Python 4 Newbs

Hello! Welcome! First off I'd like to say that I'm excited you're investigating the world of programming and even more so that you're interested in starting your first journies in Python 3! So I must say again, welcome, and thank you for reading my repo. I'll go over the 4 W's and the H about this repo.

Who

Who as in me

I'm currently a graduate mathematics student in the USA. This repository started when I was just an undergraduate though. I volunteered to start a robotics club at a local middle school and the problem was that the none of the kids had an programming experience. Something that should be expected of 6th and 7th graders ;)

Who is this for?

This repository is for anyone. Big or small. Young or old. Human or lizard people. If you've been interested in programming but always thought the subject was a little too hard then this is what you want. Something built with simple examples. Give it a try! Click a folder.

What

This small book teaches anyone how to program in Python 3. While the topics are small in size it should give you enough experience to spread your wings and learn more about Python. In fact most of the concepts you'll learn are applicable in most programming languages in some way. All languages have "loop" and all languages have math and lists/arrays. So while this might not be the end all, be all of programming in Python it's definitely a toe dipping time.

Where

Here. Now.

Why

Why not? Learn to solve puzzles! Haven't you ever saw a task you do everyday in real life or on the computer and thought "i just wish this was automated". You could combine these simple pieces to solve a lot of problems. There are whole websites dedicated to it! So why not start making your life easier now?

How

To do this walkthrough you'll need a few things

1. A Text Editor
2. Python 3
3. A Willingness to learn
4. Minor amounts of command line experience

Text Editor

The argument about the best text editor is a fierce one and you'll find many many cases why one editor is better than the other. Let me say that any text editor, yes even that awful Notepad.exe, can complete these assignments. Some them make it easier and some of them make it harder. That's up to you. I'd say you should get one of the following

1. Sublime Text
   • Most people find these editor easier to use and welcoming to new people. I personally used it for the first few years of undergraduate studies.
2. Graphic Vim
   • This editor is definitely a learning experience. It's very useful for people who might want to do a lot of command line work since VIM can be use INSIDE command prompt or as a standard editor.
   • If you planned on using vim you'll need these
   • Some cheat sheet notes
   • You'll probably want to expand the functionality using Vundle
   • Also some plugins!
3. Atom
   • This editor is by the GitHub people. I'm told its great. That's about all I know.

Python 3

Simply run the installer found here. Make sure that you add it to your path! It's a little checkbox that can make your life a lot easier.

A willingness to learn

Speaks for itself

Minor amounts of command line experience

This is something that comes with time. I'd mainly make sure that you know the following:

Change directories

Powershell & CMD & BASH
> cd directory_name

List contents of a folder/directory

CMD & Powershell
> dir
Powershell
> ls
BASH
$ ls