The Python MicroDegree: From Basics To Building Python Apps

Install python by downloading the latest version from python.org, add python to your path, verify installation via the command line, and use an integrated development environment to run python files.

Install Visual Studio Code by downloading the latest version, selecting the destination, and checking the checkboxes; explore cross-platform IDEs for Windows, Linux, and Mac, with command line use.

Learn to run python in the terminal inside vscode and print the current date and time using the date time module; save scripts for future use.

Create a folder in your workspace, add a python file inside it, name it avoiding python keywords, and run it from the terminal to save your code and view output.

Learn how Python lets you simplify code by consolidating multiple print statements into a single print statement, removing redundant lines while preserving the same output.

Learn how to assign and name variables to store date and time, integers, floats, and strings, and use print with multiple arguments while following underscores for multiword names.

Explore how the Python type() function reveals a variable’s class, showing how numbers and strings are handled without explicit type declarations, and why dynamic typing matters.

Learn how a list aggregates multiple objects, like the grades of 50 students, into one variable, simplifying code and avoiding many separate variables.

Explore attributes that define what you can do with Python data types—strings, lists, integers, and floats—through practical examples like upper, lower, title, and swapcase.

Explore how to find the average of numbers in a Python list by using sum and a count, and learn that average is a function-based calculation, not a list attribute.

Master Python syntax, including lists, function calls, and print statements, then apply a simple algorithm to compute a list average by summing items and dividing by count.

Explore how dictionaries map keys to values using curly brackets, replacing lists, as shown by the student grades example where each student key links to a score.

Explore dictionaries in Python by accessing keys and values with dict.keys() and dict.values(), and compute the average of numeric values from a dictionary.

Explore the difference between a list and a tuple, showing that lists are mutable and can be modified with append, while tuples are immutable, and note the bracket differences.

Reduce command line clutter by clearing the screen and exiting the current view, using control shortcuts to regain a clean, focused workspace.

Learn how to work with Python lists by using append to add items to the end and clear to remove all elements, and explore common list methods for practical programming.

Learn to use the list index method to find an element's position in a list, and see why the first item has index zero.

Learn to retrieve a list element by its position using indexing and square bracket notation, with list[3] returning the fourth item in zero-based indexing.

Learn how to locate element positions with the index method, access elements by index, and extract ranges from a list using slicing with start and end bounds, including single-sided slices.

Explore negative indexing in Python lists, using -1, -2, and related slices to access the last elements and extract ranges, with practical examples.

Explore how strings share list-like properties and use the index operation to access characters by position, a foundational technique used throughout the course.

Learn how to use indexing with dictionaries by accessing values through keys, explore a translator-style example where English words map to translations, and understand dictionary data as key–value pairs.

Learn to write your own Python functions with def, define list inputs, compute an average with sum and len, and reuse the function.

Learn how and why to use the return statement in Python functions, distinguishing input, output, and the difference between printing and returning.

Replace lists with dictionaries to calculate averages and see how input types affect function design. Learn to validate inputs and use conditionals to handle numeric dictionary values correctly.

Learn to use if statements and a type function to distinguish dictionaries from lists, manage indentation, and compute an average from dictionary values.

Explore how the isinstance function replaces long if statements and equality checks, showing it can compare values succinctly and simplify code without using nested conditionals.

Discover how conditionals expand beyond two scenarios by using a default condition (elif), with a simple example and the syntax of an if-else statement.

This lecture introduces reading user input in Python, comparing it to five to decide greater or less, and importance of prompting for input in real time rather than hardcoding values.

Learn to read user input with the input function, optionally provide a prompt string, store it in a variable, print it, and apply operations like lower to process inputs.

Handle user input by explicitly converting it from string to a numeric type, such as a float, using proper parentheses to avoid type errors.

Learn string formatting in Python by taking user input and printing a greeting that includes your name with f-strings. Explore variables and top-down execution that affects the output.

Learn to format strings with two variables in Python, handling multiple user inputs for first name and surname, and comment out lines to mute code while building multi-variable formatting.

Learn for loops in Python by applying the round function to each element of a list, illustrating why looping is more efficient than manually processing many items.

Explore Python for loops to iterate over numbers and strings. Create variables, apply operations like round and lower, print results, and reduce code length by looping through elements.

Learn how to use for loops with dictionaries in Python, iterating items, keys, and values. Explore extracting keys, accessing values, and transforming keys to uppercase for processing and printing.

Explore how while loops repeat code while a condition stays true, using a decreasing counter to stop, and see how this differs from iterating lists and dictionaries with for loops.

Explore a simple password checker using a while loop that repeatedly prompts for input until the password equals one two three four five, illustrating loop control and conditional checks.

Learn to control a Python while loop using break and continue to validate a password. Compare a version 2 approach with an infinite loop and improved readability.

Learn error handling in Python with try and except to prevent users from seeing raw messages when external files fail, and show friendly notices.

Explore the hierarchy of exceptions in Python by prioritizing specific error handling over general exceptions, showing how the order of handlers affects debugging.

Learn how developers use try and except to handle exceptions, generate developer-friendly error messages, and differentiate them from user-friendly messages.

Learn how the else block in Python exception handling executes only when no errors occur, with examples to print contents and close it.

Explore the finally block in exception handling, showing how its code runs regardless of errors, with a database closing example to prevent security risks.

Learn to raise your own exceptions in Python to handle corrupt file uploads, using the raise syntax and custom error messages to manage file upload errors.

Design the output we need upfront. Then craft the algorithm and input handling to display inputs in a specific format.

Learn to approach algorithms by dividing problems into smaller parts, using loops and conditions to process inputs, format outputs, and build reliable, step-by-step solutions.

Design a Python function that identifies questions, capitalise the first word, and appends a question mark using startswith, an interrogator tuple, and the capitalise method, while breaking problems into parts.

Learn to use a while loop to collect user input into a list, stop with a keyword, and format output by capitalizing the first word and forming a sentence.

Learn to format Python output using join to concatenate list elements with separators, print clean messages, and design and call your own function while managing program flow with conditional loops.