DMarlon Studio
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Python course

The easiest language to start with: scripts, data, automation and desktop apps.

In DMarlon Studio, Python powers desktop apps (tkinter), Flask websites and the console: design the window and the studio writes the Python code.

Basic Python course

20 lessons

From scratch: everything you need to write your first programs.

  1. 1Hello, worldYour first Python program: print() writes text and results to the console. Run it with one click in DMarlon Studio.Lesson 1
  2. 2Variables and typesStore data in Python variables and find out their types (str, float, int and bool) with type(), using a small shop as the example.Lesson 2
  3. 3Numbers and arithmeticDo maths in Python: whole division with //, remainders with %, powers with ** and rounding with round(), while sharing out some pizzas.Lesson 3
  4. 4Strings and f-stringsWork with text in Python: join and repeat strings, count characters with len(), read positions and format values with f-strings.Lesson 4
  5. 5Reading from the keyboardAsk the user for data with input() in Python and convert it into numbers with int() and float() so you can do maths with it.Lesson 5
  6. 6Deciding with if, elif and elseMake your Python program take decisions with if, elif and else: what to wear for the weather and whether delivery is free.Lesson 6
  7. 7Comparisons and logicCompare values in Python with ==, !=, < and >=, and combine conditions with and, or and not to decide who rides the roller coaster.Lesson 7
  8. 8Repeating with whileRepeat code in Python with while as long as a condition holds: save up for a bike week by week and run a countdown.Lesson 8
  9. 9For loops and range()Loop over letters and numbers with for and range() in Python: a times table, Olympic years, a running total and break to stop early.Lesson 9
  10. 10ListsKeep several values in a Python list: read them by position, change them, loop over them with for and add them up with sum(), min() and max().Lesson 10
  11. 11Working with listsAdd, remove and sort the items of a Python list with append, insert, remove, pop and sort, and take parts of it with slicing [a:b].Lesson 11
  12. 12Tuples and unpackingUse Python tuples for data that does not change, and unpack them into several variables at once, even inside a for loop.Lesson 12
  13. 13DictionariesStore key-value pairs in a Python dictionary: a greengrocer's stock with get(), del, items(), keys() and values().Lesson 13
  14. 14SetsRemove duplicates with Python sets and compare groups with intersection, union and difference: who belongs to each school club.Lesson 14
  15. 15FunctionsCreate your own Python functions with def, pass them data and send results back with return, while printing a café's receipts.Lesson 15
  16. 16Parameters, defaults and returnGive default values to the parameters of your Python functions, call them by name and send back several results with return.Lesson 16
  17. 17String methodsClean up and transform text in Python with strip, split, join, lower, upper, replace, find and count, tidying a list of ingredients.Lesson 17
  18. 18Errors with try and exceptCatch the errors in your Python program with try and except so it keeps going: bad numbers, division by zero and missing keys.Lesson 18
  19. 19Writing and reading filesSave data to a text file with Python and read it back with open(), write() and read(): the high scores of a game.Lesson 19
  20. 20Project: grade reportA project that brings the basic Python course together: it reads marks from a file, skips bad data and prints a report with averages and grades.Lesson 20

Advanced Python course

20 lessons

For those who know the basics: the techniques used in real projects.

  1. 1List, dict and set comprehensionsBuild lists, dicts and sets in a single line with Python comprehensions, including filters and unpacking. Try it in DMarlon Studio.Lesson 1
  2. 2*args, **kwargs and keyword-only argumentsPython functions that accept any number of arguments with *args and **kwargs, plus arguments that can only be passed by name.Lesson 2
  3. 3Lambdas, sorted, map and filterSort, filter and transform data in Python with lambda functions, sorted(key=...), map and filter, using a product catalogue.Lesson 3
  4. 4Closures and nonlocalFunctions that return functions and remember their variables: Python closures, and nonlocal to change them, with discounts and tickets.Lesson 4
  5. 5DecoratorsAdd logging and permission checks to Python functions without touching them: decorators, decorators with arguments and functools.wraps.Lesson 5
  6. 6Generators and yieldProcess a server log line by line with Python generators: yield, next(), chained generators and generator expressions.Lesson 6
  7. 7The iterator protocolHow a for loop works inside: iter(), next(), StopIteration, and a custom Python class with __iter__ and __next__ that pages results.Lesson 7
  8. 8Classes and objectsObject-oriented programming in Python: classes, __init__, self, attributes, methods, properties and __str__, with players in a role-playing game.Lesson 8
  9. 9Inheritance and super()Reuse and specialise Python classes with inheritance: subclasses, super(), method overriding, isinstance and the MRO, using a payroll.Lesson 9
  10. 10Special methodsMake your objects print, compare, add up and measure like built-in Python ones with __repr__, __eq__, __lt__, __add__ and __len__.Lesson 10
  11. 11DataclassesPython dataclasses with @dataclass: free __init__, __repr__ and __eq__, field(default_factory), __post_init__, frozen and order.Lesson 11
  12. 12Enums and match/caseOrder states with Enum and events handled with match/case in Python: value, mapping and sequence patterns, captures and guards.Lesson 12
  13. 13Custom exceptions and context managersCreate your own exceptions and context managers in Python: with, __enter__, __exit__, contextlib.contextmanager and suppress, in a warehouse.Lesson 13
  14. 14Type hints, protocols and genericsPython type hints: aliases with type, typing.Protocol for structural typing and generic functions with the Python 3.12 syntax.Lesson 14
  15. 15Counter, defaultdict, deque and namedtupleThe data structures in Python's collections module: Counter, defaultdict, deque and namedtuple, applied to the sales of a coffee shop.Lesson 15
  16. 16itertools and functoolsHandy tools from Python's standard library: accumulate, combinations, chain, count, islice and groupby, plus lru_cache, reduce and partial.Lesson 16
  17. 17Recursion and memoizationRecursive Python functions to walk a folder tree, and memoization with a dictionary to count the ways to pay an amount.Lesson 17
  18. 18JSON and regular expressionsRead and write JSON with Python's json module and pull data out of a log with regular expressions: named groups, findall and sub.Lesson 18
  19. 19asyncio with async and awaitAsynchronous Python with asyncio: coroutines with async and await, gather to run tasks together, sleep(0) and wait_for with a timeout.Lesson 19
  20. 20Project: a tested inventoryA small Python inventory that brings together classes, dataclasses and custom exceptions, checked with assert tests. Run it in DMarlon Studio.Lesson 20