Part I of this book teaches you the basic concepts you’ll need to write Python programs. Many of these concepts are common to all programming languages, so they’ll be useful throughout your life as a programmer.
In Chapter 1 you’ll install Python on your computer and run your first program, which prints the message Hello world! to the screen.
In Chapter 2 you’ll learn to assign information to variables and work with text and numerical values.
Chapters 3 and 4 introduce lists. Lists can store as much information as you want in one place, allowing you to work with that data efficiently. You’ll be able to work with hundreds, thousands, and even millions of values in just a few lines of code.
In Chapter 5 you’ll use if statements to write code that responds one way if certain conditions are true, and responds in a different way if those conditions are not true.
Chapter 6 shows you how to use Python’s dictionaries, which let you make connections between different pieces of information. Like lists, dictionaries can contain as much information as you need to store.
In Chapter 7 you’ll learn how to accept input from users to make your programs interactive. You’ll also learn about while loops, which run blocks of code repeatedly as long as certain conditions remain true.
In Chapter 8 you’ll write functions, which are named blocks of code that perform a specific task and can be run whenever you need them.
Chapter 9 introduces classes, which allow you to model real-world objects. You’ll write code that represents dogs, cats, people, cars, rockets, and more.
Chapter 10 shows you how to work with files and handle errors so your programs won’t crash unexpectedly. You’ll store data before your program closes and read the data back in when the program runs again. You’ll learn about Python’s exceptions, which allow you to anticipate errors and make your programs handle those errors gracefully.
In Chapter 11 you’ll learn to write tests for your code, to check that your programs work the way you intend them to. As a result, you’ll be able to expand your programs without worrying about introducing new bugs. Testing your code is one of the first skills that will help you transition from beginner to intermediate programmer.