The Ultimate Python Tutorial for Beginners

Hi 👋!
We are going to tackle the following topics in Python briefly, just to help you catch a glimpse of what you are going to face when you start using Python.

• Introduction
• Variables and datatypes in Python
• Operators in Python
• Control structures
• Arrays

Introduction

Python is a high-level programming language that is used for educational purposes and also to solve real-world IT-related problems.
It is considered to be a very easy language to learn, understand and implement. If you are hearing of programming for the first time and you want to unleash your programming passion, this is yours to go language. If on the other hand, you have been in the field for a long time, you will grasp Python very quickly, and with no time you are doing wonders.

Fun facts about Python

• It is a popular language applied across to solve various IT problems. So you won’t be wasting your time learning Python.
• It has a very simple syntax therefore you will never be intimidated about how to maneuver around as you develop your application.
• With the simple syntax in play, you don’t have to have numerous classes or pages of code in your application for it to be called a serious application. Just a few working lines and you have solved a huge problem.

Various IDEs used for coding Python

• PyCharm (IDE) – it was developed by JetBrains and it’s supported by Windows, Linux, and macOS Operating systems.
• Sublime text (Text editor) – it is a generic text editor for a variety of languages and is super simple to use. It is fast and helps in debugging code efficiently. It’s supported by Windows, Linux, and macOS Operating systems.
• Visual Studio Code (IDE) – it is a powerful code management engine that was developed by Microsoft for platforms like Windows, Linux, and macOS Operating systems.
• Vim (Text Editor) – it provides a good user experience when coding and is enriched with different features that aid in development.

Variables and Datatypes in Python

We have talked about the simplicity of Python. Now at this point, we start to explore the first simple fact about Python.
We do not explicitly declare variables with their data types. Python assigns a data type depending on the data you are assigning that variable.

Type of variables

• Local variables – these are those used inside a function or a method
• Global variables – are used when you want to use a variable on the entire program.

The various data types are:

• Integer – for storing numerical values, wholes number
• Floating point – for storing decimal numbers
• Strings – for storing text or any data that is enclosed using double quotes (“ ”).
• Booleans – this stores either true or false depending on what an expression will return. There are other data types that may be a bit advanced though for now we can focus on understanding these fundamentals.

Operators in Python

Operators are simply actions or processes that instruct the compiler on what to do on a predefined set of data.

Types of operators

• Arithmetic operators
• Assignment operators
• Comparison operators
• Logical operators Most likely you will encounter scenarios that will require you to use either of these types of operators stated above. Let’s have a brief insight into each of them.
• Arithmetic operators – these operators are used to perform basic mathematical operations. They include: - +,-,*, /, %
• Assignment operators – from the name you can already understand the role of these operators. They are used to assign values to the variables. They include: - ==, -=, +=, =, ++, --, /=, %=, *=
• Comparison operators – these operators are used on two values and they return a Boolean value that is either true or false. They include: - ==, <, >, >=, <=, !=
• Logical operators – their operators are used to combine values that result in Boolean values. They include: - AND, OR, NOT

Control Structures in Python

The three different types of control structures are:

• Selection
• Sequential
• Repetition.

We are going to briefly get an insight into the three structures and try to understand their role in python programming.

Selection – this structure allows you to make decisions based on a particular criterion.
You can use the following statement to archive this:

• If statements – for at least one condition
• If else statements – for at least two conditions
• If else if statements – for more than two conditions

Sequential – this is whereby you have to execute an instruction before going to the next set of instructions. For example, finding an average of marks, you have to get the total marks and then divide by the number of subjects or units.

Repetition – this requires that a certain code is repeated until a predefined condition is met.
The statements used to archive this control structure are:

1. While… loop
2. Nested loop
3. For loop

Arrays in Python

An array is just basically a collection of a set of data with the same characteristics as the data type.
They are used to store multiple values in one single variable.
Arrays use an index to access the elements at a specific position. The indexes start from 0 which is equivalent to element 1.
The only difference with normal variable naming is that you include a square bracket ([ ]).