LibGuides: Python and R: Programming Languages : Python

How to Install Python and Packages

Python is an object-oriented programming language that needs to be compiled to run. But don't worry if you don't know what that means - it is relatively easy to learn due to it being designed to be readable and using a structured syntax. It can also be integrated with other programming languages and has toolkits that can help you do more in less development time.

You can download Python for free and run it in the command line/terminal. There are many tools to make Python easier to use or more powerful, including many integrated development environments (IDE), but one such environment, IDLE, is often included upon installation.

Packages for Use with Python

Anaconda
Anaconda® Distribution is a Python/R data science distribution that contains conda, a package and environment manager, which helps users manage a collection of over 7,500+ open-source packages available to them. Anaconda is free and easy to install, and it offers free community support.
Beautiful Soup
This is an introduction to Beautiful Soup (a Python library used for extracting data from HTML and XML files). It also links to the official documentation for the library and to a Python tutorial.

Getting Started in Python

Bite-Size Python by April Speight
ISBN: 9781119643814
Publication Date: 2020-09-01
Introduce children to the popular Python programming language through relatable examples and fun projects! Python has now surpassed Java as the most commonly used programming language. As the language rises in popularity, this complete guide can teach basic Python concepts to kids with its simple, friendly format. Bite-Size Python: An Introduction to Python Programming provides children with a foundation in the Python language. This unique book shares knowledge through easy-to-understand examples, fast exercises, and fun projects! As children learn, their parents, caregivers, and instructors can also join in their discoveries. Bite-Size Python is ideal for those who are new to programming, giving kids ages 9 and up a beginners' approach to learning one of the most important programming languages. Gives an overview of Python Provides exciting programming projects Offers instruction on how to download and install Python Presents key programming language concepts Simplifies technical definitions With this playful guide to learning Python, readers can try out activities on their computers for a hands-on learning experience. The artwork in Bite-Size Python represents children of various backgrounds, so any child who picks up this book will be empowered to learn and young readers will love showing their projects to friends and family!
Think Python by Allen B. Downey
ISBN: 9781449330729
Publication Date: 2012-09-04
If you want to learn how to program, working with Python is an excellent way to start. This hands-on guide takes you through the language one step at a time, beginning with basic programming concepts before moving on to functions, recursion, data structures, and object-oriented design. Through exercises in each chapter, you'll try out programming concepts as you learn them. Think Python is ideal for students at the high school or college level, as well as self-learners, home-schooled students, and professionals who need to learn programming basics. Start with the basics, including language syntax and semantics Get a clear definition of each programming concept Learn values, variables, statements, functions, and data structures in a logical progression Discover how to work with files and databases Understand objects, methods, and object-oriented programming Use debugging techniques to fix syntax, runtime, and semantic errors Explore interface design, data structures, and GUI-based programs through case studies

Python Tutorials and Lessons

Data Analysis and Visualization in Python for Ecologists
This is an introduction to Python designed for participants with no programming experience. They start with some basic information about Python syntax, the Jupyter notebook interface, and move through how to import CSV files, using the pandas package to work with data frames, how to calculate summary information from a data frame, and a brief introduction to plotting. The last lesson demonstrates how to work with databases directly from Python.
LinkedIn Learning: Learning Python (for Beginners)
Learn to work with dates and times, read and write files, and retrieve and parse HTML, JSON, and XML data from the web.
Python for Digital Humanities
The courses provided on this site will help you gain an understanding of Python, its syntax, and how to apply it to your own Digital Humanities project.