A quick introduction to Python, programming languages, compilation, and the process of programming.

• What a programming language does, why Python is so popular, and why it’s a great choice as your first programming language
• Why you must compile your code into a format that computers understand
• The process of programming and the software tools you must instal

Get started with learning Python by installing and configuring the tools you’ll need to build real applications

• Determine which version of Python, if any, is installed on your computer
• Install Python 3
• Start Python interactive mode to run Python code one line at a time
• Install Visual Studio Code, Python, and the Python extension for Visual Studio Code on your computer
• Create a Python script file and write Python code in Visual Studio Code
• Run your Python script file code by using the Python command-line tools

Get started with Python by writing code to interact with end users

• Create Python code files and execute that code inside of Visual Studio Code
• Write code to send a text message to the command line
• Write code to accept user input from the command line
• Understand why compilation and runtime errors occur, and what to do next
• Concatenate hard-coded text with user input to display custom-formatted messages to the user
• Perform mathematical addition on numeric data
• Convert alphanumeric data into numeric data and back (and learn why you need to do this)

Use the if statement Boolean expressions with comparison and logic operators to express decision logic

• Use the if … elif … else statements to add decision logic to your Python code
• Understand the Boolean data type and what it represents in Python
• Compose Boolean expressions by using a rich set of comparison and logic operators

Use built-in features of the string class and other helper methods to control string data

• Use escape characters in literal strings to add new lines and tabs
• Use features of the print() function to format strings for display
• Call one of many built-in functions to strip empty spaces, add padding, and find and replace substrings
• Use the format() function to create a format string that contains a series of replacement fields

Convert user input to numeric values, and use mathematical operators to perform calculations

• Use the type(), isinstance(), and isnumeric() methods to inspect a value’s data type and its suitability for use or conversion to a numeric data type
• Use mathematical operators to perform basic mathematical operations on numeric data
• Use the float data type to represent values that include fractional values represented by numbers after the decimal point

Explore the Python standard library, how to add a module to your program, and how to download third-party packages

• Explore the Python standard library
• Add the include statement to tell the Python compiler which modules you will use in your code
• Use the pip utility to download third-party open-sourced packages

Use the while statement and related Python code constructs to add looping logic to your programs

• Use the while statement to iterate through a code block
• Use the break, continue, and else statements to further control iteration
• Use alternate assignment operators to perform mathematical operations that also assign values

Learn how to use lists to manage a collection of data. Use helper functions to manipulate the list. Use the for statement to iterate through the list.

• Create lists of related data
• Get an item or a subset of items from a list by using indexes and slices
• Add and remove items from a list
• Use helper functions for other list-related actions
• Iterate through a list by using the for iteration statement

Define functions to create encapsulated modular code that accept input and return results

• Define functions that encapsulate functionality
• Add input parameters to functions so they can be called using input arguments
• Return values from functions
• Create modules to host functions that can be imported into other code files

Before completing this course, pass the knowledge check test to understand the learning effectiveness or complete a challenge as the final project.