This is a test to get the Python snippets going! For those of you who are scared of snakes, the language is named after the TV program, not the snake. Python is an interpreted language, but programs to compile/combine the code to an exe file are available (Py2Exe). The latest version of Python can be downloaded for free from the http://www.python.org site.
If you are just starting with the fun of Python coding, direct your eyes to: http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread20774.html
If you really want to see what Python can do, take a look at: http://vpython.org/
A very simple Python program
# a selection of simple Python code to give you a taste of the language ...
#
# Just a few notes about Python:
# Python has a very efficient built-in memory manager.
# Python does not need variable types declared, it is smart enough to figure that out!
# Python uses whitespaces to group statements, this avoids the begin/ends and {}
# of other languages. Let's face it, you use whitespaces anyway in these
# languages to make the code more readable! In other words, Python forces you
# to make code more readable. You get used to the indentations naturally.
# Use the number of spaces you like, the de facto standard is four spaces.
# Important caveat:
# keep the spacing uniform for the group of statements
# that belong together, and don't mix tabs and spaces. Avoid tabs!
#
# I used Python-2.3.4.exe (the Windows installer package for Python23)
# from http://www.python.org/2.3.4/
# code tested with Python23 vegaseat 16jan2005
print "Simple math like 12345679*63 = ", 12345679*63
# print just an empty line
print
# display numbers 0 to 9
# the indentation before print makes it part of the loop
for number in range(10):
print number
# print also adds a newline, use a comma to prevent the newline
for number in range(10):
print number,
print
# import the math module for the sqrt() function
import math
# a little more complex this time
# \n is the newline character, % starts the format specifier
# Python does have its roots in the C language
# notice how we use the sqrt() function from the math module
# CYA: more specifically, sqrt() is a function in module math
print "\nSquare root of integers 0 to 9 formatted as a float with 4 decimals:"
for value in range(10):
squareRoot = math.sqrt(value)
print "sqrt(%d) = %.4f" % (value, squareRoot)
# now it gets a bit more hairy
print "\nDisplay integers 0 to 15 formatted to use 6 spaces ..."
print "(plain, zero-padded, hex and octal)"
print " %s %s %s %s" % ('%6d', '%06d', '%6x', '%6o')
for value in range(16):
print "%6d %06d %6x %6o" % (value, value, value, value)
print
print "\nA not so typical for loop:"
for food in "spam", "eggs", "cumquats":
print "I love", food
print
# a short intro to string slicing
# a little cryptic at first blush, but very powerful
# [begin : < end : step] end is exclusive, step is optional
# defaults are index begin = 0, index end = length, step = 1
animal = "hippopotamus"
print "this is the string = ", animal
print "length of string = ", len(animal)
print "exclude first 3 char = ", animal[3: ]
print "exclude last 4 char = ", animal[:-4]
print "reverse the string = ", animal[::-1]
# define/create a function
# the indented lines are part of the function
def convertFahrenheit2Celsius(fahrenheit):
celcius = 0.555 * (fahrenheit - 32)
return celcius
print
# and use the function
# (make sure you define/create the function before you call it)
print "A Fahrenheit to Celcius table:"
# range is from -40 to < 220 in steps of 10
for tf in range(-40, 220, 10):
print "%5.1fF = %5.1fC" % ( tf, convertFahrenheit2Celsius(tf) )
print
print "A limited set:"
# another variation of the for loop
for tf in -40,0,32,98.6:
print "%5.1fF = %5.1fC" % ( tf, convertFahrenheit2Celsius(tf) )
print
# test boolean results
print "Is 3 > 5? Result =", 3 > 5 # result = False
print "Is 3 < 5? Result =", 3 < 5 # result = True
# optional wait for keypress
raw_input('Press Enter...')
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