Python Learning Resources

I just thought I'd put together a few learning resources for anyone learning Python, especially if its their first programming language. Of course, the official tutorial is a good place to start - https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/ (working inside the interpreter can be useful, though I often find it cumbersome - remember you can always write the code in a .py file and then run that instead).

I've also found a few Coursera courses which teach Python, which some people might prefer to learn from:
https://class.coursera.org/programming1-002 (All lecture videos readily available)
https://class.coursera.org/pythonlearn-004 (Course in progress - first 2 weeks of lecures available)
https://www.coursera.org/course/interactivepython1 (No lectures available yet, but starts in 5 days!)

There are also such things as Python Kōans, which are bite-sized 'zen-style' teachings of the Python language. Essentially, you're given a bunch of small snippets of code, all of which cover a different aspect of Python and contain an error of some kind (or are otherwise incomplete). The idea is that you make corrections to the code; the files contain comments to help guide you in the right direction. When you run the included 'contemplate_koans.py' program, it will try to run the snippets and point you in the directon of somewhere that the code fails. This is a 'top-down' way of learning the language, but my feeling is that these would be more helpful to people who already have some understanding of the basics (especially since the lessons aren't taught in any sort of intuitive order). In any case, the kōans can be obtained from https://github.com/gregmalcolm/python_koans .

Finally of course, typing 'python tutorial' into YouTube or your favourite search engine will likely yield tonnes of results! You're also more than welcome to ask me any specific questions at the club :) .

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Tom Pickering

Tom Pickering

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Asked on 2/7/15, 7:17 PM

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