Session 1:

Introduction to Python
Programming

Instructor:
Twitter: @HelloMukama
 Objectives
• Introduction to the Python programming
language
• Write and execute computer code to
automate repetitive tasks
• Retrieve and use data from common
hydrologic data sources

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 Week1 Schedule
• Day 1
– Introduction to Python
– Key Python coding concepts and conventions
– Introduction to the coding challenge
• Day 2
– Group work on coding challenge

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 Why Python?
• Python is generally:
– Comparatively easy to learn
– Freely available
– Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux)
– Widely used – extensive capabilities, documentation,
and support
– Access to advanced math, statistics, and database
functions
– Integrated into ArcGIS and other applications
– Simple, interpreted language – no compilation step

https://www.python.org 4
What is Python?

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 Python Basics
• To run Python interactively, we will use Idle (the
Python GUI)
– Command line interpreter – evaluates whatever you type
in
– Text editor with syntax highlighting
– Menu commands for changing settings and running files

• Windows: Start → All Programs → Python 3.9 → Idle

(Python GUI)

• Mac: Applications → Python 3.9 → Idle

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 Idle on Windows

NB: This idle can act as a simple calculator. Try it out yourself!
 Simple Arithmetic
A little house keeping…
Python2 takes no parenthesis
Python3 raises errors without parenthesis

>>>print 1 + 2 #python2 raises errors in python3

>>>3
>>>print(1 + 2) #python3
>>>3

Try typing some mathematical expressions

 My setup
• For all the demos during our meetings, I’ll use
Linux and python3.9

Feel free to use any OS that you fancy.

Instructions will definitely be available on
python.org

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 String Manipulation

>>>print(‘Python’ +
‘Programming.’)
PythonProgramming.
>>>
Try typing some string expressions

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 Variables in python
• Variables are names for values
• Created by use – no declaration necessary

>>>planet = ‘Pluto’ variable value

>>>print(planet) planet ‘Pluto’
Pluto
>>>
 Variables cont..
• Variables are names for values
• Created by use – no declaration necessary

>>>planet = ‘Pluto’
variable value
>>>print(planet)
planet ‘Pluto’
Pluto
>>>moon = ‘Charon’ moon ‘Charon’

>>>
 Variables cont..
• Variables can be assigned to other variables

>>>p = planet
>>> variable value

planet ‘Pluto’

moon ‘Charon’

p
 Variables cont..
• Variables can be assigned to other variables

>>>p = planet
>>>print(p) variable value
Pluto planet ‘Pluto’
>>> moon ‘Charon’

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 Variables cont..
• In Python, variables are just names
• Variables do not have data types
string

>>>planet = ‘Pluto’ variable value

>>> planet ‘Pluto’

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 Variables cont..
• In Python, variables are just names
• Variables do not have data types

>>>planet = ‘Pluto’ variable value

>>>planet = 9 planet ‘Pluto’
>>> 9

integer
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 Variables cont..
• In Python, variables are just names
• Variables do not have data types

>>>planet = ‘Pluto’ variable value

>>>planet = 9 planet ‘Pluto’
>>> 9

Python collects the garbage and integer

recycles the memory (e.g., ‘Pluto’)
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 Variables cont..
• You must assign a value to a variable before
using it

>>>planet = ‘Sedna’
>>>

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 Variables cont..
• You must assign a value to a variable before
using it

>>>planet = ‘Sedna’
>>>print(plant) #Note the deliberate misspelling

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 Variables cont..
• You must assign a value to a variable before
using it

>>>planet = ‘Sedna’
>>>print(plant) #Note the deliberate misspelling
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<pyshell#11>", line 1, in <module>
print plant
NameError: name 'plant' is not defined
A traceback is an error in python code.
Unlike some languages – Python does not initialize variables with a default value
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 Values Do Have Types
>>>string = ‘two’
>>>number = 3
>>>print(string * number)

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 Values Do Have Types
>>>string = ‘two’
>>>number = 3
>>>print(string * number) #Repeated concatenation

>>>twotwotwo
>>>

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 Values Do Have Types
>>>string = ‘two’
>>>number = 3
>>>print(string * number) #Repeated concatenation
>>>twotwotwo
>>>print(string + number)
>>>

‘two3’ ????
If so, then what is the result of ‘2’ + ‘3’
• Should it be the string ‘23’
• Should it be the number 5
• Should it be the string ‘5’Twitter: @HelloMukama 23
 Values Do Have Types
>>>string = ‘two’
>>>number = 3
>>>print(string * number) #Repeated concatenation
twotwotwo
>>>print(string + number)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<pyshell#15>", line 1, in <module>
print string + number
TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects

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 Use Functions to Convert Between Types

>>>print(int(‘2’) + 3)
5
>>>

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 Arithmetic in Python
Addition 35 + 22 57
+
‘Py’ + ‘thon’ ‘Python’

Subtraction 35 - 22 13
-
Multiplication 3*2 6
*
‘Py’ * 2 ‘PyPy’

Division 3.0 / 2 1.5

/
3/2 1

Exponentiation 2 ** 0.5 1.41421356…

**

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 Comparisons
>>>3 < 5
True
>>> Comparisons turn
numbers or
strings into True
or False
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 Comparisons
3<5 True Less than
3 != 5 True Not equal to
3 == 5 False Equal to (Notice double ==)
3 >= 5 False Greater than or equal to
1<3<5 True Multiple comparisons

Single ‘=‘ is assignment

Double ‘==‘ is comparison
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 Python Lists

• A container that holds a number of other

objects in a given order
• To create a list, put a number of expressions
in square brackets:

>>> L1 = [] # This is an empty list

>>> L2 = [90,91,92] # This list has 3 integers
>>> L3 = [‘Captain America’, ‘Iron Man’, ‘Spider Man’]

• Lists do not have to be homogenous

>>>L4 = [5, ‘Spider Man’, 3.14159]
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 Accessing Elements in a List
• Access elements using an integer index
item = List[index]
• List indices are zero based

>>> L3 = [‘Captain America’, ‘Iron Man’, ‘Spider Man’]

>>> print ‘My favorite superhero is’ + L3[2]
My favorite superhero is Spider Man

• To get a range of elements from a list use:

>>>L3[0:2] #Get the first two items in a list
['Captain America', 'Iron Man']

>>>len(L3) #Returns the number of elements in a list

3

>>L3[-1] #Get the last item in a list

'Spider Man'

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 Dictionaries
• A collection of pairs (or items) where each pair
has a key and a value
>>> D = {‘Jeff’: ‘a’, ‘Steve’:‘b’, ‘Jon’:‘c’}
>>> D[‘Jeff’]
‘a’
>>> D[‘Steve’] = ‘d’ #update value for key ‘Steve’
>>> D[‘Steve’]
‘d’

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Behold the Power of Programming!
• The real power of programming comes from
the ability to perform:

– Selection – the ability to do one thing rather than

another

– Repetition – the ability to automatically do

something many times

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 Selection – if, elif, and else
moons = 3
if moons < 0: Always starts with if and a condition

print(‘less’) There can be 0 or more elif clauses

elif moons == 0: The else clause has no condition

and is executed if nothing else is
print(‘equal’) done

else: Tests are always tried in order

print(‘greater’) Since moons is not less than 0 or

equal to zero, neither of the first
two blocks is executed
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 Selection – if, elif, and else
>>>moons = 3
>>>if moons < 0:
print(‘less’)
elif moons == 0:
print(‘equal’)
else:
print(‘greater’)

greater
>>>
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 Indentation
• Python uses indentation to show which
statements are in an if, elif, else statement

• Any amount of indentation will work, but the

standard is 4 spaces (and you must be
consistent)

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 Repetition - Loops
• Simplest form of repetition is the while loop

numMoons = 3
while numMoons > 0:
print(numMoons)
numMoons -= 1

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 Repetition - Loops
• Simplest form of repetition is the while loop

numMoons = 3
while numMoons > 0: While this is true
print(numMoons)
Do this
numMoons -= 1

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 Repetition - Loops
>>>numMoons = 3
>>>while numMoons > 0:
print(numMoons)
numMoons -= 1
3
2
1
>>>
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 Combine Looping and Selection
numMoons = 0
while numMoons < 5:
if numMoons > 0:
print(numMoons)
numMoons += 1

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Combine Looping and Selection
>>>numMoons = 0
>>>while numMoons < 5:
if numMoons > 0:
print(numMoons)
numMoons += 1
1
2
3
4
>>>

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 Saving and Executing Code
• Writing and executing complex code is too
difficult to do line by line at the command line
• As soon as you close the Python interpreter,
all of your work is gone…
• Instead
– Write code using a text editor
– Save the code as a text file with a “.py” extension
– Execute code in the file from the command line

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 Using a Script File
• Start a new Python text file in Idle. You can write Python in
Notepad, but if you use a formal editor, you get color coding!
• Click “File/New File”. This will open the script editor.
• Write your script and save it as a “*.py” file. Then click
“Run/Run Module” to test it….
Results appear in the “shell”
window.

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 Modules
• You may want to reuse a function that you have
written in multiple scripts without copying the
definition into each one
• Save the function(s) as a module
• Import the module into other scripts
• It’s like an “extension” or “plug-in”

• In the interpreter type, help(‘modules’) to

get a list of all currently installed modules.

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Import a Module into a Script

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 Some Python Resources
• Python 2.7.8 documentation:
https://docs.python.org/2/index.html
• Software Carpentry: http://software-
carpentry.org/index.html
• Python in Hydrology:
http://www.greenteapress.com/pythonhydro/
pythonhydro.html

And many others…

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Coding Challenge

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 Get the Data

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?cb_00060=on&format=rdb&site_no=10109000&period=&begin_date=201
4-08-18&end_date=2014-08-25 47
 Coding Challenge
1. Divide into small groups of no more than 3-4 people
2. Choose a real-time streamflow gage from the USGS
that you are interested in. It could be a nearby gage
or one that is near and dear to your heart. To see an
interactive map of gage locations, go to:
http://maps.waterdata.usgs.gov/mapper/index.html
3. Create a Python script that does the following:
a. Download the most recent data from the USGS website
b. Read the file
c. Extract the most recent streamflow value from the file
d. Print the most recent streamflow value and the date at
which it occurred to the screen

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 Example Solution

“The most recent streamflow value for

USGS Gage 10109000 was 109 cfs on
2014-08-25 3:15.”

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 Some Hints
• Develop your solution as a script so you can save it as a
file.
• The USGS website returns the data as a file, but you
have to request it using a URL in your code. The
Python module called “urllib2” is one option for
downloading a file using a URL.
• The data are returned in a text file where each new line
represents a new date/time and data value. The
Python module called “re” is one option for splitting a
string using delimiters such as tabs or new-line
characters.
• Also – check out the Python “split” method

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 Credits
• Some instructional materials adapted from
the Software Carpentry website
http://software-carpentry.org
Copyright © Software Carpentry

Support:
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