Introduction to Python

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Introduction to Python
• Guido Von Rossum (in early 1990s) created python

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The advantages of python are,
• It has simple syntax
• Programs are clear and easy to read
• Provides powerful programming features
• Widely used (YouTube, Google, Yahoo, etc.. )
• It is an open source language

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IDE or IDLE
• Integrated Development Environment
• Is a bundle of software tool for program development
• It includes Editor, translator and a debugger

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C
#include <stdio.h>
// main function - where the execution of program begins
int main()
{

// prints the string

printf(“I am a Programmer");

return 0;
}
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C++
// Header file for input output functions
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
// main function - where the execution of program begins
int main()
{
// prints the given string
cout << “I am a programmer";

return 0;
}
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Python
print(“I am a Programmer”)

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Print function in Python
Examples
>>>print("Python")
Python
>>>print("Python", "Programming")
Python Programming
>>> print("Python", "Programming",sep="-")
Python-Programming
>>> print(" Python"," Programming ",sep="YY")
PythonYYProgramming

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Print function in Python
Examples
>>> print(“Python",“Programming",sep=",",end="a")
print("""This is a
multiple line print statement""")
print(""" "This is a print statement" """)

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What is an Identifier?
• An identifier is a sequence of one or more characters used
to name a given program element.
• Python Identifiers are user-defined names to represent a
variable, function, class, module or any other object. If you
assign some name to a programmable entity in Python, then
it is nothing but technically called an identifier.
• In Python, an identifier may contain letters and digits, but
cannot begin with a digit.
• Special underscore character can also be used
Examples : line, salary, emp1, emp_salary
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Rules for Identifier
Python is case sensitive, thus, Line is different from line.
Identifiers may contain letters and digits, but cannot begin with
a digit.
The underscore character ( _ ) is also allowed to aid in the
readability of long identifier names. It should not be used as the
first character
Spaces are not allowed as part of an identifier.

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Examples

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Identifier examples
>>> first_number=10
>>> second_number=11
>>> result = first_number+second_number
>>> print(result)
21

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Keywords in Python
• Keywords are the reserved words in Python.
• It is an identifier that has pre-defined meaning in a
programming language.
• We cannot use a keyword as variable name, function name or
any other identifier. They are used to define the syntax and
structure of the Python language.
• In Python, keywords are case sensitive.
• There are 33 keywords in Python 3.3. This number can vary
slightly in course of time.
• All the keywords except True, False and None are in lowercase
and they must be written as it is.
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Python Keywords
• The list of all the keywords are given below.
False class finally is return
None continue for lambda try
True def from nonlocal while
and del global not with
as elif if or yield
assert else import pass
break except in
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Checking Keywords
>>> import keyword
>>> keyword.iskeyword("break")
True
>>> keyword.iskeyword(“Python")
False

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Comments (#)
Meant as documentation for anyone reading the code
Single-line comments begin with the hash character ("#") and
are terminated by the end of line.
Python ignores all text that comes after # to end of line
Comments spanning more than one line are achieved by
inserting a multi-line string (with """ as the delimiter one each
end) that is not used in assignment or otherwise evaluated, but
sits in between other statements.
""" This is an example of a multiline comment that spans
multiple lines ... ”””
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Comments in Python
• Writing comments is a good programming practice.
They are non-executable part of the code, yet quite
essential in a program.
• These not only help other programmers working on the
same project but the testers can also refer them for
clarity on white-box testing.

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Examples
#this is just a comment line and will not
be executed
#for every comment line start it with a #

Multiline Comment:
print(""" "This is
a print statement" """)

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Literals
• A literal is a sequence of one or more characters
that stands for itself.
• Numerical literals
• String literals

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Numeric literal
• A numeric literal is a literal containing only the digits 0–9, an
optional sign character (1 or 2),
and a possible decimal point. (The letter e is also used in
exponential notation).

• If a numeric literal contains a decimal point, then it denotes a

floating-point value, or “float” (e.g., 10.24); otherwise, it
denotes an integer value (e.g., 10).

• Commas are never used in numeric literals.

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Numeric Literals in Python

Since numeric literals without a provided sign character denote positive values, an explicit positive sign character
is rarely used.

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String Literals
• String literals, or “strings,” represent a sequence of
characters,
'Hello‘, ' padmanathan' "VIT, Vellore 632014"
• In Python, string literals may be surrounded by a
matching pair of either single (') or
double (") quotes.
>>> print('Welcome to Python!')
>>>Welcome to Python!
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String Literal Values

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