Introduction to Python

A dynamically typed programming language

allowing multiple paradigms OO, functional
Narendran Thangarajan,
@naren_live
SSN College of Engg,
Chennai
Why Python?
Productivity and readable code
Dynamic Type system
Automatic Memory Mangement
No braces : "Life's better without braces"
(Bruce Eckel)
Tutorial Outline
Interactive "shell"
Basic types: numbers, strings
Container types: lists, dictionaries, tuples
Variables
Control structures
Functions & procedures
Classes & instances
Modules & packages
Exceptions
Files & standard library
Interactive Shell
Great for learning the language
Great for experimenting with the library
Great for testing your own modules
Two variations: IDLE (GUI),
python (command line)
Type statements or expressions at prompt:
>>> print "Hello, world"
Hello, world
>>> x = 12**2
>>> x/2
72
>>> # this is a comment
Numbers
The usual suspects
12, 3.14, 0xFF, 0377, (-1+2)*3/4**5, abs(x), 0<x<=5
C-style shifting & masking
1<<16, x&0xff, x|1, ~x, x^y
Integer division truncates :-(
1/2 -> 0 # 1./2. -> 0.5, float(1)/2 -> 0.5
Will be fixed in the future
Long (arbitrary precision), complex
2L**100 -> 1267650600228229401496703205376L
In Python 2.2 and beyond, 2**100 does the same thing
1j**2 -> (-1+0j)
Strings
"hello"+"world" "helloworld" #
concatenation
"hello"*3 "hellohellohello" # repetition
"hello"[0] "h" # indexing
"hello"[-1] "o" # (from end)
"hello"[1:4] "ell" # slicing
len("hello") 5 # size
"hello" < "jello" 1 # comparison
"e" in "hello" 1 # search
"escapes: \n etc, \033 etc, \if etc"
'single quotes' """triple quotes""" r"raw strings"
Lists
Flexible arrays, not Lisp-like linked lists
a = [99, "bottles of beer", ["on", "the", "wall"]]
Same operators as for strings
a+b, a*3, a[0], a[-1], a[1:], len(a)
Item and slice assignment
a[0] = 98
a[1:2] = ["bottles", "of", "beer"]
-> [98, "bottles", "of", "beer", ["on", "the", "wall"]]
del a[-1] # -> [98, "bottles", "of", "beer"]
More List Operations
>>> a = range(5) # [0,1,2,3,4]
>>> a.append(5) # [0,1,2,3,4,5]
>>> a.pop() # [0,1,2,3,4]
5
>>> a.insert(0, 42) # [42,0,1,2,3,4]
>>> a.pop(0) # [0,1,2,3,4]
5.5
>>> a.reverse() # [4,3,2,1,0]
>>> a.sort() # [0,1,2,3,4]
Dictionaries
Hash tables, "associative arrays"
d = {"duck": "eend", "water": "water"}
Lookup:
d["duck"] -> "eend"
d["back"] # raises KeyError exception
Delete, insert, overwrite:
del d["water"] # {"duck": "eend", "back": "rug"}
d["back"] = "rug" # {"duck": "eend", "back": "rug"}
d["duck"] = "duik" # {"duck": "duik", "back": "rug"}
More Dictionary Ops
Keys, values, items:
d.keys() -> ["duck", "back"]
d.values() -> ["duik", "rug"]
d.items() -> [("duck","duik"), ("back","rug")]
Presence check:
d.has_key("duck") -> 1; d.has_key("spam") ->
0
Values of any type; keys almost any
{"name":"Guido", "age":43, ("hello","world"):1,
42:"yes", "flag": ["red","white","blue"]}
Dictionary Details
Keys must be immutable:
numbers, strings, tuples of immutables
these cannot be changed after creation
reason is hashing (fast lookup technique)
not lists or other dictionaries
these types of objects can be changed "in
place"
no restrictions on values
Keys will be listed in arbitrary order
again, because of hashing
Tuples
key = (lastname, firstname)
point = x, y, z # parentheses optional
x, y, z = point # unpack
lastname = key[0]
singleton = (1,) # trailing comma!!!
empty = () # parentheses!
tuples vs. lists; tuples immutable
Variables
No need to declare
Need to assign (initialize)
use of uninitialized variable raises exception
Not typed
if friendly: greeting = "hello world"
else: greeting = 12**2
print greeting
Everything is a "variable":
Even functions, classes, modules
Reference Semantics
Assignment manipulates references
x = y does not make a copy of y
x = y makes x reference the object y references
Very useful; but beware!
Example:
>>> a = [1, 2, 3]
>>> b = a
>>> a.append(4)
>>> print b
[1, 2, 3, 4]
a
1 2 3
b
a
1 2 3
b
4
a = [1, 2, 3]
a.append(4)
b = a
a
1 2 3
Changing a Shared List
a
1
b
a
1 b
a = 1
a = a+1
b = a
a
1
2
Changing an Integer
old reference deleted
by assignment (a=...)
new int object created
by add operator (1+1)
Control Structures
if condition:
statements
[elif condition:
statements] ...
else:
statements
while condition:
statements
for var in sequence:
statements
break
continue
Grouping Indentation
In Python:
for i in range(20):
if i%3 == 0:
print i
if i%5 == 0:
print "Bingo!"
print "---"
In C:
for (i = 0; i < 20; i++)
{
if (i%3 == 0) {
printf("%d\n", i);
if (i%5 == 0) {
printf("Bingo!\n"); }
}
printf("---\n");
}
Functions, Procedures
def name(arg1, arg2, ...):
"""documentation""" # optional doc string
statements
return # from procedure
return expression # from function
Example Function
def gcd(a, b):
"greatest common divisor"
while a != 0:
a, b = b%a, a # parallel assignment
return b
>>> gcd.__doc__
'greatest common divisor'
>>> gcd(12, 20)
4
Classes
class name:
"documentation"
statements
-or-
class name(base1, base2, ...):
...
Most, statements are method definitions:
def name(self, arg1, arg2, ...):
...
May also be class variable assignments
Example Class
class Stack:
"A well-known data structure"
def __init__(self): # constructor
self.items = []
def push(self, x):
self.items.append(x) # the sky is the limit
def pop(self):
x = self.items[-1] # what happens if its empty?
del self.items[-1]
return x
def empty(self):
return len(self.items) == 0 # Boolean result
Using Classes
To create an instance, simply call the class object:
x = Stack()# no 'new' operator!
To use methods of the instance, call using dot notation:
x.empty() # -> 1
x.push(1) # [1]
x.empty() # -> 0
x.push("hello") # [1, "hello"]
x.pop() # -> "hello" # [1]
To inspect instance variables, use dot notation:
x.items # -> [1]
Subclassing
class FancyStack(Stack):
"stack with added ability to inspect inferior stack items"
def peek(self, n):
"peek(0) returns top; peek(-1) returns item below that; etc."
size = len(self.items)
assert 0 <= n < size # test precondition
return self.items[size-1-n]
Subclassing (2)
class LimitedStack(FancyStack):
"fancy stack with limit on stack size"
def __init__(self, limit):
self.limit = limit
FancyStack.__init__(self) # base class constructor
def push(self, x):
assert len(self.items) < self.limit
FancyStack.push(self, x) # "super" method call
Class / Instance Variables
class Connection:
verbose = 0 # class variable
def __init__(self, host):
self.host = host # instance variable
def debug(self, v):
self.verbose = v # make instance variable!
def connect(self):
if self.verbose: # class or instance variable?
print "connecting to", self.host
Instance Variable Rules
On use via instance (self.x), search order:
(1) instance, (2) class, (3) base classes
this also works for method lookup
On assignment via instance (self.x = ...):
always makes an instance variable
Class variables "default" for instance variables
But...!
mutable class variable: one copy shared by all
mutable instance variable: each instance its own
Modules
Collection of stuff in foo.py file
functions, classes, variables
Importing modules:
import re; print re.match("[a-z]+", s)
from re import match; print match("[a-z]+", s)
Import with rename:
import re as regex
from re import match as m
Before Python 2.0:
import re; regex = re; del re
Packages
Collection of modules in directory
Must have __init__.py file
May contain subpackages
Import syntax:
from P.Q.M import foo; print foo()
from P.Q import M; print M.foo()
import P.Q.M; print P.Q.M.foo()
import P.Q.M as M; print M.foo() # new
Catching Exceptions
def foo(x):
return 1/x
def bar(x):
try:
print foo(x)
except ZeroDivisionError, message:
print "Cant divide by zero:", message
bar(0)
Try-finally: Cleanup
f = open(file)
try:
process_file(f)
finally:
f.close() # always executed
print "OK" # executed on success only
Raising Exceptions
raise IndexError
raise IndexError("k out of range")
raise IndexError, "k out of range"
try:
something
except: # catch everything
print "Oops"
raise # reraise
File Objects
f = open(filename[, mode[, buffersize])
mode can be "r", "w", "a" (like C stdio); default "r"
append "b" for text translation mode
append "+" for read/write open
buffersize: 0=unbuffered; 1=line-buffered; buffered
methods:
read([nbytes]), readline(), readlines()
write(string), writelines(list)
seek(pos[, how]), tell()
flush(), close()
fileno()
Thank You!