Python Foundations Training in Ireland

A basic familiarity with any programming or scripting language is helpful, but not essential.

Working within an engaging, hands-on learning environment, and guided by an expert instructor, students will learn to write effective Python code using the latest features and techniques, including:

• Create working Python scripts following best practices
• Explore simple and complex Python data types and use them appropriately
• Use built-in functions and create custom functions with parameters and return types
• Understand Pythonic features such as comprehensions and iterators
• Work with dates, times, and calendars
• Read and write files with both text and binary data
• Gain familiarity with the standard library and its work-saving modules
• Understand objects in Python and how to create classes

DAY 1: GETTING STARTED WITH PYTHON PROGRAMMING

1. Python Variables and Data types
   
   • Python intro with a quick overview on the syntax, IDEs
   • Recall how to declare/initialize variables of different data types in Python - Numeric, String, Bool, Sequence
   • Naming Conventions & Rules
   • Functions and purpose of main()
   • Arguments
   • Command line parameters
   • White spacing basic rules
   • Types as Objects
   • Type conversion
   • Mutable vs Immutable Objects
2. Working with Strings in Python
   
   • String Literal - Escape Sequences
   • Formatting String Output
   • Printing and formatting strings
   • Scripting with input()
   • About raw_input()
3. Working with Dates and times
   
   • Working with dates and times
   • Translating timestamps
   • Parsing dates from text
   • Formatting dates
   • Calendar data
4. Working with Conditional Statements and Loops
   
   • If else statements
   • If elif
   • Nested if statement
   • While usage
   • Count and Event controlled loop
   • Continue and Break
   • For iteration examples
5. Objects
   
   • Overview of objects
   • Creating objects and defining objects
   • Working with objects
6. Basic error handling
   
   • Different errors
   • Handling errors
   • Best practices

DAY 2: COMPLEX DATA TYPES IN PYTHON

1. Lists & Tuples
   
   • Lists
   • Mixed Lists
   • Common List Methods
   • Other List Operations – CRUD operations
   • Working with Tuples
   • Immutable Tuples
   • Indexing and Slicing
   • Shallow and deep copies of List and tuples
   • Lists vs Tuples
2. Dictionaries and Sets
   
   • An overview and construction of dictionaries
   • Keys and Values
   • Dictionary Methods
   • About sets
   • Creating sets
   • Working with sets
   • Dictionaries vs Lists vs Tuples vs Sets
3. Understanding Iterators
   
   • The range() function
   • Taking the range() of len()
   • Iterative Objects
   • The iter() Function
   • Iterating through a sequence
   • Nested sequences
   • Sequence functions, keywords, and operators
   • Looping across data sets
   • Iterating through lists
   • Looping across lists of lists
   • Looping with dictionaries
   • Looping across lists of dictionaries
4. Sorting
   
   • The sorted() function
   • Alternate keys
   • Sorting collections
   • Using operator.itemgetter()
   • Reverse sorting
5. Basic File operations in Python
   
   • Opening files
   • Read data from files
   • Write data to files
   • Reading and writing raw (binary) data

DAY 3: PYTHON MODULAR PROGRAMMING

1. Python Functions
   
   • Defining functions
   • Parameters
   • Returning values
   • Nested Functions
   • Variable Masking
   • Preventing Variable Modifications
   • Argument Matching Methods
   • Basic List Comprehensions
   • Variable scope - local, global, nested
2. Modules & Packages
   
   • Module Basics
   • Packages
   • Pip and pip3
   • Virtual environments
   • Defined modules
   • Import modules
   • From import statements
   • Some useful modules to know
   • Functions and module aliases
3. The standard library
   
   • The sys module
   • Launching external programs
   • Math functions
   • Random numbers
   • Reading CSV data
4. Classes in Python
   
   • About OOP
   • Defining a class
   • Constructor
   • Classes instantiation
   • Class variables and methods
   • Instance variables
   • Properties – getters and setters
   • Subclasses (Inheritance)
   • Multiple Inheritance
   • Static methods