Get Programming

Get Programming: Learn to code with Python teaches you the basics of computer programming using the Python language. In this exercise-driven book, you'll be doing something on nearly every page as you work through 38 compact lessons and 7 engaging capstone projects. By exploring the crystal-clear illustrations, exercises that check your understanding as you go, and tips for what to try next, you'll start thinking like a programmer in no time.

This book works perfectly alongside our video course Get Programming with Python in Motion, available exclusively at Manning.com: www.manning.com/livevideo/get-programming-with-python-in-motion

What's Inside

• Programming skills you can use in any language
• Learn to code—no experience required
• Learn Python, the language for beginners
• Dozens of exercises and examples help you learn by doing

About the Reader
No prior programming experience needed.

Table of Contents
LEARNING HOW TO PROGRAM
Lesson 1 - Why should you learn how to program?
Lesson 2 - Basic principles of learning a programming language
UNIT 1 - VARIABLES, TYPES, EXPRESSIONS, AND STATEMENTS
Lesson 3 - Introducing Python: a programming language
Lesson 4 - Variables and expressions: giving names and values to things
Lesson 5 - Object types and statements of code 46
Lesson 6 - Capstone project: your first Python program-convert hours to minutes
UNIT 2 - STRINGS, TUPLES, AND INTERACTING WITH THE USER
Lesson 7 - Introducing string objects: sequences of characters
Lesson 8 - Advanced string operations
Lesson 9 - Simple error messages
Lesson 10 - Tuple objects: sequences of any kind of object
Lesson 11 - Interacting with the user
Lesson 12 - Capstone project: name mashup
UNIT 3 - MAKING DECISIONS IN YOUR PROGRAMS
Lesson 13 - Introducing decisions in programs
Lesson 14 - Making more-complicated decisions
Lesson 15 - Capstone project: choose your own adventure
UNIT 4 - REPEATING TASKS
Lesson 16 - Repeating tasks with loops
Lesson 17 - Customizing loops
Lesson 18 - Repeating tasks while conditions hold
Lesson 19 - Capstone project: Scrabble, Art Edition
UNIT 5 - ORGANIZING YOUR CODE INTO REUSABLE BLOCKS
Lesson 20 - Building programs to last
Lesson 21 - Achieving modularity and abstraction with functions
Lesson 22 - Advanced operations with functions
Lesson 23 - Capstone project: analyze your friends
UNIT 6 - WORKING WITH MUTABLE DATA TYPES
Lesson 24 - Mutable and immutable objects
Lesson 25 - Working with lists
Lesson 26 - Advanced operations with lists
Lesson 27 - Dictionaries as maps between objects
Lesson 28 - Aliasing and copying lists and dictionaries
Lesson 29 - Capstone project: document similarity
UNIT 7 - MAKING YOUR OWN OBJECT TYPES BY USING OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING
Lesson 30 - Making your own object types
Lesson 31 - Creating a class for an object type
Lesson 32 - Working with your own object types
Lesson 33 - Customizing classes
Lesson 34 - Capstone project: card game
UNIT 8 - USING LIBRARIES TO ENHANCE YOUR PROGRAMS
Lesson 35 - Useful libraries
Lesson 36 - Testing and debugging your programs
Lesson 37 - A library for graphical user interfaces
Lesson 38 - Capstone project: game of tag
Appendix A - Answers to lesson exercises
Appendix B - Python cheat sheet
Appendix C - Interesting Python libraries