Python Programming Basics with REST (For New Developers)

Course Objectives

Course Prerequisites

This in a basic-level Python course geared for student who are new to Software Development and use Python in projects, or  system administrators and web site administrators who want to use Python to support their server installations, as well as anyone else who wants to automate or simplify common tasks with the use of Python scripts. Basic familiarity with any programming or scripting language would be helpful, along with a working, user-level knowledge of Unix/Linux, Mac, or Windows.

Our Python tracks include a wide variety of follow-on courses and learning paths for leveraging Python for next-level web development, data science / machine learning, networking, task automation, security and other topics. Please see the Related Courses tab for specific Pre-Requisite courses, Related Courses that offer similar skills or topics, and next-step Follow-On Courses and Learning Path recommendations.

Course Agenda

Please note that this list of topics is based on our standard course offering, evolved from typical industry uses and trends. We’ll work with you to tune this course and level of coverage to target the skills you need most.

1. An overview of Software Development

• Thinking as a developer
• Pseudocode as a design tool
• Analysis – Understanding the problem
• Design – creating the solution

2. An overview of Python

• What is python?
• Python Timeline
• Advantages/Disadvantages of Python
• Getting help with pydoc

3. The Python Environment

• Starting Python
• Using the interpreter
• Running a Python script
• Python scripts on Unix/Windows
• Editors and IDEs

4. Getting Started

• Using variables
• Builtin functions
• Strings
• Numbers
• Converting among types
• Writing to the screen
• Command line parameters

5. Flow Control

• About flow control
• White space
• Conditional expressions
• Relational and Boolean operators
• While loops
• Alternate loop exits

6. Array types

• About array types (AKA sequences)
• Lists and list methods
• Tuples
• Indexing and slicing
• Iterating through a sequence
• Nested sequences
• Sequence functions, keywords, and operators
• List comprehensions
• Generator Expressions

7. Working with files

• File overview
• Opening a text file
• Reading a text file
• Writing to a text file

8. Dictionaries and Sets

• About dictionaries
• Creating dictionaries
• Iterating through a dictionary
• About sets
• Creating sets
• Working with sets

9. Functions

• Defining functions
• Parameters 
• Global and local scope
• Nested functions
• Returning values

10. Sorting

• The sorted() function
• Alternate keys
• Lambda functions
• Sorting collections
• Using operator.itemgetter()
• Reverse sorting

11. Errors and Exception Handling

• Syntax errors
• Exceptions
• Using try/catch/else/finally
• Handling multiple exceptions
• Ignoring exceptions

12. Modules and Packages

• The import statement
• Module search path
• Creating Modules
• Using packages
• Function and Module aliases

13. Classes

• About o-o programming
• Defining classes
• Constructors
• Methods
• Instance data
• Properties
• Class methods and data

14. The standard library

• The sys module
• Launching external programs
• Math functions
• Random numbers
• Reading CSV data

15. Dates and times

• Working with dates and times
• Translating timestamps
• Parsing dates from text
• Formatting dates
• Calendar data

16. Network programming

• Using requests
• Grabbing web content

17. Writing REST Clients

• Analysis – Understanding the REST Server API
• Design – Creating the solution
• Classes as data containers
• Modules as function containers
• Creating the REST Client package

Course Materials

Hands-on Setup Made Simple!  All course software (limited versions, for course use only), courseware files, hands-on lab guides, labs and solutions, data sets and resources (as applicable) are provided for you in our “easy access / no install required” high-speed remote lab environment.  In most cases, we can also offer local (non-cloud) set up as an alternative. Either way, our dedicated live tech team works with every student to ensure everyone is set up with working access and ready to go prior to every course start date, ensuring a smooth delivery and great hands-on experience. All your coursework can be accessed or downloaded after class, so you never lose your work or materials. Please ask for details.