Programming Language: Python Loops, functions, modules and libraries

Python: Loops, functions, modules and libraries are all important concepts in Python programming.

Loops are used to repeat a block of code a certain number of times or until a certain condition is met. There are two types of loops in Python: for loops and while loops.
Functions are reusable blocks of code that can be called from anywhere in a program. Functions can take in arguments and return values.
Modules are files that contain Python code. Modules can be imported into other programs to use their functions and variables.
Libraries are collections of modules that are designed to perform specific tasks. There are many popular Python libraries, such as the math library, the random library, and the datetime library.
File I/O in Python refers to the reading and writing of data to and from files. Files are containers that store data on a computer's hard drive or other storage device. They can be used to store a variety of data, such as text, images, and audio files.

Loops (for/while):

Loops are used to repeatedly run a block of code.

for loop

Using the for loop, a piece of code is executed once for each element of a sequence (such as a list, string, or tuple). Here is an example of a for loop that prints each programming language in a list:

languages = ['Python', 'Go', 'JavaScript']

# for loop
for language in languages:
    print(language)

Output

Python
Go
JavaScript

while loop

The while loop is used to execute a block of code repeatedly as long as a condition is True. Here's an example of a while loop that prints the numbers from 1 to 5:

i = 1
n = 5

# while loop from i = 1 to 5
while i <= n:
    print(i)
    i = i + 1

Output:

Functions

Functions are reusable chunks of code with argument/parameters and return values. Using the def keyword in Python, you can define a function. In your programme, functions can be used to encapsulate complex logic and can be called several times. Functions can also be used to simplify code and make it easier to read. Here is an illustration of a function that adds two numbers:

# function has two arguments num1 and num2
def add_numbers(num1, num2):
    sum = num1 + num2
    print('The sum is: ',sum)

# calling the function with arguments to add 5 and 2
add_numbers(5, 2)

# Output: The sum is: 9

Understanding Modules and Importing Libraries:

A module is a file in Python that contains definitions and statements. Modules let you arrange your code and reuse it across many apps.

The Standard Library, a sizable collection of Python modules, offers a wide range of capabilities, such as file I/O, regular expressions, and more.

Additional libraries can be installed using package managers like pip.

You must import a module or library using the import statement in order to use it in your programme.

Here is an illustration of how to load the math module and calculate a number's square root using the sqrt() function:

import math

print(math.sqrt(16)) # 4.0

File I/O

In Python, there are a number of built-in functions that can be used to read and write files. The most common function for opening a file is the open() function.

The open() function takes two arguments: the name of the file to open and the mode in which the file should be opened.

The mode can be one of the following:

r - Read mode. This mode is used to read data from a file.
w - Write mode. This mode is used to write data to a file.
a - Append mode. This mode is used to append data to a file.

Once a file has been opened, it can be read or written to using a number of other functions. For example, the read() function can be used to read data from a file, and the write() function can be used to write data to a file.

Here is an example of how to read a file in Python:

def read_file(filename):
    with open(filename, "r") as f:
        data = f.read()
    return data

data = read_file("myfile.txt")
print(data)

This code will open the file myfile.txt in read mode and then read the contents of the file into a string. The string containing the contents of the file is then printed to the console.

Here is an example of how to write a file in Python:

def write_file(filename, data):
    with open(filename, "w") as f:
        f.write(data)

data = "This is some data."
write_file("myfile.txt", data)

This code will open the file myfile.txt in write mode and then write the string This is some data. to the file.

Exception Handling:

Exceptions are runtime errors that happen when your programme runs into unexpected circumstances, such dividing by zero or attempting to access a list element that doesn't exist.

Using a try/except block, you can manage exceptions in Python. The try block's code is run, and if an exception arises, the except block's code is run to handle the exception.

try:
  f = open("myfile.txt")
  try:
    f.write("Python is great")
  except:
    print("Something went wrong when writing to the file")

Conclusion

Resources:

7 Days of Python