01-python-variables-types-and-basic-io

August 30, 2023

[4]: # Welcome to the 'Python Programming Language'!

# This unit is an introduction to the most basic concepts and features of the␣
↪Python programming language

# It covers : Variables, the basic Data Types, basic mathematical operations

# In addition, this unit also covers basic i/o operations

# such as interactive input, print, and file I/O

!pip install pyppeteer

!pyppeteer-install

Defaulting to user installation because normal site-packages is not writeable

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 lrgnn2bq\appdata\roaming\python\python311\site-packages (from
tqdm<5.0.0,>=4.42.1->pyppeteer) (0.4.6)
chromium is already installed.

[ ]: # BTW, in a Python program any sequence after a '#' is a comment (like this␣
↪line)

# and it is ignored during program execution!!

''' Talking about comments ... multiple line comments can be written within␣
↪triple quotes

as shown here
'''

[ ]: # What is a variable?
# Variables in Python (... or, in any programming language) are 'containers',␣
↪that are used to store data.

# Variables are given names, which are known as identifiers.

# So, what, really, are variables, and what are identifiers?

# In Python an identifier can consist of:

# Upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet, underscores, and digits 0 to 9.

# BTW, do you know What is a 'random variable'?

[ ]: # Examples of variables / identifiers

# Variables can be of various 'types' as enumerated below and further explained␣
↪later

v1 = "the first variable of this course!" # string

v2 = 2023.8 # float
v3 = True # boolean
v4 = [1,2,3,4,5] # list
v5 = (1,2,3,4,5) # tuple
v6 = {"name": "Aditi", "age": 25} # dictionary
v7 = {1,2,3,4,5} # set
v8 = 3 # int i.e. integer
v9 = 0b1010 # binary ... essentially an int
v10 = 0o17 # octal ... essentially an int
v11 = 0x1F # hexadecimal ... essentially an␣
↪int

v12 = None # None

[ ]: # Introducing the simplest way to print the value of a variable ... and also␣
↪your introduction to a 'function'!

# A function is a reusable piece of code that can be repeatedly called to␣

↪perform a specific task

2
 # In the following statements, we are calling, or 'invoking' the 'print'␣
↪function

# More about 'defining' functions in later modules ... till then we just use␣
↪them

print(v1, v2, v3, v4, v5, v6)

print(v7, v8, v9, v10, v11, v12)

[ ]: ### Data Types in Python

# Python supports various built-in data types, such as int, float, str, bool,␣
↪complex, list, tuple, set, and dict.

# They can also be classified into the following categories:

# Numeric types, Sequence types, Set types, Mapping types, Boolean types,␣
↪Binary type and None type

# There are also user-defined data types that can be a combination of built-in␣
↪data types ...

# In this exercise we are only interested in the built-in data types

[ ]: # Lets print out the 'type' of every variable defined above

print(type(v1), type(v2), type(v3), type(v4), type(v5), type(v6))
print(type(v7), type(v8), type(v9), type(v10), type(v11), type(v12))

[ ]: # More about Variables names or identifiers: they are case-sensitive

# By convention, they follow 'snake_case' notation
# What is snake_case?
# Which are the other popular variable naming conventions ( used in other␣
↪languages?)

# Python is dynamically typed, so you don't need to specify the data type␣
↪explicitly.

# It is inferred from the specified value of the variable

[ ]: # Let's create some more variables of the simpler data types, with more␣
↪meaningful identifiers

age = 25 # An integer variable

height = 5.11 # A float variable
name = "Aditi" # A string variable
is_student = True # A boolean variable
complex_num = 3 + 4j # A complex variable
a_general_variable = "Initialized to string" # We will change the type of␣
↪this variable later, to illustrate dynamic typing

[ ]: # Informative printing ...

print("Name:", name)
print("Age:", age)

3
 print("Height:", height)
print("Is Student:", is_student)
print("Complex Number:", complex_num)
print("A general variable: its value is", a_general_variable, "and its type is:
↪", type(a_general_variable))

[ ]: # A more convenient and concide way to print

# Notice the use of 'f' before the string to be printed ...
# also notice the variable names embedded in the string but enclosed in brace␣
↪brackets,

print(f"Name: {name}, Age: {age}, Height: {height}, Is Student: {is_student},␣

↪Complex Number: {complex_num}")

[ ]: # Still better?
print(f" Name: {name}\n Age: {age}\n Height: {height}\n Is Student:␣
↪{is_student}\n Complex Number: {complex_num}")

[ ]: # Q: Using f-strings, is it possible to format the output in a more customized␣

↪way?

# For example, specify the total width, justification, and number of␣
↪significant digits of a 'float' number

# Q: Look up the old style output formatting methods also ... old code in␣
↪Python would have them

[ ]: # Variable re-assignment. Such operations may result in changing the variable␣

↪type

name = "Ajay" # Changing the value of the 'name' variable

print("Updated Name:", name)

a_general_variable = 10 # This also results in changing the variable type

print(f"New value of \'General Variable\': {a_general_variable}, and its new␣
↪type is: {type(a_general_variable)}")

[ ]: # Notice the use of 'escape' character '\' in the above statement. What is it?␣
↪Why is it needed?

# Q: Which other such escape characters and escape sequences are pre-defined,␣
↪and when are they used?

[ ]: # Q: Is it possible to create variables without assigning any value to them? If␣

↪so, how?

# Q: Is it possible to fix the type of a variable, ie. once defined the type␣
↪cannot be changed?

# Q: Is it possible to define a 'constant'?

# Q: Is it possible to prevent the value of variable from being changed? That␣
↪is, make a variable immutable?

4
[ ]: # Conversion functions are available to convert one data type to another.
# Typically, from a string to int, float, etc
# This is required usually while interactively inputting data ... coming up␣
↪later

a = int("1")
b = float("1.1")
c = str(3)
d = bool(5)
print(a,b,c,d)

[ ]: # In Python everything is an 'object', derived from a 'class'

# We will right now just get used to these terms, and understand how to use␣
↪objects

# In a later session we will understand how to define a class and create␣

↪objects of that class

# If you are using Jupyter Notebook, type 'a.' followed by TAB to get a list of␣
↪functions available for 'a'

# In VSC, type 'a.' to get all the operations available on 'a'

[ ]: # Python provides a function to 'delete' a variable from the current␣

↪'namespace' i.e. memory

i_exist = True
print(i_exist)

[ ]: del(i_exist)
# print(i_exist) # at this point the variable does not exist, hence␣
↪executing this line raises an error

[ ]: # Python allows multiple variables to be created /assigned at once

v1, v2, v3 = 1, "two", 3.3
print(v1, v2, v3)

# This method is usually used to return multiple outputs from a 'function'.␣

↪More on that later ...

[ ]: # Operating with variables in Python

# Python allows you to operate with / on variables using various 'operations'
# Expressions can be built using variables and operations
# Let's look at some examples of operations and their types

# In the blocks that follow, print out the value of the variable after each␣
↪operation to check the result

# If you are clueless about what something like '+=' means, refer the following␣
↪link

5
 # https://docs.python.org/3/reference/simple_stmts.
↪html#augmented-assignment-statements

[ ]: # Assignment operations
a = 10 # Assignment
a += 5 # Addition assignment
a -= 5 # Subtraction assignment
a *= 5 # Multiplication assignment
a /= 5 # Division assignment
a %= 5 # Modulo assignment
a //= 5 # Floor division assignment
a **= 5 # Exponentiation assignment

[ ]: # Arithmetic operations
a = 10 + 5 # Addition
b = 10 - 5 # Subtraction
c = 10 * 5 # Multiplication
d = 10 / 5 # Division
e = 10 // 5 # Floor Division
f = 10 % 5 # Modulo/Remainder
g = 10 ** 5 # Exponentiation

[ ]: # Boolean, or comparison operations

a = 10 == 5 # Equal to
b = 10 != 5 # Not equal to
c = 10 > 5 # Greater than
d = 10 < 5 # Less than
e = 10 >= 5 # Greater than or equal to
f = 10 <= 5 # Less than or equal to

[ ]: # Logical operations
a = True and False # Logical AND
b = True or False # Logical OR
c = not True # Logical NOT

[ ]: # Bitwise operations
a = 10 & 5 # Bitwise AND
b = 10 | 5 # Bitwise OR
c = 10 ^ 5 # Bitwise XOR
d = ~10 # Bitwise NOT
e = 10 << 2 # Left shift
f = 10 >> 2 # Right shift

[ ]: # Q: What is the difference between the x = x + 1 and x += 1 ?

[ ]: # We will now look at the basic methods to handle input / output

6
 # That is, assign values to variables from an external source (e.g. the user␣
↪using a keyboards)

# and store the value of a variable in an external sink (e.g. a file)

[ ]: # Basic input / output in Python

# Values can be interactively assigned using the keyboard while initializing␣

↪variables

# using the input() function ... Python display the supplied prompt, and waits␣
↪for a value to be specified

# After you type the following statement, you will find a prompt on the screen,␣
↪somewhere. Don't get lost!

a_new_variable = input("Enter the value of the new variable: ")

print("The value of the new variable is:", a_new_variable, "and its type is:",␣
↪type(a_new_variable))

a_new_int = int(input("Enter a whole number: "))

print(f"The value of the whole number is: {a_new_int}, and its type is:␣
↪{type(a_new_int)}")

[ ]: # Variable values can be written out into a file using the following code
# Write the variables to a text file

with open("variables.txt", "w") as file:

file.write(str(age) + "\n")
file.write(str(height) + "\n")
file.write(name + "\n")
file.write(str(is_student) + "\n")

[ ]: # Define new variable to read their values from the file

#rd_age, rd_height, rd_name, rd_is_student = None, None, None, None

# Read the variables back from the text file

with open("variables.txt", "r") as file:
rd_age = int(file.readline().strip())
rd_height = float(file.readline().strip())
rd_name = file.readline().strip()
rd_is_student = bool(file.readline().strip())

# Print the variables

print("age =", rd_age)
print("height =", rd_height)
print("name =", rd_name)
print("is_student= ", rd_is_student)

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[ ]: # That's it in this unit. More types, built-in functions, and more Python␣
↪features in the next unit !

# In the meantime, go through the following links to learn more ...

# https://docs.python.org/3.11/tutorial/appetite.html
# https://www.python.org/about/gettingstarted/