Python Basics: Automation and Bots

Overview

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Understanding the flow of running code is a major part of learning to think in code and of coding itself. In this course we will study the flow of code through several demonstrations and walkthroughs. We'll experience turning logic into useful work by running Python that automatically reads all of Shakespeare, and by setting Python up to give you a call on the phone. In technical terms, this course will demonstrate Python loops, list comprehensions, and conditional statements, while at a higher level we'll discuss code style and good practices for code.

Syllabus

Reading all of Shakespeare in an Instant

To demonstrate the power of Python, you'll download and automatically read the complete works of William Shakespeare, toward finding his longest and strangest words. In this module, you'll also learn how to play faster and looser and more casual with code, skimming and copying code from the Internet. Let's get started!

The Flow of Your Python Code

Code flow is the order that your computer reads the code you write. It's usually straightforward, from left to right, top to bottom, but the more we play with logic, the funnier the flow of code through the page. This introduces us to a whole other level of thinking in code.

Code Flow and Logic

It can be hard to imagine at first how logic can be harnessed to do useful stuff. In this module we make it concrete by performing wordy little tasks like building an anagram finder.

Course Summary & Honors: Interactive Demo

In the honor's section of this module, you will robocall and spam text yourself through the Twilio API in Python. Twilio is what companies use to automate phone calls and texting.