Welcome to Foundations of Business Programming

Python is one of the most widely used programming languages in the world and one of the best languages to learn if it is your first.

From web development, automation, and data analysis to machine learning, Python is used across all different kinds of industries/disciplines.

This course will give you a solid foundation in Python, with an emphasis on writing clear, practical code and understanding the tools used by professional developers.

Topics We'll Cover

• Terminal / Command Line: Understanding the difference between the system prompt ($, %, PS>) and the Python interpreter prompt (>>>)
• Types: int, float, bool, str, range, list, dict, tuple, set
• String Methods & Data Wrangling: Using split(), join(), strip(), slicing, and other common techniques to manipulate and clean data
• Functions: Defining and calling functions def, return,*args,**kwargs
• Conditionals: if, elif, else
• Loops: for and while loops, nested loops, break, continue, enumerate
• Comprehensions: List, dictionary, and set comprehensions
• Modules & Packages: Using import, from, as to bring in libraries
• File I/O: Reading from and writing to files using open() and with
• Exceptions: Handling errors gracefully with try / except
• Command-line Arguments: Using sys.argv to accept user input from the terminal

More to Explore

We’ll also introduce you to version control with Git, collaboration through GitHub, and debugging strategies to help you identify and fix issues in your code.

If you’re curious, persistent, and willing to practice, this course will equip you with the tools and confidence to continue programming beyond the classroom.

Things we have already set up

1. Install Miniconda (for our python interpreter)
2. Access to a bash ($) or zsh (%) terminal
   • (Windows) Install Git for Windows (which includes git bash)
3. An account on Github (for downloading/submitting assignments)
   1. Provide a matching between your netid and github username in Assignments
4. An IDE (we'll use VSCode)
   1. Install extension for python (this will install itself + some other extensions)
   2. Install extension for Jupyter notebook
   3. Select the miniconda python interpreter
      • (Mac) Cmd+Shift+P then search for "Select python interpreter"
      • (Win) Ctrl+Shift+P then search for "Select python interpreter"
   4. (Windows) Select "git bash" for the terminal
      • (Win) Ctrl+Shift+P then search for "Terminal: Select Default Profile." and select git bash. Close all the terminals in VSCode (the trashcan icons. The next terminal to open will be git bash.
   5. Disable Cursor
      • Open the Extensions panel by clicking the Extensions icon on the Activity Bar on the left side of VS Code.
      • In the search bar, type GitHub Copilot.
      • Click the gear icon next to the "GitHub Copilot" extension.
      • Select Disable.
   6. (Mac) Install git client
      • In your terminal, run: xcode-select --install
   7. Configure git
   8. Set up ssh keys