PYTHON: EXPERIENCING
IDLE AND WRITING
SIMPLE PROGRAMS
Objectives
• To be able to use Integrated Development and Learning
Environment (IDLE) to program in Python
• To be able to understand and write Python statements to
• output information to the screen
• assign values to variables
• get numeric information entered from the keyboard
Python
• Created by Guido van Rossum, National Research
Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science in the
Netherlands in the late 1980s
• A scripting language based on ABC
• Supports structured programming and object-oriented
programming
• Easy to extend
• The latest version is 3.8.5
Integrated Development and Learning
Environment (IDLE)
• Support both Windows and Mac OS
IDLE
• An interactive environment (called “Shell”)
"Hello World!"
• Type the followings:
print("Hello World!")
print("Hello World!\n")
print("Hello\nWorld!\n")
• What do you see?
EXERCISE 1
Display your name and student ID on the screen. Skip
one line before printing the student ID
Input and Output
• Type the followings:
print("Hello World!")
name = input("What is your name? ")
Dennis
print(name)
• What do you see?
Input, Process, Output (IPO)
• Type the followings:
x = eval(input("Input an integer: "))
123
y = eval(input("Input another integer: "))
1001
sum = x + y
print(sum)
• What do you see?
Example Program:
Temperature Converter
• Problem: The temperature is given in Celsius, user wants
it expressed in degrees Fahrenheit
• Specification
• Input – temperature in Celsius
• Output – temperature in Fahrenheit
• Output = 9/5 x (input) + 32
Example Program:
Temperature Converter
• Design
• Input, Process, Output (IPO)
• Prompt the user for input (Celsius temperature)
• Process it to convert it to Fahrenheit using F = 9/5 x (C) + 32
• Output the result by displaying it on the screen
Example Program:
Temperature Converter
• Before we start coding, let’s write a rough draft of the
program in pseudocode
• Pseudocode is precise English that describes what a
program does, step by step
• Using pseudocode, we can concentrate on the algorithm
rather than the programming language
Example Program:
Temperature Converter
• Pseudocode:
• I - Input the temperature in degrees Celsius (call it celsius)
• P - Calculate fahrenheit as (9/5) x celsius + 32
• O - Output fahrenheit
• Now we need to convert this to Python!
• Besides entering each statement in IDLE, we can create a
source file with an extension .py that contains the Python
code
Example Program:
Temperature Converter
# convert.py
# A program to convert Celsius temps to Fahrenheit
# by: Susan Computewell
def main():
celsius = eval(input("What is the Celsius temperature? "))
fahrenheit = 9/5 * celsius + 32
print("The temperature is", fahrenheit, "degrees Fahrenheit.")
main()
Saving the program in a .py file.
• Programs are usually composed of functions, modules, or
scripts that are saved on disk so that they can be used
again and again
• A module file is a text file created in text editing software
(saved as “plain text”) that contains function definitions
• In our example, we’ll use convert.py when we save our
work to indicate it’s a Python program
• Remember that Python treats indentation seriously: each
indentation in a Python program must strictly consist of 4
spaces, no more and no less
Getting *.py to Run
• Under File in IDLE, select Open to open the source file
• Under the open file window, select Run -> Run Module or
Press F5 on the keyboard
• Do not forget to include the last line main() in your Python
program
• The detailed role of main() will be discussed later
Example Program:
Temperature Converter
• Here is the program behaviour
>>>
What is the Celsius temperature? 0
The temperature is 32.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
>>> main()
What is the Celsius temperature? 100
The temperature is 212.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
>>> main()
What is the Celsius temperature? -40
The temperature is -40.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
>>>
EXERCISE 2
Modify convert.py so that it will take the degree in
Fahrenheit and change it back to Celsius
How can we modify the output below?
>>>
What is the Celsius temperature? 100
The temperature is 212.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
The temperature is 100.0 degrees Celsius.
>>>
Naming the identifiers
• Names are given to variables (celsius, fahrenheit),
modules (convert), functions (main), etc
• These names are called identifiers
• Every identifier must begin with a letter or underscore
(“_”), followed by any sequence of letters, digits, or
underscores
• Note that “-”, “.” and many other symbols are not allowed
• Identifiers are case sensitive
• Identifiers cannot be Python’s keywords
Python’s keywords
Expressions
• The fragments of code that produce or calculate new data
values are called expressions
• A (numeric/string) literal, which is the simplest kind of
expression, is used to represent a specific value, e.g., 10
or "Dennis"
• A simple identifier can also be an expression.
• Simpler expressions can be combined using operators +,
-, *, /, //, **, %
• The normal mathematical precedence applies.
• Only round parentheses can be used to change the precedence,
e.g., ((x1 – x2) / 2*n) + (spam / k**3)
• Try "I" + "love" + "you"
EXERCISE 3
If you assign 5 to x and then type x, the shell
will return 5 to you. What if you type y but
without assigning any value to it before?
Assignment statements
• Simple assignment: <variable> = <expr>
<variable> is an identifier, <expr> is an expression
• The expression on the RHS is evaluated to produce a
value which is then associated with the variable named on
the LHS
Assigning Input
• The purpose of an input statement is to get input from the
user and store it into a variable.
<variable> = input(<prompt>)
• E.g.,
x = eval(input("Enter a temperature in Celsius: "))
• Print the prompt
• Wait for the user to enter a value and press <enter>
• The expression that was entered is evaluated and assigned to the
input variable
• Two kinds of input: character string or number
EXERCISE 4
o Prompt user for a number and then print it out using just
input(<prompt>)
o Prompt user for a number and then print it out using
eval(input(<prompt>))
o What is the difference between the two?
o Remove eval() from convert.py and does it still run?
Why?
Summary
• The Integrated Development and Learning Environment
(IDLE) to program in Python is introduced
• We have examined Python statements to
• output information to the screen
• assign values to variables
• get numeric information entered from the keyboard
END
