This set of episodes will introduce some features of Python which will hopefully help you be more productive.
Some of the things you learn here will show you a different way to do things you’ve probably done before - this does not mean that either way is “right” or “wrong”, but as you become more experienced you’ll become aware of when it’s more appropriate to use particular techniques.
Most of the episodes in this lesson are relatively abstract, rather than following a story like the novice Carpentry courses do; however, hopefully you will see places in your own code that you will be able to use these techniques.
As with the novice courses, we believe that the best way to learn is by practicing and following along with the code. The helpers are around so please feel free to ask if you can’t get something working.
Prerequisites
You need to understand the concepts of files and directories and how to start a Python interpreter before tackling this lesson. This lesson sometimes references Jupyter Notebook although you can use any Python interpreter mentioned in the Setup.
The commands in this lesson pertain to any officially supported Python version, currently Python 3.7+. Newer versions usually have better error printouts, so using newer Python versions is recommend if possible.
Getting Started
To get started, follow the directions on the “Setup” page to download data and install a Python interpreter.