Python Introduction Workshop

Workshop

https://summer.hackersanddesigners.nl/451.txt

Please keep in mind that Python cares about whitespace (spaces, returns, etc...), if you just paste the code in, be aware of what spaces you are also pasting in... ;-)

First alias python3 so you don't go nuts! Server by default uses python 2, but for this workshop we will use python 3.

$ alias python=python3

Create a file

$ nano myprog.py

Add the following line

print('Hello World!')

Save the file and exit. Ctrl+O, Ctrl+X

Run the program.

$ python3 myprog.py

Add a comment to the top of your program. Comments are to help people read your program.

# Program by [username]

Create a variable to store input into the program.

# Import adds a library (addition functionality) to your program
# sys is the system library
import sys

# Read from stdin into a variable called instr
instr = sys.stdin.readline()

# Print message w/ variable
print('Hello ' + instr)

Run the program, this time with input.

$ whoami | python myprog.py

Use the input to alter the output, before your print message add:

if instr == 'jbg':
  instr = 'Programmer'
else:
  instr = 'Writer'

Save and run.

It doesn't work! This is because there is actually a return character in the string. Change the following:

instr = sys.stdin.readline().strip()

Save and run.

$ whoami | python myprog.py
$ echo 'Ray Bradbury' | python myprog.py

Create a new program (myprog2.py) which loops through all the lines coming from stdin.

 import sys

 for line in sys.stdin:
   print(line.strip())

Run it.

$ cat /pub/451.txt | python myprog2.py

That's a lot of lines, how many exactly?

$ cat /pub/451.txt | python myprog2.py | wc -l

Simplest loop.

while True:
  print("hello.")

Simple loop.

for i in range(0, 10):
  print("hello")

Let's store those lines in an array.

import sys

lines = []
for line in sys.stdin:
  lines.append(line.strip())

print('Stored ' + str(len(lines)) + ' lines.')

Run it.

$ cat /pub/451.txt | python myprog2.py

451 remixed via a function. Add the following to the top of your program.

def remix(lines):
  lines = reversed(lines)
  for line in lines:
    print(line[::-1]) # This is extended slice syntax. It works by doing [begin:end:step]

Add the following to the end of your program.

remix(lines)

Run it.

$ cat /pub/451.txt | python myprog2.py | more

Try other splits.

print(line[0:10])
print(line[10:15] + line[0:10])

Why is it called Python?

When he began implementing Python, Guido van Rossum was also reading the published scripts from “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”, a BBC comedy series from the 1970s. Van Rossum thought he needed a name that was short, unique, and slightly mysterious, so he decided to call the language Python.