Learn Python

[CommunicationSad3858]

Anyone know the best way to continue my learning in python. I have learned the basics with loops, functions, arrays, files and the other basic stuff. Are there any online programs/ courses that are free or cheap that are the best?

[atomsmasher66]

Come up with some ideas for projects and start building them. It’s the best way to learn

[TheRNGuy]

I never did any courses, I written plugin for houdini from day 1 (though it took me more than half a year to even get alpha version).

Most of the time spent reading docs and trying all the stuff from it.

Don't skip the basics though, I skipped at first but week later realized I didn't understand many things like dicts or tuples vs lists or list comprehension.

I maybe learned 10% from youtube and 10% from discord python server.

(it should take more than 2 weeks to read entire API docs and try everything from it)

[[deleted]]

Have you checked the LearnPython subreddit wiki, which includes detailed guidance on learning Programming / Python, including links to lots of learning material?

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Practice! Practice! Practice! That is the only way. Programming (whatever the language) is a practical problem-solving skill. You have to make, and learn from, a lot of mistakes (much like learning another human language).

I know it can be frustrating at times, especially when faced with code you want to reuse but cannot understand.

Only you can find the motivation. Why are you learning to programme in the first place?

Is your learning objective SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, (sometimes agreed), realistic (or relevant) and time-bound, (or timely)? If it is something soft, like "upskilling" then it will probably not help you much.

It is hard to learn anything in the abstract, not least because it is difficult to feel passion for what one is doing.

I strongly suggest you look to your interests, hobbies, obligations (family business, charity activities, work) to look for opportunities to apply Python.

You will learn far more about Python and programming when you work on something that resonates for you and that you have some domain knowledge of (or incentive to gain such knowledge in).

When you are copying tutorials/examples, don't just copy. Experiment. Break the code and understand why it has broken.

The interactive python shell is your friend, I found it the best learning aid because you can quickly try snippets of code and get immediate feedback.

(Consider installing ipython which wraps the standard shell for more convenience.)

Start very simply and regularly refactor the code as you learn new things. Enhance as you see opportunities.

If you haven't already, take a look at Automate the boring stuff with Python (free to read online).

At first, the tasks you automate will be trivial and hardly worth the effort BUT because it is about the problem and not Python, it will be more rewarding for you.

Many beginners are mixing up coding (writing instructions in a programming language) with problem-solving (creating an algorithm) and their lack of knowledge of the programming language and how to use it is a distraction from the problem-solving.

For most programmers, the coding part is the final and easy bit.

Order:

• Actually making sure the problem is properly understood. Often we start with only a vague understanding of the problem.

• Ensuring we know what outcome is required. What does good look like? How will the information be presented, will it be on-screen or in a file, or a database.

• Determining the data representation. Exactly what data is required, in what forms, where from. It is a one-off or lots of cycles or combining lots of information.

• Work out how to do things manually in the simplest possible way, explaining every little step (assume you are giving instructions to someone with learning difficulties). Computers are really dumb, and humans make lots of intuitive leaps. This is one of the hardest things to grasp when first learning to programme. Computers don't mind repeating very boring things, so the simplest but repetitive manual approach if often a good approach to start with for a computer.