Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner

Introduction to Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner

So, recently, I talked to one of my colleagues in my office about Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner and stuff. He is a C and Java developer. He was informing me how Java has captured the world, and it is used everywhere. Since I love Python Programming to the core though I am not a python freak, I just told him that Certification in Python Programming is not way behind. But I was totally ignored for the fact that Java is more common these days.

So I was not satisfied with the debate I had. I have been developing programs for Python for a long time, and the one thing I know for sure is that Python Programming basics are ‘n’ times easier than Java. However, people coding in Java would obviously start an argument about portability and stuff. But I would tend to ignore them, however. So, the point I would be talking about today is how Python Programming language is more useful and handy, especially how it is useful to get started for beginners. So welcome to the guide to Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner.

Why should you Start Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner?

So first things first, why start with Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner? Is Python Programming language a good start for beginners? You may have heard people starting with C as the basics. C is good. In fact, it’s better than Python, but only if you have a good background in programming or at least if you know the basics of Python programming language. But as an absolute python programming beginner? I don’t think so. I myself started with C, but after 15 days of learning, and when I say 15 days, I mean 1 day=16 hours of practice.

So, when I started learning C, the part where I got stuck was pointers. It was too difficult to understand (at that point in time). I came from a hardware background, and trust me, it was not easy. So, since I had no one to guide, I started learning Java which was another blunder from my end. And again, I realized that Java is even tougher than C. So, being confused and irate, I started looking online communities for help like stackoverflow.com, GitHub, and I realized that I had no proper guide. I started with C and then later Java because of few random people who did learn Java, and C gave me the idea stating that Java and C are more widely used and it’s one of the easiest programming languages. I wish I could meet that person to show him exactly what it meant to a beginner in python programming.

But Nevertheless, I received enormous help from these web programming communities and Ubuntu forums and realized that there was a language known as Python Programming, which I had actually never heard of. I googled a lot for 6-7 days, and then I realized this is what I have been looking for my whole time. Python programming language has a diverse and large community. It’s fully open-source, which means anyone can do whatever they want with it. Besides, what I learned in C in those 15 days, I covered all of those things in Introduction to Python Programming basics in just a matter of 3-4 days. Besides, Python programming basics was so interesting as a beginner that I didn’t realize that I have covered so many topics until the 10th day of learning.

Python Programming Beginners Code – “Hello World” Example

Following is an example to print “Hello World” in C, C++, and Java:

C Code:

#include<stdio.h>
main()
{
printf(“Hello World”);
}

C++ Code:

#include<iostream.h>
main()
{
cout << “Hello World”;
return 0;
}

Java Programming:

Code:

public class HelloWorld {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello World!");
}
}

Python Programming Language:

Code:

print(“Hello World”)

Output:

Yes. I have written commands here to output the same thing to print “Hello World” on the screen, but as you can see, the syntaxes (or commands to be more specific for a beginner) in C, C++, and Java need explanation, whereas the one in Python Programming does not.

Even a person without any basic knowledge of computer can understand that it prints Hello World. Yes, and that’s how easy python programming training is.

Basics of Python Programming

So before we proceed on to the higher stuff, let’s get through Python Programming’s basics for the Absolute Beginner. The first thing you need to understand as a beginner and the mindset you need to start for python programming training is that you will never have the proper answer for whatever you code. Once you have the necessary knowledge, you may feel the need to write some of your own automated programs, and you may also succeed.

However, most of the time, you may feel that the programs are written are not that fast or slower than what you write in some other languages. For example, a program written in C will be 10 times faster than python programming. But that doesn’t mean the python programming language is slow. It just means you need to find a way to make it faster. Obviously, it will never be as fast as C, but it will obviously be less time-consuming than writing and compiling a C or Java program. Besides, it’s easier to debug someone else’s program in Python since the syntaxes are easier to understand than to read a program without comments in C or Java.

Also, remember never to compare two distinct languages when learning. You may say that I am speaking irony since I myself compared C Programming with Python Programming, but that I did stating Certification in Python Programming is good for the absolute beginner. Of course, C has its own set of advantages and backlashes, and similarly do Python programming. But an absolute beginner, python programming training is the choice. Let’s check some real-life applications of Python.

Where are the Basics of Python Programming Language used?

Image source: pixabay.com

As for any official answer, I would suggest you take a look at the official python website:

To explain it in simple words, the Python programming language is used almost everywhere. Google itself was using a python programming language in its database management for a long time before it switched to C. Python programming is used a lot for automating web-related apps, especially in maths, science, and robotics. If you have an exclusive interest in python programming training, then once you learn it, I would recommend you to take a look at Raspberry Pi and the Arduino chip. It’s an extremely capable microprocessor to work hand-in-hand with Python Programming.

Besides, let alone the fact that there is no beat to Python’s Django Framework for web development. For certification in Python programming for absolute beginners, once you get the basics of Python Programming training, you can even look at Django, a framework built on python to develop the web related to apps. Some famous sites built on Django would be social networking sites like Instagram and Pinterest, or community sites like Mozilla Support, Reddit gifts, and gaming sites like Chess.com, which has a legacy in the Chess game.

Along with web development, the basics of a python programming language are also used in embedded scripting, 3D software like Maya, Quantum GIS, and many more. These things prove that though Python Programming training is not known for being used in high-end performance applications since it is not, it is still the people’s choice to do a lot of other work. Now we know what Python Programming training is capable of,

Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner – Pre-requisites

Frankly speaking, there are no specific prerequisites for an introduction to Python programming. Python is such an easy language that it’s mostly people’s primary or beginner choice of learning, which makes itself the prerequisite for learning anything else.

But this makes Basic Python Programming training a bit too overwhelming. Suppose you tend to keep your mind straight when learning which mostly doesn’t happen, then there is no issue in learning python as a primary language. I mean by keeping the mind straight because normally, when people learn python, they get too used to the simplicity of python since they are just beginning to learn a python programming language.

Python developers can code enormous amounts of code in a decently simplified manner. But if you want to go beyond Certification in python programming and learn other languages after that, such as Java, C, Scala or Haskell, then this may become an obstacle. The primary reason for that is that once people become habitual to python, the coding and complexity for C and Java’s likes tend to get rather irritating. Especially the pointers and the vast libraries will go over and above the head to a beginner.

So, my point being, if you plan to further your career in just languages like Python, Ruby or Perl, then there is no problem in pursuing certification in Python Programming as an absolute beginner. But if you want to be a multi-discipline ninja in programming, then I would recommend you to learn C or Java first, and then learn python because that way, you would learn C and Java the hard way, and since you know how to code, learning Python Programming language will just be a Piece of Cake.

Python vs The World

So, now we are wise and know how python and C work. We already saw how python could be used in the outer real world. But let’s take a look at how it can affect our daily lives as well. Python is extremely useful when it comes to automation. For example, let’s say you have a lot of social accounts, and you have a lot of passwords. Since we programmers are paranoid, we tend to keep different passwords for every other Website account we have.

But who has the time to remember all this stuff? Even if we try to study it, we would still have to remember which ones we changed and such similar stuff once we change a password. So, normally people write it down on a piece of paper, or at least tech freak, people like me use a notepad application on cell and laptop. But still, if someone gets their hand on them, it still is risky. Now there are other methods where you can buy a password saver, but is it really worth it? Yes, and here is where python comes in between. I had a similar issue, and I actually stumbled on something when I was learning the dictionary and conditions in python.

Since it would be hard for you to understand if you are a beginner for Certification in python Programming, I would be writing pseudo codes here to make it understandable for you. Now, python has dictionaries and conditions. Conditions use if, if, and else to complete a statement.

It goes something like this:

Code:

if I don't go to work;
make me a coffee.
else
don't;

Output:

Now you get my point? Yup that was pseudocode, which means I could also do something like this:

Code:

if password=iamsmart
proceed to step two
else
print “invalid password.”

As soon as I start my notepad file made in python, it would ask me to enter a password; if I enter it, it will allow access, else it won’t. And I combined this with dictionaries. Dictionaries are something that can be used to call out other stuff stored inside. A good example would be a virtual telephone book. For example, in a pseudo world, it would go like this:

Code:

Book = { Adam : { phone :1234, address: RoomNo.1},
Eve : { phone : 5678, address: RoomNo.2},
Smith : { phone : 9012, address: RoomNo.3} }

Now, this is called a pseudo dictionary. Here the Book is the dictionary here, and it has contents in the form of Adam, Eve, and Smith. Now, when I call for the dictionary, it will ask me to enter a name. When I enter a name, it will give me its contents, i.e. the phone no. and the address. This is how a dictionary works in Python Programming training. So, what I did was change the name to websites and phone numbers to passwords. And not only did I do that, but I also added the if-else condition to it, after which it looked like this:

Code:

if password=iamsmart
proceed to step two
else
print “invalid password.”
LockBox = { Gmail : { [email protected] },
Facebook : { [email protected] },
Instagram : { [email protected] } }

I also did a bit more modifications, but as far as you are concerned, this is extremely good as an absolute beginner in python programming. Now, whenever I wanted to log in from someone else’s computer or cell phone or my workplace, I would save this small python file converted into an executable with the help of py2exe on my pen drive. So, it first asks for a password; if it is right, it then asks which password do you want to check, else it kicks me out.

Later on, I added some PGP encryption to this stuff to make it more secure. But now you know what it means to learn python. It is not only a simple language to learn but also useful. If you want to become an extreme programmer, I would recommend learning C or Java and then Python Programming language, else if you are just a beginner like I was and want to do some cool automation as a hobby, then there is nothing better than doing Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner. Here we discuss why you should learn python programming, its beginner’s codes, along with the “hello world” example. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more –

1. Python Interview Questions
2. Python and Django for Web Development
3. Python vs Ruby Performance
4. Python Directories