CORE PYTHON

Core Python
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface 2
Introduction 2
Modules and Packages 2
Data Manipulation and Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Data Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Machine Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Web Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Game Development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installing New Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Data Types and Variables 4
Strings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Operators 4
Sequence Unpacking 5
Conditional Statements 5
if statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
if-else statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
if-elif-else statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Loops 5
for loop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
while loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Functions 6
Function Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Function Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Optional Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Variable-Length Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Keyword Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Default Argument Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Anonymous Functions (Lambda Functions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Variable Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Lists 6
List methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Dictionaries 7
Dictionary methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Tuples 7
Sets 7
Set methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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Input and Output 7

Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
File Handling 7
Opening a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Reading from a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Writing to a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Closing a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Exception Handling 8
Classes and Objects 8
Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
@classmethod decorator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Inheritance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Magic methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Comments and Docstrings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Modules and Packages 10
Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Lambda Functions 10
List Comprehensions 10
Generators 10
Decorators 10
Map, Filter, and Reduce 11
Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Reduce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
String Formatting 11
Regular Expressions 11
Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Metacharacters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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PREFACE MODULES AND PACKAGES

This cheatsheet is intended to serve as a quick

DATA MANIPULATION AND ANALYSIS
reference guide for Python programming. It covers
some of the most commonly used syntax and
NumPy
features of the language, including data types,
control structures, functions, modules, and NumPy is a powerful package for scientific
libraries. computing in Python. It provides support for large,
multi-dimensional arrays and matrices, along with
Whether you are a beginner learning Python for
a wide range of mathematical functions to
the first time or an experienced programmer
manipulate and analyze the data. NumPy is a
looking for a quick refresher, this cheatsheet should
fundamental package for scientific computing with
be a helpful resource for you.
Python and is widely used in the data science and
machine learning communities.
INTRODUCTION
Pandas
Python is a high-level, interpreted programming
language known for its simplicity, readability, and Pandas is a library for data manipulation and
versatility. It was first released in 1991 by Guido analysis. It provides data structures for efficiently
van Rossum and has since become one of the most storing and querying large data sets, along with a
popular programming languages in the world. wide range of functions for cleaning, transforming,
and analyzing data. Pandas is a key tool for data
Python’s syntax emphasizes readability, with code
scientists and analysts working with tabular data.
written in a clear and concise manner using
whitespace and indentation to define blocks of
SciPy
code. It is an interpreted language, meaning that
code is executed line-by-line rather than compiled
SciPy is a Python library for scientific computing
into machine code. This makes it easy to write and
and technical computing. It provides a large set of
test code quickly, without needing to worry about
mathematical algorithms and functions for tasks
the details of low-level hardware.
such as optimization, integration, interpolation,
signal processing, linear algebra, and more.
Python is a general-purpose language, meaning that
it can be used for a wide variety of applications,
from web development to scientific computing to DATA VISUALIZATION
artificial intelligence and machine learning. Its
simplicity and ease of use make it a popular choice Matplotlib
for beginners, while its power and flexibility make
Matplotlib is a plotting library for Python. It
it a favorite of experienced developers.
provides a range of functions for creating high-
Python’s standard library contains a wide range of quality visualizations of data, including line charts,
modules and packages, providing support for scatter plots, histograms, and more. Matplotlib is
everything from basic data types and control widely used in scientific computing, data
structures to advanced data manipulation and visualization, and machine learning.
visualization. Additionally, there are countless
third-party packages available through Python’s Seaborn
package manager, pip, allowing developers to easily
extend Python’s capabilities to suit their needs. Seaborn is a Python data visualization library that
is built on top of the popular visualization library,
Overall, Python’s combination of simplicity, power, Matplotlib. It provides a high-level interface for
and flexibility makes it an ideal language for a wide creating beautiful and informative statistical
range of applications and skill levels. graphics. Seaborn is designed to work with data in
a Pandas DataFrame and provides a range of tools
for visualizing relationships between variables.

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MACHINE LEARNING Arcade

Arcade is a Python library for creating 2D arcade-

Scikit-learn
style video games. It is built on top of the Pygame
Scikit-learn is a library for machine learning in library and provides an easy-to-use framework for
Python. It provides a range of functions for building games with modern graphics and sound
classification, regression, clustering, and effects. Its cross-platform support (it works on
dimensionality reduction, along with tools for Windows, Mac, and Linux), its support for both 2D
model selection and evaluation. Scikit-learn is a and 3D graphics, and its active community of
popular choice for building and deploying machine developers who are constantly creating new games
learning models in Python. and tools using the library.

TensorFlow INSTALLING NEW PACKAGES

TensorFlow is a library for building and training Using pip

machine learning models, particularly deep
learning models. It provides support for building pip is the package installer for Python. You can use
and training neural networks, along with a range of it to install new libraries by running the following
tools for model evaluation and deployment. command in your terminal or command prompt:
TensorFlow is widely used in the machine learning
and data science communities.
pip install <library-name>
WEB DEVELOPMENT
Replace <library-name> with the name of the
Flask library you want to install. For example, to install
the numpy library, run:
Flask is a micro web framework for Python. It
provides a range of tools for building web
applications, including routing, templates, and pip install numpy
request handling. Flask is a lightweight and flexible
framework that is widely used for building web
applications and APIs in Python. Using Anaconda

If you use Anaconda as your Python distribution,

Django
you can use the Anaconda Navigator or the
Django is a high-level web framework for Python command line interface conda to install new
that follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) libraries. For example, to install the numpy library,
architectural pattern. It provides a powerful set of run:
tools for building web applications, including a
robust Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) system, a
templating engine, and built-in support for conda install numpy
handling user authentication and authorization.

Manually
GAME DEVELOPMENT
You can download the source code of a library from
Pygame its website or GitHub repository and install it
manually by following the installation instructions
Pygame is a set of Python modules for creating provided by the library’s documentation.
video games and multimedia applications. It
provides support for graphics, sound, input, and Once you have installed a new library, you can
networking, making it easy to create games and import it into your Python code using the import
interactive applications in Python. statement. For example, to import the numpy

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 4 CORE PYTHON

library, you can use: my_string = "hello world"

# Getting the length of a string

import numpy length = len(my_string) # Output:
11
Or you can use an alias to the library name for a
shorter reference: # Accessing individual characters
first_char = my_string[0] # Output:
"h"
import numpy as np
last_char = my_string[-1] # Output:
"d"

DATA TYPES AND VARIABLES

# Slicing a string
Python is a dynamically typed language. This substring = my_string[0:5] #
means that the data type of a variable is Output: "hello"
determined at runtime based on the value that is
assigned to it. In other words, you don’t need to # Concatenating strings
specify the data type of a variable when you declare new_string = my_string + "!" #
it, and you can assign values of different data types Output: "hello world!"
to the same variable.

# Repeating a string
x = 5 # x is an integer repeat_string = my_string * 3 #
x = "hello" # x is now a string Output: "hello worldhello worldhello
x = 3.14 # x is now a float world"

• Integers: whole numbers without decimal Strings in Python are immutable, which means that
points. e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 once you create a string, you cannot change its
contents. However, you can create a new string that
• Floats: numbers with decimal points. e.g. 3.14, contains the modified content.
4.5, 6.0

• Strings: sequences of characters. e.g. "hello", String formatting is another important feature in
'world' Python, which allows you to insert values into a
string in a specific format.
• Booleans: True or False values.

• Variables: containers for storing values. e.g. x =

10, y = "hello"
name = "Alice"
age = 30
greeting = "My name is {} and I am
STRINGS
{} years old".format(name, age)
Strings are sequences of characters enclosed in print(greeting) # Output: "My name
single quotes ' or double quotes ". They are one of is Alice and I am 30 years old"
the fundamental data types in Python and are used
to represent text and other types of data that can be
represented as a sequence of characters. OPERATORS

Here are some basic operations that can be • Arithmetic operators: +, -, , /, % (modulus),*
performed on strings: (exponentiation)

• Comparison operators: == (equals), != (not

# Creating a string equals), >, <, >=, ⇐

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 5 CORE PYTHON

• Logical operators: and, or, not # code to execute if condition

is true
SEQUENCE UNPACKING

Sequence unpacking is a feature in Python that IF-ELSE STATEMENT

allows you to assign the elements of a sequence
(such as a tuple or a list) to individual variables. It Executes a block of code if a condition is true, and
provides a convenient way to assign multiple another block if it’s false.
values to multiple variables in a single statement.

if condition:
my_tuple = (1, 2, 3) # code to execute if condition
a, b, c = my_tuple is true
print(a) # Output: 1 else:
print(b) # Output: 2 # code to execute if condition
print(c) # Output: 3 is false

In this example, we define a tuple called my_tuple IF-ELIF-ELSE STATEMENT

that contains three elements. We then use sequence
unpacking to assign each element to a separate Executes a block of code based on multiple
variables a, b, and c. conditions.

Sequence unpacking also works with lists:

if condition1:
# code to execute if condition1
my_list = [4, 5, 6] is true
x, y, z = my_list elif condition2:
print(x) # Output: 4 # code to execute if condition2
print(y) # Output: 5 is true
print(z) # Output: 6 else:
# code to execute if all
You can also use sequence unpacking to swap the conditions are false
values of two variables without using a temporary
variable:
LOOPS

a = 1
FOR LOOP
b = 2
a, b = b, a Iterates over a sequence of values.
print(a) # Output: 2
print(b) # Output: 1
for value in sequence:
# code to execute for each value
CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS in sequence

IF STATEMENT
WHILE LOOP
Executes a block of code if a condition is true.
Executes a block of code as long as a condition is
true.
if condition:

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KEYWORD ARGUMENTS
while condition:
# code to execute while
condition is true def function_name(parameter1,
parameter2, ..., keyword1=value1,
keyword2=value2, ...):
FUNCTIONS # function body
return value
FUNCTION DEFINITION

Blocks of code that perform a specific task. A DEFAULT ARGUMENT VALUES

function in Python is defined using the def keyword
followed by the function name and a set of
parentheses. Any input parameters or arguments
def function_name(parameter1,
should be placed inside the parentheses. The parameter2=default_value):
function body should be indented and can contain # function body
one or more statements. The return statement is return value
used to return a value from the function to the
calling code.
ANONYMOUS FUNCTIONS (LAMBDA
FUNCTIONS)
def function_name(parameters):
# code to execute
return value lambda arguments: expression

FUNCTION CALL VARIABLE SCOPE

result = function_name(argument1, # Global variable

argument2, ...) variable_name = value

def function_name():
OPTIONAL ARGUMENTS # Local variable
variable_name = value

result = def
function_name(parameter1,
LISTS
parameter2=default_value, ...):
# function body Ordered collections of items.
return value

my_list = [item1, item2, item3]

VARIABLE-LENGTH ARGUMENTS

LIST METHODS
def function_name(*args):
# function body
return value my_list.append(item) # adds an item
to the end of the list
my_list.insert(index, item) #
inserts an item at a specific index
my_list.pop() # removes and returns

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 7 CORE PYTHON

the last item in the list returns a new set with items that
my_list.remove(item) # removes the are common to both sets
first occurrence of an item

INPUT AND OUTPUT

DICTIONARIES
INPUT
Unordered collections of key-value pairs.
Allows a user to enter data into a program.

my_dict = {"key1": value1, "key2":

value2, "key3": value3} input_string = input("Enter a value:
")

DICTIONARY METHODS
OUTPUT

my_dict.keys() # returns a list of Displays data to a user.

keys
my_dict.values() # returns a list
print("Hello, world!")
of values
my_dict.items() # returns a list of
key-value pairs
FILE HANDLING

TUPLES OPENING A FILE

Ordered collections of items that cannot be changed

file = open("filename.txt", "r") #
(immutable).
open file for reading
file = open("filename.txt", "w") #
my_tuple = (item1, item2, item3) open file for writing

SETS READING FROM A FILE

Unordered collections of unique items.

file_contents = file.read() # reads
entire file
my_set = {item1, item2, item3} file_contents = file.readline() #
reads one line of file

SET METHODS
WRITING TO A FILE
my_set.add(item) # adds an item to
the set file.write("Hello, world!") #
my_set.remove(item) # removes an writes string to file
item from the set
my_set.union(other_set) # returns a
new set with all unique items from
both sets
my_set.intersection(other_set) #

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CLOSING A FILE
person1 = Person("Alice", 25)
person2 = Person("Bob", 30)
file.close() # closes file
person1.say_hello()
person2.say_hello()
EXCEPTION HANDLING

Errors that occur during program execution.

@CLASSMETHOD DECORATOR

In Python, the @classmethod decorator is used to

try:
define class methods. A class method is a method
# code that might raise an
that is bound to the class and not the instance of the
exception
class. It can be called on the class itself, rather than
except ExceptionType: on an instance of the class.
# code to execute if exception
occurs
finally: class MyClass:
# code to execute regardless of class_var = "This is a class
whether an exception occurred variable"

def __init__(self, x):

CLASSES AND OBJECTS self.x = x

CLASSES @classmethod
def class_method(cls):
In Python, a class is a blueprint for creating objects. print(cls.class_var)
It defines a set of attributes and methods that the
objects will have. When you create an instance of a
MyClass.class_method()
class, you create a new object that has the same
attributes and methods as the class.
To define a class method, we use the @classmethod
decorator before the method definition. The first
class Person: parameter of a class method is always cls, which
def __init__(self, name, age): refers to the class itself. You can use the cls
self.name = name parameter to access class variables and methods.
self.age = age
INHERITANCE
def say_hello(self):
print("Hello, my name is", Classes can also inherit attributes and methods
self.name, "and I'm", self.age, from other classes.
"years old.")
class Student(Person):
def __init__(self, name, age,
OBJECTS
grade):
Instances of a class with specific values for their super().__init__(name, age)
attributes. To create an instance of the Person class, self.grade = grade
we use the constructor method `init` which
initializes the object’s attributes. We then call the def say_hello(self):
say_hello method on each object to print the print(f"Hello, my name is
greeting message.
{self.name}, I am {self.age} years

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 9 CORE PYTHON

old, and I am in grade COMMENTS AND DOCSTRINGS

{self.grade}.")
Comments and docstrings are two important ways
to document your code in Python. While comments
are used to provide explanations for specific lines
MAGIC METHODS
or blocks of code, docstrings are used to provide
Python also supports a number of special methods, documentation for functions, classes, and modules.
called "magic methods" or "dunder methods" (short
for "double underscore methods"), that allow you to Comments
customize the behavior of objects of a class. These
methods have names that start and end with double Comments in Python start with the # symbol and
underscores can be used to provide explanations for specific
lines of code:
• init(self[, …]) Initializes a new instance of
the class
# This is a comment
• str(self) Defines the string representation of
x = 1 # This is another comment
an object

• repr(self) Defines the string representation of

In this example, we use comments to explain what
an object that can be used to recreate the object
the code does. Comments are ignored by the Python
• eq(self, other) Defines how two objects are interpreter and are not executed as code.
compared for equality using the == operator

• lt(self, other) Defines how two objects are Docstrings

compared for less-than using the < operator
Docstrings, on the other hand, are used to
• len(self) Defines the behavior of the len() document functions, classes, and modules. They are
function for an object enclosed in triple quotes """, and should describe
• getitem(self, key) Defines how an object is what the function does, what arguments it takes,
accessed using square brackets, e.g. and what it returns:
my_object[key]

• setitem(self, key, value) Defines how an def add_numbers(a, b):

object is modified using square brackets, e.g. """
my_object[key] = value
This function adds two numbers and
• delitem(self, key) Defines how an object is returns the result.
deleted using the del keyword and square Parameters:
brackets, e.g. del my_object[key] a (int): The first number to
• getattr(self, name) Defines how an attribute add.
that doesn’t exist on the object is accessed, e.g. b (int): The second number to
my_object.foo add.
• setattr(self, name, value) Defines how an
attribute is set on the object, e.g. my_object.foo Returns:
= 42 int: The sum of a and b.
"""
• delattr(self, name) Defines how an attribute is
return a + b
deleted from the object, e.g. del my_object.foo

• call(self[, …]) Allows an object to be called

like a function, e.g. my_object() In this example, we define a function called
add_numbers and provide a docstring that
describes what the function does, what arguments
it takes, and what it returns. The docstring should
be placed immediately after the function definition.

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 10 CORE PYTHON

Docstrings are important because they make it

easier for other programmers (and your future self) my_list = [x**2 for x in range(5)]
to understand what your code does and how to use # creates a list of squares of
it. They can be accessed using the help() function or numbers 0-4
by using the built-in doc attribute.
even_numbers = [x for x in my_list
MODULES AND PACKAGES if x % 2 == 0] # creates a list of
even numbers from my_list
MODULES

Files containing Python code that can be imported GENERATORS

and used in other programs.
Functions that use the yield keyword to return
values one at a time, instead of all at once.
import my_module

my_module.my_function() # calls a def my_generator():

function from the module yield 1
yield 2
yield 3
PACKAGES
for value in my_generator():
Collections of related modules that can be imported
# code to execute for each value
together.
returned by the generator

import my_package.my_module
DECORATORS
my_package.my_module.my_function()
Functions that modify the behavior of other
# calls a function from the module
functions.
in the package

def my_decorator(func):
LAMBDA FUNCTIONS def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
# code to execute before the
Anonymous functions that can be defined in a
original function
single line of code.
result = func(*args,
**kwargs) # call the original
my_lambda = lambda x: x**2 # function
defines a lambda function that # code to execute after the
squares its input original function
return result
result = my_lambda(3) # calls the return wrapper
lambda function with input 3
@my_decorator
def my_function():
LIST COMPREHENSIONS # code to execute

Compact syntax for creating lists based on other

lists or sequences.

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 11 CORE PYTHON

MAP, FILTER, AND REDUCE STRING FORMATTING

Allows values to be inserted into a string in a

MAP
specific format.
Applies a function to every element in a sequence
and returns a new sequence with the results.
name = "Alice"
age = 30
def square(x): greeting = "Hello, my name is {} and
return x**2 I am {} years old.".format(name,
age) # creates a string with values
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4] inserted using curly braces
squared_list = map(square, my_list)
# creates a new list with squares of
the original values REGULAR EXPRESSIONS

Regular expressions, also known as regex or

regexp, are a sequence of characters that define a
FILTER
search pattern. They are powerful tools used to
Applies a function to every element in a sequence perform text manipulation and data extraction in
and returns a new sequence with only the elements programming languages such as Python. In Python,
that pass a certain test. the re module provides support for regular
expressions.

def is_even(x): FUNCTIONS

return x % 2 == 0
• re.search(pattern, string): Searches for the
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4] first occurrence of the pattern in the string and
even_list = filter(is_even, my_list) returns a match object if found. If not found, it
returns None.
# creates a new list with only the
even values from the original list • re.findall(pattern, string): Searches for all
occurrences of the pattern in the string and
returns a list of all matches found.
REDUCE • re.sub(pattern, repl, string): Searches for all
occurrences of the pattern in the string and
Applies a function to pairs of elements in a
replaces them with the repl string.
sequence and returns a single result.

METACHARACTERS
from functools import reduce
• . (dot): Matches any character except a newline
character.
def my_function(x, y):
return x + y • ^ (caret): Matches the start of a string.

• $ (dollar): Matches the end of a string.

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4]
• * (asterisk): Matches zero or more occurrences
result = reduce(my_function,
of the preceding character.
my_list) # adds up all the values
in the list to get a single result • + (plus): Matches one or more occurrences of
the preceding character.

• ? (question mark): Matches zero or one

occurrence of the preceding character.

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 12 CORE PYTHON

• [] (square brackets): Matches any one of the

characters enclosed in the brackets.

• | (pipe): Matches either the expression before

or after the pipe.

import re

# Search for a pattern in a string

text = "The quick brown fox jumps
over the lazy dog"
match = re.search(r"brown", text)
if match:
print("Match found!")

# Find all occurrences of a pattern

in a string
text = "The quick brown fox jumps
over the lazy dog"
matches = re.findall(r"the", text,
re.IGNORECASE)
print(matches)

# Replace all occurrences of a

pattern in a string
text = "The quick brown fox jumps
over the lazy dog"
new_text = re.sub(r"the", "that",
text, flags=re.IGNORECASE)
print(new_text)

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