3.5. Further Topics to ConsiderΒΆ

Chapter 4 gives an application of Python to the web. It does not introduce new language features. We have come to end of the new language features in this tutorial, but there are certainly more basic topics to learn about programming and Python in particular, if you continue in other places:

  1. Creating your own kinds of objects (writing classes)
  2. Inheritance: Building new classes derived from existing classes
  3. Python list indexing and slicing, both to read and change parts of lists
  4. Other syntax used with loops: break, continue, and else
  5. Exception handling
  6. Python’s variable length parameter lists, and other options in parameter lists
  7. List comprehensions: a concise, readable, fast Pythonic way to make new lists from old ones
  8. Event handling in graphical programming
  9. Listing, moving and deleting stored files; creating folders
  10. Recursion (not special to Python): a powerful programming technique where functions call themselves

Beyond these language features, Python has a vast collection of useful modules. For example, I wrote a real-world program, sakaihw.py, that I have in regular use for processing large numbers of files submitted to Sakai in homework submissions. It uses string methods and slicing and both kinds of loops, as well is illustrating some useful components in modules sys, os, and os.path, for accessing command line parameters, listing file directories, creating folders, and moving and renaming files.