FAQs for Python Training Course

What will be the workshop schedule?

Each tutorial session lasts 4 half-days, from 9:00 to 13:00 (breaks included). During one afternoon, a one hour and a half will be dedicated to the extra session on Linux & Gitlab.

Which operating system should I use?

There is no specific requirement for the operating system. The training will be conducted on binder using Jupyter notebooks, which are browser-based, so an updated browser is the only requirement. Chrome-based or Firefox usually work better with Jupyter notebooks, but this is only a suggestion.

Do I have to install any software beforehand?

There is no specific software that you have to install before the training. However, if you prefer having a local Python installation, you can do that.

Is there a recommended Python installation?

If you plan to install Python locally, we recommend using Python 3.8 at the minimum. If possible, it's better to have Python 3.10 installed. If you need help, please check out the #help channel on Slack and feel free to ask for support.

Will the workshop cover the topic X?

The workshop will cover the fundamentals of the language, and the topics we will explore include:

Basic syntax and data types
Control flow, loops, and exceptions
Functions
File handling
Functional programming
Object-oriented programming
Modules and packages

We have created dedicated channels on Slack for each topic.

Due to time constraints, we couldn't fit all the requests, and we will mainly focus on the fundamentals of the language. However, you will see some practical use cases during the exercise sessions. If you have any questions or are interested in a specific topic that is not covered in the workshop, you can open a discussion on the #extra channel on Slack.

How do I test my solutions?

Each section contains a number of exercises for you to solve. The skeleton of the solution is already provided in the form of a function whose name starts with solution_. These cells are easy to spot because they look like this:

%%ipytest functional_programming
def solution_exercise5(input_arg: list[str]) -> list[(str, int)]:
    """
    Write your solution here
    """
    pass

The first line %%ipytest tells IPython to run the cell in a special manner: instead of just running the cell, the cell is executed in a special environment that tests whether your solution is correct. Your function will automatically receive the needed input as shown by the signature. In this case, we know that the function will receive a list of strings called input_arg.

All you have to do is to work on your solution inside the function definition solution_exercise5. If you need to load modules or define other functions, you can do it in the same cell. To avoid breaking the solution testing mechanism, do not rename the function and do not remove the first line from the cell.

To run the cell and test your solution, select it and press Shift + Enter or the Run cell command of Jupyter. The output will tell you whether your solution is correct. If it is not, you will receive an error message along with the output of the failed tests.

I have another question. Where should I ask?

For any other question you might have about the workshop, feel free to post a message in the #help channel on Slack.

A couple of things worth reminding about Slack:

Do a quick search in the channel before posting. It might be that someone already started a discussion on the same topic.
Always reply within threads (or open a new one) when you want to join a conversation. The purpose is to avoid too many unrelated messages that are difficult to navigate in the long run.

For a few more tips about using Slack effectively, check out this link.