This course is for people who are experienced programmers but who have not used Python before. A three day Introduction to Python 'no-frills' course is also available through our online shop The Linux Emporium and is priced very competitively.

It teaches the basics of Python, concentrating on gaining an understanding of the language, especially its dynamic nature and introspection.

The course is highly interactive, giving students the opportunity to try out the features as they are introduced, allowing them to gain familiarity with the interpreter and learn how to use Python's self-documenting features to find out what they need to know.

Topics covered include :

• Maintainability
• Data Types
• Functions and Methods
• Functional Programming
• Dynamic Typing
• Sequences and Mappings
• Control Constructs
• Modules (using and writing)
• Persistent Storage and File Handling
• Connecting to, and using, relational databases
• Object Orientation
• The Qt graphical toolkit
• Introspection
• XMLRPC

Currenty, we run two types of Python course : one for programmers with no previous experience of object-oriented techniques, which starts from the ground up, introducing the concepts, and then the Python functionality that supports them. The other is for those who are already familiar with OO. This concentrates on the differences between Python and other OO languages.

For mixed groups, we offer a half day precursor to the course which introduces the concepts of Object Orientation from a theoretical standpoint, which students will then be able to relate to the appropriate Python functionality as it is introduced.

After the basics, we proceed to more advanced Python techniques, including introspection and ensuring that there is a full understanding of the dynamic nature of Python, including the differences between Python variables and variables as we know them, say in C.

Then mix and match from :

Relational Database Programming with Python.

This half day introduces how to access relational databases from Python. This includes a sample of the facilities that can be used from a Python environment and the database widgets included in the Qt toolkit. It assumes a basic knowledge of relational database systems.

XML with Python

A full day module that first introduces the concepts of XML, then outlines the range of functionality available with Python for building and manipulating XML. It also discusses the direct manipulation of the XML of OpenOffice.org documents (or converted Microsoft Office documents) as a very high-level visual approach to generating professional quality reports.

Extending Python with C

Should you need to extend Python, for example, to interface with an existing C or C++ library or to improve performance, we can provide a course to help you get started. If this is of interest, we can provide further details on request.

Feedback from the course

• Kev Adams - "Brilliant course by the way & highly recommended"