PYTHON CHEAT SHEET

BASICS

Print
Prints a string into the console.
print("Hello World")

Input
Prints a string into the console,
and asks the user for a string input. input("What's your name")

Comments
Adding a # symbol in font of text
lets you make comments on a line of code. #This is a comment
The computer will ignore your comments. print("This is code")

Variables
A variable give a name to a piece of data.
Like a box with a label, it tells you what's my_name = "Angela"
inside the box. my_age = 12

The += Operator
This is a convient way of saying: "take the
previous value and add to it. my_age = 12
my_age += 4
#my_age is now 16

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DATA TYPES

Integers
Integers are whole numbers.
my_number = 354

Floating Point Numbers

Floats are numbers with decimal places.
When you do a calculation that results in my_float = 3.14159
a fraction e.g. 4 ÷ 3 the result will always be
a floating point number.

Strings
A string is just a string of characters.
It should be surrounded by double quotes. my_string = "Hello"

String Concatenation
You can add strings to string to create
a new string. This is called concatenation. "Hello" + "Angela"
It results in a new string. #becomes "HelloAngela"

Escaping a String
Because the double quote is special, it
denotes a string, if you want to use it in speech = "She said: \"Hi\""
a string, you need to escape it with a "\" print(speech)
#prints: She said: "Hi"

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F-Strings
You can insert a variable into a string
using f-strings. days = 365
The syntax is simple, just insert the variable print(f"There are {days}
in-between a set of curly braces {}.
in a year")

Converting Data Types

You can convert a variable from 1 data
type to another. n = 354
Converting to float: new_n = float(n)
float()
print(new_n) #result 354.0
Converting to int:
int()
Converting to string:
str()

Checking Data Types

You can use the type() function
to check what is the data type of a n = 3.14159
particular variable. type(n) #result float

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MATHS

Arithmetic Operators
You can do mathematical calculations with 3+2 #Add 4-1
Python as long as you know the right #Subtract 2*3
operators.
#Multiply 5/2
#Divide 5**2
#Exponent

The += Operator
This is a convenient way to modify a variable.
It takes the existing value in a variable my_number = 4
and adds to it. my_number += 2
You can also use any of the other
#result is 6
mathematical operators e.g. -= or *=

The Modulo Operator

Often you'll want to know what is the
remainder after a division. 5 % 2
e.g. 4 ÷ 2 = 2 with no remainder #result is 1
but 5 ÷ 2 = 2 with 1 remainder
The modulo does not give you the result
of the division, just the remainder.
It can be really helpful in certain situations,
e.g. figuring out if a number is odd or even.

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ERRORS

Syntax Error
Syntax errors happen when your code print(12 + 4))
does not make any sense to the computer. File "<stdin>", line 1
This can happen because you've misspelt
print(12 + 4))
something or there's too many brackets or
a missing comma. ^
SyntaxError: unmatched ')'

Name Error
This happens when there is a variable
with a name that the computer my_number = 4 my_Number + 2
does not recognise. It's usually because Traceback (most recent call
you've misspelt the name of a variable last): File "<stdin>", line 1,
you created earlier. NameError: name 'my_Number' is
Note: variable names are case sensitive!
not defined

Zero Division Error

This happens when you try to divide by zero,
This is something that is mathematically 5 % 0
impossible so Python will also complain. Traceback (most recent call
last): File "<stdin>", line 1,
ZeroDivisionError: integer
division or modulo by zero

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FUNCTIONS

Creating Functions
This is the basic syntax for a function in def my_function():
Python. It allows you to give a set of print("Hello")
instructions a name, so you can trigger it
multiple times without having to re-write or name = input("Your name:")
copy-paste it. The contents of the function print("Hello")
must be indented to signal that it's inside.

Calling Functions
You activate the function by calling it. my_function()
This is simply done by writing the name of my_function() #The
the function followed by a set of round
brackets. This allows you to determine function my_function
when to trigger the function and how #will run twice.
many times.

Functions with Inputs

In addition to simple functions, you can
give the function an input, this way, each time def add(n1, n2):
the function can do something different print(n1 + n2)
depending on the input. It makes your
function more useful and re-usable.
add(2, 3)

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Functions with Outputs

In addition to inputs, a function can also have
an output. The output value is proceeded by def add(n1, n2):
the keyword "return". return n1 + n2
This allows you to store the result from a
function.
result = add(2, 3)

Variable Scope
Variables created inside a function are n = 2
destroyed once the function has executed. def my_function():
The location (line of code) that you use
a variable will determine its value. n = 3
Here n is 2 but inside my_function() n is 3. print(n)
So printing n inside and outside the function
will determine its value.
print(n) #Prints 2
my_function() #Prints 3

Keyword Arguments
When calling a function, you can provide def divide(n1, n2):
a keyword argument or simply just the result = n1 / n2
value.
Using a keyword argument means that #Option 1:
you don't have to follow any order divide(10, 5)
when providing the inputs. #Option 2:
divide(n2=5, n1=10)

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CONDITIONALS

If
This is the basic syntax to test if a condition n = 5
is true. If so, the indented code will be if n > 2:
executed, if not it will be skipped.
print("Larger than 2")

Else
This is a way to specify some code that will be age = 18
executed if a condition is false. if age > 16:
print("Can drive")
else:
print("Don't drive")

Elif
In addition to the initial If statement
condition, you can add extra conditions to weather = "sunny"
test if the first condition is false. if weather == "rain":
Once an elif condition is true, the rest of
print("bring umbrella")
the elif conditions are no longer checked
and are skipped. elif weather == "sunny":
print("bring sunglasses")
elif weather == "snow":
print("bring gloves")

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and
This expects both conditions either side s = 58
of the and to be true. if s < 60 and s > 50:
print("Your grade is C")

or
This expects either of the conditions either age = 12
side of the or to be true. Basically, both if age < 16 or age > 200:
conditions cannot be false.
print("Can't drive")

not
This will flip the original result of the
condition. e.g. if it was true then it's now if not 3 > 1:
false. print("something")
#Will not be printed.

comparison operators
These mathematical comparison operators
allow you to refine your conditional checks. > Greater than
< Lesser than
>= Greater than or equal to
<= Lesser than or equal to
== Is equal to
!= Is not equal to

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LOOPS

While Loop
This is a loop that will keep repeating itself n = 1
until the while condition becomes false. while n < 100:
n += 1

For Loop
For loops give you more control than all_fruits = ["apple",
while loops. You can loop through anything "banana", "orange"]
that is iterable. e.g. a range, a list, a dictionary
or tuple. for fruit in all_fruits:
print(fruit)

_ in a For Loop
If the value your for loop is iterating through,
e.g. the number in the range, or the item in for _ in range(100):
the list is not needed, you can replace it with #Do something 100 times.
an underscore.

break
This keyword allows you to break free of the
loop. You can use it in a for or while loop. scores = [34, 67, 99, 105]
for s in scores:
if s > 100:
print("Invalid")
break
print(s)
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continue n = 0
This keyword allows you to skip this iteration
while n < 100:
of the loop and go to the next. The loop will
still continue, but it will start from the top. n += 1
if n % 2 == 0:
continue
print(n)
#Prints all the odd numbers

Infinite Loops
Sometimes, the condition you are checking while 5 > 1:
to see if the loop should continue never print("I'm a survivor")
becomes false. In this case, the loop will
continue for eternity (or until your computer
stops it). This is more common with while
loops.

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LIST METHODS

Adding Lists Together

You can extend a list with another list by list1 = [1, 2, 3] list2
using the extend keyword, or the + symbol. = [9, 8, 7] new_list =
list1 + list2 list1 +=
list2

Adding an Item to a List

If you just want to add a single item to a all_fruits = ["apple",
list, you need to use the .append() method. "banana", "orange"]
all_fruits.append("pear")

List Index
To get hold of a particular item from a
list you can use its index number. letters = ["a", "b", "c"]
This number can also be negative, if you letters[0]
want to start counting from the end of the
#Result:"a"
list.
letters[-1]
#Result: "c"
List Slicing
Using the list index and the colon symbol
you can slice up a list to get only the #list[start:end]
portion you want. letters = ["a","b","c","d"]
Start is included, but end is not.
letters[1:3]
#Result: ["b", "c"]

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BUILT IN FUNCTIONS

Range
Often you will want to generate a range # range(start, end, step)
of numbers. You can specify the start, end for i in range(6, 0, -2):
and step.
Start is included, but end is excluded: print(i)
start <= range < end
# result: 6, 4, 2
# 0 is not included.

Randomisation
The random functions come from the import random
random module which needs to be # randint(start, end)
imported.
In this case, the start and end are both n = random.randint(2, 5)
included #n can be 2, 3, 4 or 5.
start <= randint <= end

Round
This does a mathematical round.
So 3.1 becomes 3, 4.5 becomes 5 round(4.6)
and 5.8 becomes 6. # result 5

abs
This returns the absolute value.
Basically removing any -ve signs. abs(-4.6)
# result 4.6

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MODULES

Importing
Some modules are pre-installed with python import random
e.g. random/datetime n = random.randint(3, 10)
Other modules need to be installed from
pypi.org

Aliasing
You can use the as keyword to give import random as r
your module a different name. n = r.randint(1, 5)

Importing from modules

You can import a specific thing from a from random import randint
module. e.g. a function/class/constant You n = randint(1, 5)
do this with the from keyword. It can save
you from having to type the same thing
many times.

Importing Everything
You can use the wildcard (*) to import
everything from a module. Beware, this from random import *
usually reduces code readability. list = [1, 2, 3]
choice(list)
# More readable/understood
#random.choice(list)

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CLASSES & OBJECTS

Creating a Python Class

You create a class using the class keyword. class MyClass:
Note, class names in Python are PascalCased. #define class
So to create an empty class

Creating an Object from a Class

You can create a new instance of an object class Car:
by using the class name + () pass

my_toyota = Car()

Class Methods
You can create a function that belongs class Car:
to a class, this is known as a method. def drive(self):
print("move")
my_honda = Car()
my_honda.drive()

Class Variables
You can create a varaiable in a class. class Car:
The value of the variable will be available colour = "black"
to all objects created from the class.
car1 = Car()
print(car1.colour) #black

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The __init__ method

The init method is called every time a new class Car:
object is created from the class. def __init__(self):
print("Building car")
my_toyota = Car()
#You will see "building car"
#printed.

Class Properties
You can create a variable in the init() of
a class so that all objects created from the class Car:
class has access to that variable. def __init__(self, name):
self.name = "Jimmy"

Class Inheritance
When you create a new class, you can class Animal:
inherit the methods and properties def breathe(self):
of another class.
print("breathing")
class Fish(Animal):
def breathe(self):
super().breathe()
print("underwater")
nemo = Fish()
nemo.breathe()
#Result:
#breathing
#underwater
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