The Python Coding Place is taking shape nicely. I'm doing a rolling launch, making bits of it available as they're ready. The "official launch" will happen when we launch the website and give The Place its visual look and feel. However, the look and feel of the content at The Python Coding Place is clear… Continue reading Introducing The Stack, From Harry Potter and OOP to Data Structures | April in Review
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The Python Coding Programme: A Live Course for Beginners With Small Cohorts & Active Mentoring
Writing on these pages is not enough. I want to meet you, interact with you, answer your questions, discover new things with you. That's why I'm launching The Python Coding Programme. It's not just any Python beginner's course—it's an active mentoring programme with live sessions. It has very small groups and a private forum to… Continue reading The Python Coding Programme: A Live Course for Beginners With Small Cohorts & Active Mentoring
What’s a Python Sequence? [Python Data Structure Series #2]
Note: This article has now moved here: Sequences in Python (Data Structure Categories #2) – Sequences are different from iterables • Part 2 of the Data Structure Categories Series Here's an introduction to the article: You started your journey through Python's main data structure categories in the first article in this series, which dealt with… Continue reading What’s a Python Sequence? [Python Data Structure Series #2]
What’s a Python Iterable? [Python Data Structure Series #1]
Note: This article has now moved here: Iterable: Python's Stepping Stones – What makes an iterable iterable? Part 1 of the Data Structure Categories Series Here's an introduction to the article: You're familiar with data structures such as lists, dictionaries, tuples, sets, and more. You may even know about the similarities and differences between their… Continue reading What’s a Python Iterable? [Python Data Structure Series #1]
Anatomy of a 2D Game using Python’s turtle and Object-Oriented Programming
When I was young, we played arcade games in their original form on tall rectangular coin-operated machines with buttons and joysticks. These games had a resurgence as smartphone apps in recent years, useful to keep one occupied during a long commute. In this article, I'll resurrect one as a 2D Python game and use it… Continue reading Anatomy of a 2D Game using Python’s turtle and Object-Oriented Programming
Understanding The Difference Between `is` and `==` in Python: The £5 Note and a Trip to a Coffee Shop
The keyword is and the operator == are not the same. Yet, many programmers often use one when they should use the other. Let's look at the difference between is and == in Python with the help of a £5 note and a trip to my local coffee shop. In this article, you'll: Find out… Continue reading Understanding The Difference Between `is` and `==` in Python: The £5 Note and a Trip to a Coffee Shop
The Python Coding Place Is Coming Soon…
Allow me a rare blog post which is not about some Python topic or a step-by-step tutorial. We're excited that The Python Coding Place is coming soon. As the name says, this will be the place to learn to code in Python. In this brief post, I'll highlight what The Place is all about The… Continue reading The Python Coding Place Is Coming Soon…
Some Best Practices When Writing Python Functions [Intermediate Python Functions Series #7]
You've covered a lot of material in this Intermediate Python Functions Series. In this final article, you'll read about some best practices in Python functions. This topic is different from the previous ones discussed in this series. You won't get a SyntaxError, TypeError or any other error if you don't follow best practices. Your code… Continue reading Some Best Practices When Writing Python Functions [Intermediate Python Functions Series #7]
Using Python’s NumPy To Improve Your Board Game Strategy: Your Odds When Attacking in ‘Risk’
I first played the board game Risk during my doctoral studies. We occasionally stayed up all night playing this game. I hadn't played it for many years, but I bought it "for the kids" this Christmas, so I got to play it again. And soon, I found myself wondering what the odds are for the… Continue reading Using Python’s NumPy To Improve Your Board Game Strategy: Your Odds When Attacking in ‘Risk’
Using Type Hints When Defining A Python Function [Intermediate Python Functions Series #6]
You've already covered a lot of ground in this Intermediate Python Functions series. In this article, you'll read about a relatively new addition in Python called type hinting or type annotation. Unlike all the other topics you learnt about in the previous articles, this one will not change the behaviour of the function you define.… Continue reading Using Type Hints When Defining A Python Function [Intermediate Python Functions Series #6]