Book Image

The Python Workshop

By : Olivier Pons, Andrew Bird, Dr. Lau Cher Han, Mario Corchero Jiménez, Graham Lee, Corey Wade
Book Image

The Python Workshop

By: Olivier Pons, Andrew Bird, Dr. Lau Cher Han, Mario Corchero Jiménez, Graham Lee, Corey Wade

Overview of this book

Have you always wanted to learn Python, but never quite known how to start? More applications than we realize are being developed using Python because it is easy to learn, read, and write. You can now start learning the language quickly and effectively with the help of this interactive tutorial. The Python Workshop starts by showing you how to correctly apply Python syntax to write simple programs, and how to use appropriate Python structures to store and retrieve data. You'll see how to handle files, deal with errors, and use classes and methods to write concise, reusable, and efficient code. As you advance, you'll understand how to use the standard library, debug code to troubleshoot problems, and write unit tests to validate application behavior. You'll gain insights into using the pandas and NumPy libraries for analyzing data, and the graphical libraries of Matplotlib and Seaborn to create impactful data visualizations. By focusing on entry-level data science, you'll build your practical Python skills in a way that mirrors real-world development. Finally, you'll discover the key steps in building and using simple machine learning algorithms. By the end of this Python book, you'll have the knowledge, skills and confidence to creatively tackle your own ambitious projects with Python.
Table of Contents (13 chapters)

Reading Files

While databases such as MySQL and Postgres are popular and are widely used in many web applications, there is still a large amount of data that is stored and exchanged using text file formats. Popular formats like comma-separated values (CSV), JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), and plain text are used to store information such as weather data, traffic data, and sensor readings. You should take a look at the following exercise to read text from a file using Python.

Exercise 58: Reading a Text File Using Python

In this exercise, you will be downloading a sample data file online and reading data as the output:

  1. Open a new Jupyter Notebook.
  2. Now, copy the text file from the URL (https://packt.live/2MIHzhO), save it to a local folder as pg37431.txt, and remember where it is located.
  3. Upload the file to your Jupyter Notebook by clicking on the Upload button in the top-right corner. Select the pg37431.txt file from your local folder, and then click on the...