' in a year.')
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File Save As
hello.py
Save
CTRL
Run Run Module
F5
Python 3.3.2 (v3.3.2:d047928ae3f6, May 16 2013, 00:06:53) [MSC v.1600 64 bit

(AMD64)] on win32
Type "copyright", "credits" or "license()" for more information.
>>> ================================ RESTART ================================
>>>
Hello world!
What is your name?
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Al
It is good to meet you, Al
The length of your name is:
2
What is your age?
4
You will be 5 in a year.
>>>
terminates
exits
File Open
Open
hello.py
hello.py
Dissecting Your Program
Comments
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comment
# This program says hello and asks for my name.
#
#
commenting out
#
The print() Function

print()
print('What is your name?') # ask for their name
'Hello world!'
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calling
print()
passed
argument
NOTE
You can also use this function to put a blank line on the screen; just call print() with nothing in between the
parentheses.
print()
print
The input() Function

input()
ENTER
myName = input()
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myName
input()
'Al'
myName = 'Al'
Printing the Users Name

print()
'It is good to meet you,
' + myName
print('It is good to meet you, ' + myName)
'Al'
myName
'It is good to meet you,
Al'
print()
The len() Function

len()
print('The length of your name is:')

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print(len(myName))
>>> len('hello')
5
>>> len('My very energetic monster just scarfed nachos.')
46
>>> len('')
0
len(myName)
print()
print()
>>> print('I am ' + 29 + ' years old.')

print('I am ' + 29 + ' years old.')
print()
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print()
>>> 'I am ' + 29 + ' years old.'

'I am ' + 29 + ' years old.'
The str(), int(), and float() Functions

29
'29'
29
print()
str()
>>> str(29)
'29'
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>>> print('I am ' + str(29) + ' years old.')

I am 29 years old.
str(29)
old.'
'29'
'I am ' + str(29) + ' years
'I am ' + '29' + ' years old.'
29 years old.'
str() int()
'I am
print()
float()
>>> str(0)
'0'
>>> str(-3.14)
'-3.14'
>>> int('42')
42
>>> int('-99')
-99
>>> int(1.25)
1
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>>> int(1.99)
1
>>> float('3.14')
3.14
>>> float(10)
10.0
str() int()
float()
str()
int()
input()
spam = input()
101
>>> spam = input()

101
>>> spam
'101'
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spam
spam
101
int()
'101'
spam
spam
>>> spam = int(spam)

>>> spam
101
spam
>>> spam * 10 / 5
202.0
int()
>>> int('99.99')
int('99.99')
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ValueError: invalid literal for int() with base 10: '99.99'

>>> int('twelve')
int('twelve')
ValueError: invalid literal for int() with base 10: 'twelve'
int()
1
>>> int(7.7)
7
>>> int(7.7) + 1
8
int()
str()
print('What is your age?') # ask for their age

myAge = input()
print('You will be ' + str(int(myAge) + 1) + ' in a year.')
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myAge
input()
input()
int(myAge)
myAge
int(myAge) + 1
str()
str(int(myAge) + 1)
'You will be '
' in a year.'
print()
'4'
5
myAge
'4'
str()
'in a year.'
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T EXT AND NUM BER EQUIVALENCE

Although the string value of a number is considered a completely different value from the integer or floating-point version, an
integer can be equal to a floating point.
>>> 42 == '42'
False
>>> 42 == 42.0
True
>>> 42.0 == 0042.000
True
Python makes this distinction because strings are text, while integers and floats are both numbers.
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Figure 1-4. The evaluation steps, if 4 was stored in myAge
Summary
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+ - * / // %
+
**
print()
input()
len()
str() int()
float()
flow
control
Practice Questions
Q: 1. Which of the following are operators, and which are values?
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'hello'
-88.8
/
+
5
Q: 2. Which of the following is a variable, and which is a string?
spam
'spam'
Q: 3. Name three data types.

Q: 4. What is an expression made up of? What do all expressions do?
Q: 5. This chapter introduced assignment statements, like spam = 10. What is the difference between an expression and a
statement?
Q: 6. What does the variable bacon contain after the following code runs?
bacon = 20
bacon + 1
Q: 7. What should the following two expressions evaluate to?

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'spam' + 'spamspam'
'spam' * 3
Q: 8. Why is eggs a valid variable name while 100 is invalid?

Q: 9. What three functions can be used to get the integer, floating-point number, or string version of a value?
Q: 10. Why does this expression cause an error? How can you fix it?
'I have eaten ' + 99 + ' burritos.'
Extra credit: Search online for the Python documentation for the len() function. It will be on a web page titled Built-in
Functions. Skim the list of other functions Python has, look up what the round() function does, and experiment with it in
the interactive shell.
Support the Author: Buy the book on Amazon or

the book/ebook bundle directly from No Starch Press.
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Read the author's other free Python books:
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Automate the Boring Stuff

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Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

Chapter 1 Python Basics

open in browser PRO version

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Read the author's other free Python books:

open in browser PRO version

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

Entering Expressions into the Interactive Shell

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Python 3.3.2 (v3.3.2:d047928ae3f6, May 16 2013, 00:06:53) [MSC v.1600 64 bit

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

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Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

Table 1-1. Math Operators from Highest to Lowest Precedence

Integer division/floored quotient

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Figure 1-1. Evaluating an expression reduces it to a single value.

This is a grammatically correct English sentence.

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The Integer, Floating-Point, and String Data Types

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-1.25, -1.0, --0.5, 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.25

'a', 'aa', 'aaa', 'Hello!', '11 cats'

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>>> 'Hello world!

String Concatenation and Replication

>>> 'Alice' + 'Bob'

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Can't convert 'int' object to str implicitly

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>>> 'Alice' * 'Bob'

Storing Values in Variables

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>>> spam = 'Hello'

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Table 1-3. Valid and Invalid Variable Names

Invalid variable names

current-balance (hyphens are not allowed)

current balance (spaces are not allowed)

4account (cant begin with a number)

42 (cant begin with a number)

total_$um (special characters like $ are not allowed)

'hello' (special characters like ' are not allowed)

spam SPAM Spam

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Your First Program

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