Classes: The Basics | Learn to Code with Python

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Learn to Code with Python

By : Boris Paskhaver

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Learn to Code with Python

By: Boris Paskhaver

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Overview of this book

This course begins with the fundamentals of Python, covering installation and setup for both macOS and Windows. You will learn core programming concepts such as variables, functions, and control flow, as well as how to work with strings and data structures like lists, tuples, sets, and dictionaries. These foundational skills set you up for success in more advanced topics later in the course. As you progress, you’ll dive into object-oriented programming (OOP), learning to define classes, create objects, and work with inheritance and magic methods. Along with mastering debugging techniques, you’ll also explore web scraping with Scrapy and the essentials of unit testing. These hands-on lessons ensure you're well-prepared for real-world programming challenges. The final sections bring everything together with a project-based approach, where you’ll build a Texas Hold'em Poker game using OOP principles. This project allows you to apply everything you've learned while reinforcing key concepts. By the end of the course, you'll be confident in building, testing, and deploying Python applications, ready to take on complex development tasks.

Course Introduction

Promo Video

Setup & Introduction

Welcome to the Python Programming Language

Download Course Files

macOS - Use the Terminal to Issue Commands to Your Operating System

macOS - Download and Install Python 3

macOS - Download and Install Visual Studio Code

Windows - Use the Command Prompt to Issue Commands to Your Operating System

Windows - Download and Install Python 3

Windows - Download and Install Visual Studio Code

macOS + Windows - Installing VSCode Plugins

macOS + Windows - Configuring VSCode Project Settings

macOS - Run Python File

Windows - Run Python File

The Visual Studio Code (VSCode) Interface and Helpful Shortcuts

The Interactive Prompt (REPL)

OPTIONAL: Words of Motivation

Welcome to Python

Objects: Strings

Intro to Functions

The print Function I: Outputting a Single Argument

The print Function II: Outputting Multiple Arguments

The print Function III: Parameters and Arguments

Comments

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Outputting Text with the print Function

Numbers, Booleans and Equality

Mathematical Expressions

Division, Floor Division, and the Modulo Operator

The Boolean Data Type, The Equality Operator (==) and Inequality Operator (!=)

Boolean Mathematical Operators

The type Function

Type Conversion with the int, float, and str Functions

Variables

Intro to Variables

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Declaring Variables

Multiple Variable Assignments

Augmented Assignment Operator

Collecting User Input with the input Function

The NameError, ValueError, TypeError and SyntaxError Exceptions

Functions

Intro to Functions

Parameters and Arguments

Positional Arguments and Keyword Arguments

Declaring Return Values for Functions

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The Basics of Functions

Default Arguments

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Default Arguments

The None Type

BONUS: Function Annotations

Strings: The Basics

Length, Concatenation, and Immutability

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Length, Concatenation, and Immutability

String Indexing with Positive Values

String Indexing with Negative Values

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: String Indexing

String Slicing I: Slicing by Range

String Slicing II: Slicing by Steps

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: String Slicing

Escape Characters

The in and not in Operators for Checking Inclusion of a Substring within a String

Strings: The Basics Section Review

Strings: Methods

The find and index Methods

The startswith and endswith Methods

The count Method to Count Occurrences of Value in a String

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The find and count Methods

The capitalize, title, lower, upper, and swapcase Methods to Change Casing

Boolean Methods for Strings

The lstrip, rstrip, and strip Methods

The replace Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: String Cleanup Methods

The format Method

Formatted String Literals (f-strings)

Control Flow

REVIEW: The Boolean Data Type, Equality, and Inequality

The if Statement

The bool Function (Truthiness and Falsiness)

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: if Statements

The else Statement

The elif Statement

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: if, else and elif

Conditional Expressions (Ternary Operator Equivalent)

Declaring Multiple Conditions with the and Keyword

Declaring Multiple Conditions with the or Keyword

Using the not Keyword to Negate an Expression

Nested if Statements

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Multiple Conditions

Using the while Loop to Iterate While a Condition is True

A Brief Intro to Recursion I

A Brief Intro to Recursion II

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Recursion

Lists: The Basics

Intro to Lists

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Creating Lists

The in and not in Operators on a List

Select a List Element by Positive or Negative Index Positions

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Indexing into List

Slice Multiple Elements from a List

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Slicing Elements

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: List Problems

Lists: Iteration

Iteration with the For Loop

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: List Iteration

Iteration with Conditional Logic

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: More List Iteration

Iterate in Reverse with the reversed Function

The enumerate Function

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The enumerate Function

The range Function

The break Keyword

The continue Keyword

Command Line Arguments with argv

Debugging

Intro to Debugging in VSCode

Step Over

Step into and Step Out

Working Through a Problem

Lists: Mutation

Assign New Value at Index Position

Assign New Values to List Slice

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Overwriting Elements in a List

The append Method and Adding Lists with + Operator

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Conditionals, Range, Enumerate

Building a List Up from Another List

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Building a List Up

The extend Method

The insert Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Adding Elements to List

The pop Method

The del Keyword

The remove Method

The clear Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Removing Elements from a List

The reverse Method

The sort Method

Lists: Methods

The count Method

The index Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Encrypt Message

The copy Method

The split Method on a String

The join Method on a String

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The split and join Methods on Strings

The zip Function

Multidimensional Lists

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Multidimensional Lists

List Comprehensions I: The Basics

List Comprehensions II: Filtering Results

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: List Comprehension

Built-In Functions

The help Function

The map Function

The filter Function

Lambda Functions

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: map, filter and lambda Functions

The all and any Functions

The max and min Functions

The sum Function

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The sum Function

The dir Function

The format Function

Tuples

Intro to Tuples

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Declare Tuples

Lists vs. Tuples

Unpacking a Tuple I: The Basics

Unpacking a Tuple II: Using * to Destructure Multiple Elements

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Unpacking a Tuple

Variable Number of Function Arguments with *args

Unpacking Arguments to Functions

Objects and References

Variables, Objects, and Garbage Collection

Shared References with Immutable and Mutable Types

Equality vs. Identity

Shallow and Deep Copies

Dictionaries: The Basics

Intro to Dictionaries

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Create a Dictionary

Access a Dictionary Value by Key or the get Method

The in and not in Operators on a Dictionary

Add or Modify Key-Value Pair in Dictionary

The setdefault Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Dictionaries from Lists

The pop Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Inclusion and Removal

The clear Method

The update Method

The dict Function

Nested Dictionaries

Dictionaries: Iteration

Iterate over a Dictionary with a for Loop

The items Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The items Method

The keys and values Methods

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The keys and values Methods

The sorted Function

Lists of Dictionaries

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Nested Data Structures

Keyword Arguments (**kwargs)

Unpacking Argument Dictionary

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Keyword Arguments

Dictionary Comprehensions I

Dictionary Comprehensions II

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Dictionary Comprehensions

Sets

Intro to Sets

The set Function

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Set Basics

The add and update Methods

The remove and discard Methods

The intersection Method to Identify Common Elements between Sets

The union Method to Combine Elements from Two Sets

The difference Method to Identify Unique Elements in One Set

The symmetric_difference Method to Identify Elements Not in Common Between Two Sets

The issubset and issuperset Method

The frozenset Object

Modules

Scripts, Modules, and the import Keyword

The Python Standard Library (The string, math, and this Modules)

The __name__ Special Variable

Aliases with the as Keyword

Import Specific Attributes with the from Syntax

Import All Attributes with * Syntax

The __init__.py File I

The __init__.py File II

Reading from and Writing to Files

Reading a File with the open Function and read Method

Read File Line by Line

Write to a File

Append to a File

Decorators

Higher Order Functions I: Functions as Arguments

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Higher Order Functions

Nested Functions

Higher Order Functions II: Functions as Return Values

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Higher Order Functions II

Scope I: Global vs. Local Variables

Scope II: The LEGB Rule

Scope III: Closures

The global Keyword

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The global Keyword

The nonlocal Keyword

Intro to Decorators

Arguments with Decorator Functions (*args and **kwargs)

Returned Values from Decorated Functions

The functools.wraps Decorator

Decorator Example from Flask Library

Classes: The Basics

Intro to Object-Oriented Programming

Class Definition and Instantiation

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Class Definition and Instantiation

The __init__ Method

Adding Attributes to Objects

Setting Object Attributes in the __init__ Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The __init__ Method

Default Values for Attributes

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Default Values for Attributes

Classes: Attributes and Methods

Instance Methods

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Instance Methods

Protected Attributes and Methods (Encapsulation)

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Protected Attributes

Define Properties with the property Method

Define Properties with Decorators (Alternate Approach)

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Properties

The getattr and setattr Functions

The hasattr and deleteattr Functions

Class Methods

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Class Methods

Class Attributes

Attribute Lookup Order

Static Methods

Classes: Magic Methods

Intro to Magic Methods

String Representation with the __str__and __repr__ Methods

Equality with the __eq__ Method

Magic Methods for Comparison Operations

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Equality and String Representation

Docstrings

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Docstrings

Truthiness with the __bool__ Method

The namedtuple Object

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: namedtuple

Length with the __len__ Method

Indexing with the __getitem__and __setitem__ Methods

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Custom Indexing and Iteration

The __del__ Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Magic Methods

Classes: Inheritance

Intro to Inheritance

Define a Subclass

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Define a Subclass

New Methods on Subclasses

Override an Inherited Method on a Subclass

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Override a Method on Subclass

The super Function

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The super Function

Polymorphism I

Polymorphism II

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Polymorphism

Name Mangling for Privacy

Multiple Inheritance I: Method Resolution Order

Multiple Inheritance II: Breadth First Search and Depth First Search

Multiple Inheritance III: Diamond-Shaped Inheritance

The isinstance Function and issubclass Function

Composition

Exception Handling

Introduction to Error Handling

The try-except Block

Catching One or More Specific Exceptions

The raise Keyword

User-Defined Exceptions

Exception Inheritance Hierarchies

The else and finally Blocks

Dates and Time

The date Object

The time Object

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: date and time Objects

The datetime Object I

The datetime Object II: The strftime Method

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: The datetime Object

The timedelta Object

The random Module

The random, randint, and randrange Functions

The choice and sample Functions

The shuffle Function

Testing Code: The Basics

Introduction to Unit Testing

The assert Statement

The doctest Module

The unittest Module

The assertEqual Method

The Purpose of Testing

Skipping Tests and Expected Failures

Assertions - assertNotEqual and Custom Error Messages

Assertions - Test Object Identity with assertIs and assertIsNot

Assertions - Test Truthiness and Falsiness (assertTrue and assertFalse)

Assertions - Test Nullness (assertIsNone and assertIsNotNone)

Assertions - Test Inclusion with assertIn and assertNotIn

Assertions - Test Object Type (assertIsInstance and assertNotIsInstance)

Assertions - Test Errors with assertRaises

The setUp and tearDown Methods

The setUpClass and tearDownClass Methods

Testing Code: Mocking

Intro to Mocking with the Mock Class

The return_value Attribute

The side_effect Attribute

Coding Exercise SOLUTION: Creating Mocks

The Mock vs. MagicMock Objects

Mock Calls

Putting It All Together

Verifying Doubles

Patch I: The patch Function

Patch II: The @patch Decorator

Patch III: What patch Patches

PROJECT: Texas Hold'em Poker

Introduction to the Section + The Rules of Poker

Test-Driven Development (TDD)

Setting Up Our Project

The Card Class I: Adding Initial Attributes

The Card Class II: String Representation and Technical Representation

The Card Class III: Adding All Ranks and Suits

Building Out the main.py Start File

The Deck Class I: Storing and Adding Cards

The Card Class IV: Creating 52 Cards

The Hand Class I: The High Card Rank

The Hand Class II: The Pair Rank

The Hand Class III: The Two Pair Rank

The Hand Class IV: The Three of a Kind Rank

The Hand Class V: Refactoring

The Hand Class VI: The Straight Rank (Part 1)

The Hand Class VII: The Straight Rank (Part 2)

The Hand Class VIII: The Flush Rank

The Hand Class IX: The Full House Rank

The Hand Class X: The Four of a Kind Rank

The Hand Class XI: The Straight Flush Rank

The Hand Class XII: The Royal Flush Rank

Dependency Injection

The Player Class I: Creating a Player with a Hand

Catching Two Bugs

The GameRound Class I: Instantiation and Card Shuffle

The Deck Class II: Removing Cards

The GameRound Class II: Asking the Deck for Cards

Expanding Player and Hand Classes to Add New Cards

The GameRound Class III: Sending Cards to the Players

Manual Testing + Adding Hand Technical Representation and Deck Length

Implementing Fake Betting in the Player and GameRound Classes

Community Cards in Hand, Player, and GameRound Classes

The GameRound Class IV: Finishing Up Community Cards Logic

Running the Code Again

The HighCardValidator Class

The NoCardsValidator Class

The PairValidator Class

The TwoPairValidator Class

Refactoring the Existing Validators

The ThreeOfAKindValidator Class

The StraightValidator Class I

The StraightValidator Class II

The FlushValidator Class

The FullHouseValidator Class

The FourOfAKindValidator Class

The StraightFlushValidator Class I

The StraightFlushValidator Class II

The RoyalFlushValidator Class

Refactoring the Hand Class

Calculating the Winner

Regular Expressions (RegEx)

Search for Text with a Pattern Object

Search for Text at Beginning of String with match Method

The findall and finditer Methods

Module Level RegEx Functions

Review of Raw Strings

Search for Digit and Non-Digit Characters

Search for Word and Non-Word Characters

Search for Whitespace and Non-Whitespace Characters

Search for Word Boundaries

Metacharacters: The Dot

Metacharacters: Square Brackets with Characters

Declare Number of Matches with Curly Braces I

Declare Number of Matches with Curly Braces II

Search for One or More of a Character

Matching One Character or Another

Virtual Environments

Introduction to PyPi and Python Packages

Introduction to pip and Virtual Environments

macOS - Create, Activate, and Deactivate Virtual Environment

Windows - Create, Activate, and Deactivate Virtual Environment

Install Python Packages with pip3

Uninstall Python Packages with pip

Install Specific Version of Package or Upgrade Package

Create requirements.txt File

Web Scraping with Scrapy

Intro to Web Scraping and Installing Scrapy

Create Scrapy Project

Write First Scrapy Spider

A Small Refactor

A Quick Introduction to HTML and CSS

The Scrapy Shell

Writing to JSON File

CHALLENGE: Add Book Prices to File

Scraping Sequential Pages

Conclusion

Congratulations

Learn to Code with Python

By : Boris Paskhaver

Learn to Code with Python

By: Boris Paskhaver

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