Python Programming Tutorial | Learn Python

Welcome to the Python programming world. Python will be taught to you not only theoretically but also practically. That is, whenever practical programs are required for the topic, I have included them along with their outputs.

Please keep in mind that all of the Python code presented here has been thoroughly tested using PyCharm, one of the most popular Python IDEs.

Before starting the tutorial on Python programming, let's first read all the things provided here very carefully to understand all about Python programming, along with some interesting questions related to Python. I know it will take some of your valuable time, but trust me, you're on the right track.

So before starting the series of Python programming tutorials, let's see some world-class applications written in Python or some big multi-national companies (MNCs) that use Python programming.

Applications Written in or Using Python

In the IT sector, one of the top companies, Google, uses Python for its system administration and system building purposes. There are an extensive number of applications written in or using the Python programming language. These are some of the most well-known applications in the world:

• YouTube uses Python programming as its back-end (server-side) development, along with some other languages such as C,  C++, Java, and Go.
• Google uses Python programming as its back-end, along with other languages such as C, C++, Java, Go, and Node.
• Despite PHP being the core language of Facebook, they also use Python as its back-end development language, along with other languages such as C++, Java, PHP (HHVM), Hack, Erlang, D, XHP, and Haskell.
• Similarly, Yahoo, Pinterest, Spotify, Dropbox, NetFlix, Reddit, etc. also use Python.

Even NASA and SpaceX use the Python programming language for many purposes, like testing, automation, etc.

If these multinational corporations use Python, there must be a good reason for it. These major reasons are discussed in the What is Python used for? section. Python is frequently used by businesses due to its versatility and dexterity.

What is Python ?

Python is:

• a high-level interpreted
• general-purpose
• object-oriented
• procedural
• functional
• structured
• and reflective

programming language. Before going into the brief history of the Python language, that is, who, where, and when the language was developed, let's talk about some questions asked by many beginners before they start learning Python.

I've answered all those questions related to Python programming, which provides a clear-cut understanding of the language and why and for what the language is used.

That is, if you are learning Python or want to learn Python, you must understand the question: is it worthwhile to invest time in learning Python programming? Let us investigate.

Why learn Python programming?

Although there are numerous reasons to learn Python programming or become interested in it, the following are the most important:

• It has an extensive community, which means that if any problem arises while doing the program in Python or doing any project or whatever you're doing in Python, you can find and get the solution from anywhere, over the internet, because of its large number of communities.
• Python has a large number of libraries that help cater to all your needs.
• Python is a highly flexible language, which means that it can be used to develop a program that works for multiple purposes.
• The development speed of a Python program is faster than other languages as it uses less code and is more productive.

Note: Python is one of the most in-demand languages all over the world.

What is Python used for?

Python can be used for a variety of purposes, including the following:

• Web development: Python is increasing its presence in the field of web development too. Using Python's famous web frameworks like Django or Flask, you can write fast and secure back-end code for your website. Of all the web frameworks provided by Python, Django is the most famous and widely used. Also, it is highly scalable. Even Django, like a full-stack web framework, can be used for the front-end too.
• Data Science: Python programming also helps to develop an application that extracts knowledge and insights from both unstructured and structured data across a broad range of applications. Scrapy is one of the most used data science libraries in Python, used for data mining. Nowadays, web scraping applications are also being developed by many developers to scrape things from the Internet. NumPy, Pandas, and TensorFlow are the three most popular Python data science libraries for data processing and modeling.
• Machine Learning: NumPy and SciPy are the two famous Python libraries that can be used in the field of machine learning using Python. Basically, machine learning is a step towards artificial intelligence. Like human learning, where you're or I'm learning things, machines can also learn using data, statistics, and whatever you want to provide.
• Artificial Intelligence: This is the field where I think Python dominates almost all the other programming languages. As Python is trending in artificial intelligence, it is, I think, the most used language in this field. Pandas and SciPy are the most famous and widely used libraries in the field of artificial intelligence using Python.
• Data Visualization: Python programming can also be used to create data visualization applications. Data visualization means representing data or information in the form of graphs. Matplotlib is one of the famous libraries that can be used for data visualization in Python.
• Operating System Applications: Applications for operating systems, such as command-line applications, system administration, business applications, etc., can also be developed using the Python programming language.
• Desktop GUI in Python: Tkinter is one of the famous Python programming packages that can be used to develop desktop Graphical User Interface (GUI) applications.
• Mobile Application Development: One of the most well-known frameworks for building mobile apps with Python is Kivy.
• Video Game Development: Pygame is a library used in Python to develop multimedia-related things like video games. The scripting engine of the game can also be written using Python programming.
• Bots: Bots can also be created using Python programming. Bots are helpful for deploying an automated task over the internet or wherever the programmer needs to deploy it. Bots work only on pre-defined tasks.

That is, the main use of Python programming is to develop applications for:

• testing
• monitoring
• task automation
• Data analysis
• Data visualization
• Scientific Apps
• etc.

Is Python easy to learn?

It depends on your skills. This means that if you've got a basic understanding of any programming language such as C, C++, Java, etc., then learning Python becomes an easy task for you. That is, it becomes very easy to understand the code written in Python.

The only difference is understanding its syntax, like the for loop used in Python, which is very different from these languages. The conditional statements are also different. And it should be, because it is a different language. But the main work or task of all the things like loops or statements or any other things like functions, classes, etc., is the same.

Therefore, if you have a basic command of any programming language, then learning Python is like learning HTML. But sometimes you'll have some difficulty understanding the code. But don't worry; I've written an explanation of each and every code given here.

And if you've never learned any language before, you need not worry. Because Python is so simple, even printing "Hello World" in Python can be done using a single statement, as shown below, unlike most of the other languages that require multiple lines of code, even for printing your first name:

print("Hello World")

That's it; this prints the string "Hello World" on the screen. Now you're getting the idea of the language's simplicity. Therefore, just start the series without any hesitation, whoever you are. That is, all programs written in Python here are easily understandable by beginners too, as I've explained each and every code along with its output. And trust me, most of the time, you'll understand the code without reading the explanation of the code.

It sometimes feels like I'm reading a book while I'm reading Python code. Trust me, you'll understand why I'm saying this after a while.

How Much Time Does It Take to Learn Python?

It all depends on you and how far you want to go in Python. However, depending on your skill level, the basic version of Python can be learned in a week, a month, or two. If you're a programmer, the basics of Python can be learned in less than two months.

However, if you wish to become a professional or an expert Python programmer, you will need to invest time. You should also practice each of the listed codes independently.

Is Python OK for Beginners ?

As a result, because Python programs are less wordy, they are also easier to understand for beginners. After seeing fewer codes to do a program, more confidence automatically builds up in a beginner's mind. Python essentially provides English-like codes, which feels like reading a book at times.For example, the code given below adds two numbers in Python:

a = 10
b = 20
sum = a+b
print(sum)

If you read the code, it is like this; a is equal to 10, b is equal to 20, sum is equal to a+b, and finally, print the sum. That is, a+b becomes 10+20, so 30 is the output produced by the above program using the print() function. That's it. See how easy Python is? The above program can also be written as:

a, b = 10, 20
print(a+b)

Both of the preceding programs generate 30 on the output console. You see how easy Python is? Don't worry about the first statement of the second program or the whole program if you're not getting the idea. Because this is just a demo, you'll get to know each and every aspect of the codes written in Python one by one in upcoming tutorials.

Why is Python so popular?

Because of its flexibility, scalability, rapid development, and excellent performance. Also, the popularity of Python is increasing day by day, as it is an easy-to-learn programming language with its simplified syntax.

The answer to this question is, I think, already covered in the section "What is Python used for?," which makes Python such a popular language.

Can Python be used for hacking?

Yes, Python is a very powerful language to work with when developing code for hacking purposes. And I must tell you that Python is one of the most loved languages used by hackers all around the world. It is an open-source language and has an extensive number of libraries.

As I've answered all the questions that must be asked before starting the series of Python tutorials, now it's time to get the background of Python: who, when, and where the language was developed, and all such details.

Who developed Python?

Python was developed by Guido van Rossum, a Dutch programmer.

Where was Python developed?

Python was developed at the "Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica" (CWI), a "National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science." This institute is located in Amsterdam Science Park, the Netherlands. This institute is popularly known as the birthplace of the Python programming language.

When was Python created?

Python first appeared on February 20, 1991.

What are the filename extensions for Python source code?

Python allows multiple extensions that can be used to name the file. Here I've provided three filename extensions that can be used to name the source code or program written in Python:

• .py: The most common filename extension. I've used this extension for all the Python programs created here.
• .pyi
• .pyw

For example, fresherearth.py

What languages was Python influenced by?

Python was influenced by a lot of different programming languages, such as C, C++, Java, Perl, Ada, and Lisp.

Which Languages are Influenced by Python?

Python has had an effect on a lot of other programming languages, such as JavaScript, Ruby, Swift, and Go.

A Brief History of Python

Python made its debut on Wednesday, February 20, 1991. The first version of Python was Python 0.9.0. In this version, Python has functions, classes with inheritance, exception handling, the core types such as list, str, dict, etc., and some other features.

On the launch of Python 1.0 in the first month of 1994, new features came into play: lambda, map, filter, and reduce. Features like this give an immediate boost to the language. Later, some more features were added with the launch of newer versions.

The most recent version at the time of writing was Python 3.10.1, which was released on December 6, 2021.

Python was mainly developed as a successor to the "ABC" language. That is, Guido Van Rossum was inspired by ABC, of course, and thought to develop his own language. Therefore, Python comes into the picture. And there is history in front of the entire world.

However, when writing a book, an author must consider many different topics from various books in order to cover everything adequately. Similarly, when developing a language, the developer or creator must take care of multiple languages in order to implement as many features as the language requires in order to become popular and useful. As a result, here are some of the languages that influenced Python:

• ABC
• C
• C++
• Algol-68
• Modula-3
• SmallTalk
• Unix shell
• other scripting languages

In all the above programming languages that helped in the development of a new language named Python, ABC is the language that is said to be the predecessor of Python.

Features of Python

This article is created to cover some of the features that compel the learner to learn Python. Those features are, but are not limited to:

1. Simplified syntax
2. Easy to learn
3. Easy to code
4. Easy to maintain
5. Free and open source
6. Powerful
7. Cross-platform
8. Object-Oriented
9. Portable
10. Interpreted
11. Interactive
12. Beginner's language
13. Supports GUI Programming
14. An extensive number of libraries
15. and many more

What is the design philosophy of Python?

This is the list of core or main aspects that were kept in mind while designing or developing the language "Python." That is, the main design philosophy of Python is:

• Beautiful is better than ugly.
• Simple is better than complex.
• Explicit is better than implicit.
• Complex is better than complicated.
• Flat is better than nested.
• Sparse is better than dense.
• Now is better than never.
• and many more.

Some well-known Python IDEs

To program in Python or to develop an application using Python, we need an integrated development environment, or, in short, an IDE. Therefore, I've provided a list of famous IDEs specially used for Python programming. Those lists of IDEs are given below along with their essential details like how much disk space the IDE takes, in which language the IDE is written, etc.

Some more IDEs for Python are Emacs, PyDev, MS Visual Studio, Thonny, Wing, etc.

Note: PyCharm is the most popular IDE for Python. I've been using this IDE for the last 5-6 years.

Famous Web Frameworks for Python Programming

There are plenty of frameworks available in Python. But first, let's go over some of the most well-known and widely used Python web frameworks.

Python full-stack web framework

The table given below lists only some famous full-stack web frameworks for Python. A full-stack web framework is a framework used for both back-end and front-end development. Let's check it out:

From what you've read, you can see that Django is the most popular Python web framework for making both small and large web apps.

A Non-Full-Stack Web Framework for Python

This time, the table below lists two well-known non-full-stack web frameworks for Python. Non-full-stack web frameworks are designed to build small-sized applications only.

Note: From the above, Flask is the most popular Python web framework for making small web apps.

You can use either of these two well-known frameworks for graphics: PyGame or Panda3d.

Python Programming Demo Codes

As all the essential details of Python programming have been covered above, let's see some code written in Python. These codes are given to you to show you the Python demo. You'll learn everything in the upcoming chapters.

print("Hey! Are you excited?")

produces exactly the same output as shown in the snapshot given below.

Note: In the following chapter, you will learn how to set up a Python environment that demonstrates how Python code can be written and executed.

Here is another code written in Python:

print("Enter First Name: ")
name = input()
print("\nHey", name, "\nAre you Ready?")

This program produces the following output. This snapshot shows the initial output produced by the above Python code:

Now enter your first name, say James, and press the ENTER key to see the following output:

Note: I've written an in-depth tutorial about receiving input from a user in Python separately.

Note: To learn Python without reading theory, that is, by reading the code and its output, start with Python Programming Examples. I've written almost thousands of lines of code in Python. That helps a lot. But I recommend you first read the tutorial. Because the tutorial contains all of the necessary information about the topic, as well as an example code and its output.

Hot Topics in Python Programming

Here is a list of some hot topics in the Python programming language:

• Basic syntax of a Python program
• Python print() Statement
• Python end (end=) Parameter
• Python sep (sep=) Parameter
• Python Comments
• Python Operators
• Python if...elif...else
• Python for Loop
• Python while Loop
• Python break Statement
• Python continue Statement
• Python range() Function
• Python Date and Time
• Python File Handling
• Python open() Function
• Python Classes and Objects

Message for the Audience Before Starting the Python Tutorial

This Python programming tutorial is designed for all those who want to learn Python. Therefore, if you too are interested in Python, then follow the tutorial.

This tutorial is designed for all—that is, for beginners, intermediate Python programmers, and those who want to increase their expertise in the field.

Note: I've included as many codes as possible in each and every chapter to provide you with the best experience of learning in both theory and practice. Wherever required, all codes are written along with their respective outputs.

Note: All the code I've written here was written using the PyCharm IDE.

Some prerequisites for learners

Python is good for beginners. Therefore, you can start learning Python here without having any prior knowledge.

The only prior knowledge needed is basic computer skills, which are needed to setup the environment for Python as explained in the next chapter.

But if you've got some basic commands in any programming language, then trust me when I say that the speed with which you learn Python increases with your programming proficiency. So let's begin. Best of luck! 😀

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