In this assignment, you'll be refreshing your Python skills by completing a series of exercises that cover the basics of Python programming. You'll be writing basic Python scripts to demonstrate your understanding of import statements, variables and data types, functions and methods, control flow statements, lists and dictionaries, modules and packages, classes and objects, file handling, error and exception handling, and string formatting.
The tests in python_refresher_test.py are failing right now. After making the appropriate changes, you can check to see if your changes are correct by running the pytest command in the terminal. If the tests are green, you're good to go! If not, you'll need to read the error messages, make some changes, and run the tests again.
NOTE: To create a new file in Codespaces, click the "New File.." icon in the file explorer to the left and type the name of the file you want to create. Then, press Enter.
Import statements are used to include external Python modules or libraries in a script, making their functions, classes, and variables available for use. Create a Python script named import_example.py that imports the math module and prints the value of π (pi) to the terminal using the math.pi constant.
Variables are named locations used to store data, and data types define the kind of data a variable can hold, such as integers, strings, lists, and dictionaries. Create a Python script named variables_data_types.py that defines a variable age with an integer value of 25 and a variable name with a string value of "John". Print each of these with Python's built-in print function (e.g., print(age, name)).
Comments are used to document code, providing context and explanations for future readers (including yourself). Comments in Python begin with the # character. Create a Python script named comments.py and add the following comment: This is a comment.
Functions are reusable blocks of code that perform a specific task, and methods are similar to functions but are associated with object instances or classes. Create a Python script named functions_methods.py that defines a function greet which takes a name as an argument and prints "Hello, [name]!" where [name] is the argument passed to the function. Call this function with the name "Alice".
Control flow statements, such as if-else and loops (for, while), control the execution order of code based on conditions or repeated execution. Create a Python script named control_flow.py that checks if a variable number is greater than 10. If so, it prints "Greater than 10", otherwise "10 or less". Use number = 8 for this example.
Lists are ordered collections of items, and dictionaries are collections of key-value pairs, both of which are used to store and manage data in Python. Create a Python script named lists_dictionaries.py that defines a list named colors with the values "red", "green", and "blue", and a dictionary named person with keys "name" and "age" with values "Alice" and 30, respectively. Print the first color in the list and the person's name from the dictionary.
Modules are individual Python files containing reusable code, and packages are collections of modules organized in directories. Create a Python script named modules_packages.py that imports the datetime module, uses the today function from the datetime.date module to get today's date, and prints it in the default format "YYYY-MM-DD".
Classes are blueprints for creating objects (instances), defining the properties and behaviors that the objects encapsulate. Create a Python script named classes_objects.py that defines a Car class with a method honk that prints "Beep!". Then, create an instance of Car named my_car and call its honk method.
File handling involves reading from and writing to files, allowing data to be saved or retrieved from persistent storage. Create a Python script named file_handling.py that writes "Hello, World!" to a file named hello.txt and then reads the content from this file and prints it to the terminal.
Error and exception handling involves capturing and responding to errors or exceptional conditions that occur during program execution. Create a Python script named error_handling.py that tries to open a file named nonexistent.txt for reading and catches the FileNotFoundError, printing "File not found." if the file does not exist.
String formatting involves creating strings by embedding expressions or variables within them, often using techniques like f-strings for readability and conciseness. Create a Python script named string_formatting.py that defines two variables, fruit with the value "apple" and count with the value 5. Print a message using f-string formatting: "There are 5 apples."
As a reminder, to trigger autograding through GitHub Actions within VS Code, open the "Source Control" extension on the left sidebar, write a commit message, and commit and push your changes to GitHub.
After committing and pushing your changes, the autograder will run your tests and give you a grade. First, ensure you're signed into GitHub (you will be prompted with a dialogue box). To check your autograded scores, click on the GitHub Actions extension on the left sidebar, click the refresh button at the top-right corner of the sidebar, hover over the latest workflow run, and click the globe icon 🌐. Next, click the "Autograding" job button, click the dropdown for the "Run education/autograding" step, and scroll down to see your grade.
If the GitHub Actions extension isn't working (e.g., data provider not available), navigate to your GitHub assignment repository directly, click on the Actions tab, and click on the latest workflow run. The link will be of the form https://github.com/ACC-HelloWorld/4-hardware-software-communication-GITHUB_USERNAME, where GITHUB_USERNAME is replaced with your own. For example, if your GitHub username is sgbaird, the link would be https://github.com/ACC-HelloWorld/4-hardware-software-communication-sgbaird. If you have trouble finding it, you can also use the "find a repository" search bar (boxed in red in the image below) on your GitHub homepage after signing in.
