4 Introducing Python

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Overview
Nowadays
In phones
this chapter andmake
you will otheramobile
programdevices run The
in Python. apps. App is
program
short for Applications Software. An app is a set of
can be used by anyone who manages a team or group of people.
instructions
The managerwhich
might control thecoach,
be a team computer. The instructions
an orchestra leader or a
make theThe
teacher. computer
programcarry out the
will help a useful task.
manager make a team list.
A teacher or team leader often needs to pick a name at random.
Learning outcomes
For example, a teacher might pick a student to answer a question.
Byteam
A the end of this
manager unit pick
might you awill knowtohow
player taketoa create
practicesimple
shot. You
applications
will use a random number generator to pick a random name.
software using
You will learn thetoApp
how saveInventor
the teamprogramming
information aslanguage. You will
a text file.
know
The data will not be lost when the program is closed.
how to:
Learning outcomes
create a mobile app which outputs text, sounds and images
By the end of this chapter you will know how to:
create an interface with buttons, labels and text boxes
create
store aan event-driven
series of namesprogram
as a listwhich reacts to user commands
variable
display
append text and to
an item images
a list as output from a computer program
spot
use aand correct errors in your
condition-controlled and aprograms
counter-
controlled
use logicalloop
tests to vary the output of your programs.
explain how an index number is used to
identify list elements
find the length of a list and store this value as
Making your app
a variable
In this chapter you will make an app which displays
use code modules written by other programmers
an ID card on your phone. You will make the app
usingmake andInventor
the App use random numbers
programming
store blocks of code as procedures
language.
define and call a procedure with
a parameter
use local variables in procedures
write and save data as a text file.

90
Talk about... Make a guide
You have made programs with App Inventor You have experience in writing programs in
and with Python. Python from Matrix 1 and Matrix 2, Chapter 4,
Introducing Python.
● What are the advantages and
disadvantages of the two programming ● Make a guide to Python for students.
languages? ● List the different Python commands that
● Which do you like best? you have already learned. You can do this
as a group activity.
● What skills have you learned from
studying these languages?

List
Element Index

Append Run-time error

Procedure Module Code library Import

Local variable
Define Call
Parameter
Main memory
Secondary storage

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4.1 Make a list

Learning outcomes
In this chapter you will make a Python program. You will work with a list of
names. In this lesson you will enter names and store them as a list. When
you have completed this lesson you will be able to:
store a series of names as a list variable
append items to a list
use a condition-controlled loop.

Learn about...
Look at Matrix 1 and Matrix 2, Chapter 4, Introducing Python. You have learned
that a variable is a named area of storage. You have learned how to initialise a
variable by using it to store a value. A variable usually stores just one item of data.
A list is a special kind of variable. A list can store several items of data. Each
item in a list is called an element.
A list is shown in square brackets. Here is a command that initialises a list:
ColourList = ["Black", "White", "Grey", "Red"]
This list has four elements.
Append
Append means add to the end. The append command adds an element to the
end of a list. For example:
ColourList.append("Pink")
This command will add a new element to ColourList.
Syntax error
A syntax error is an error that breaks the rules of a language. When you run a
Python program with a syntax error, the program will stop. Python will show
you an error message. The error message will explain what went wrong.

How to...
In this lesson you will make a program that appends names to a team list. You
will use a condition-controlled loop. In Python, condition-controlled loops start
with the word while.
Here is an example program. The program uses a condition-controlled loop.
Each time the program loops, the user appends a name to the list. Then the
program asks whether the user wants to add another name.

92
How does the user stop the loop? Why is the logical operator or used at the
top of this loop?
Variables
This program has three variables.
1 TeamList: this is a list variable that stores a list of names.
2 TeamMember: this is a string variable that stores a single name before it is
added to the list.
3 Another: this is a string variable. If the user enters "y" or "Y" then the
loop repeats.
Can you identify the line where each variable is initialised?
Simplify the loop
A student decided to make the loop simpler. He decided that he would use only
two variables. He would use the variable TeamMember to control the loop. If the
user entered "x" then the loop would stop. Here is the program he wrote.

The while loop starts with a logical test. It checks whether the variable
TeamMember has the value "x". The loop will continue while the variable does
NOT have the value "x".
The student’s idea was good, but his program isn’t quite right yet. The program
has a syntax error.

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 4 Introducing Python

When he ran the program the student saw this error message.

The error message tells you that there is a mistake in this line.
while TeamMember != "x":
The mistake is:
name 'TeamMember' is not defined
Why is there an error?
Here is the answer. When the loop starts, the user hasn’t entered even one
name yet. The variable TeamMember hasn’t been initialised. You can’t use a
variable before it has been initialised.
Correct the syntax error
The variable TeamMember must be initialised. This line will initialise the
variable.
TeamMember = input("enter a name")
This command must come before the while loop begins. Inside the while loop
there are commands to:
append TeamMember to TeamList
enter a new value for TeamMember
The prompt is "enter a name". You can make the prompt more useful.
Add a message telling the user to type "x" to stop the loop. Here is the
completed code.

Now you do it...

1 Make a program that lets the user append names to make a list.
2 Save the program using a suitable name such as MakeList.
3 Run the program and correct any syntax errors that you find.
4 Use the program to create a list of names of your own choice. The list could
be a fantasy sports team, your favourite actors, or students in your class.
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 4.1 Make a list

If you have time…

1 Use the empty value "" (quote marks with nothing inside) instead of "x".
The program will stop if the user presses Enter without typing anything.
2 Test the program by entering different values. Record your test results.

Test yourself...
1 What command can we use to make a list longer?
2 A while loop includes a logical test. What happens if the result of the test
is ‘true’? What happens if the result of the test is ‘false’?
3 The two programs in this lesson use relational operators to make logical
tests. What relational operators were used in these programs? What do
these operators mean?
4 In this lesson you looked at two programs. Both programs add names to a
list. Explain why the second program is easier to use.

Key words
Append: append is a Python command that adds a new element to the end of
a list.
Element: An element is a single item in a list.
List: A list is a Python variable that stores several data items.

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4.2 List elements

Learning outcomes
You have made a program that lets the user input a list. In this lesson you
will work with the elements of the list. The elements are the different values
that are stored in the list.
When you have completed this lesson you will be able to:
explain how an index number is used to identify list elements
find the length of a list and store this value as a variable
print every element in a list by using a for loop.

Learn about...
A list is made of elements. For example, this list has four elements:
ColourList = ["Black", "White", "Grey", "Red"]
Each element in the list has its own name. The name of the element is the list
name, plus a number. The number is called the index number. The index number
tells you the position of the element in the list. The index number is an integer.
There is one unusual thing you need to remember. The index numbers start at
0, so the first element in the list is:
ColourList[0]
You use the elements of a list like normal variables. For example, you can print
one element.
print(Colourlist[0])

How to...
The command len() tells you the length of a list. It tells you how many
elements there are in a list. The command includes brackets. Put the name of
the list inside the brackets.
In your program the list is called TeamList, so you can write the command:
len(TeamList)
The result of this command is a number. You can save the number as a
variable. In this example we have called the variable HowMany.
HowMany = len(TeamList)
Now you can print out the length of the list using a print command.

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 Enter a command to find the length of your list, and store it as a variable
Enter a command to print a message saying how many elements there are in
the list
Here are the extra lines to add to the program.

Print one element

You can print one element from TeamList. Just give the index number of the
element. For example:
print(TeamList[0])
Or:
print(TeamList[6])
Now you can add a command to let the user input an index number. Remember
to convert the string input to integer data type.
index = input("choose an index number:")
index = int(index)
Now you can print out the element the user has chosen.
print(TeamList[index])
Add lines to the program to print a single element, with the index
number chosen by the user
Here are the extra lines to add to the program.

Print all elements

In Matrix 2, Chapter 4, Introducing Python, you learned to use loops in
programming. There are two types of loop.
Condition-controlled loop: in Python this is a while loop.
Counter-controlled loop: in Python this is a for loop.
You have used a for loop to count through a number range. For example:
for i in range(10):

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 4 Introducing Python

We have used a for loop to count through a number range. We can also use a
for loop to count through a list. The for loop starts with the first element in
the list. The next time round the loop, it goes to the second element in the list.
When it reaches the last element in the list the loop stops.
Here is an example of a for loop. This for loop will count through the
elements of TeamList. The command inside the loop will print the element.
for element in TeamList:
print(element)
The variable in this example is called element. It is good to use a name like
that. It reminds us that we are counting through a list.
Add lines to the program to print every element in the list using a for
loop
Here are all the extra lines you have added to the program so far.

Now you do it...

Add commands to the program to:
show the number of elements in the list
let the user choose an index number and print the element with that index
number
print all the elements in the list using a for loop.
Remember to run the program code to make sure it works as it should.

If you have time…

To do this extension activity you must apply programming skills to solve an
extra problem.

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 4.2 List elements

The program you have made does not have any syntax errors in it.
You can run the program code and it will work. However, the
program can still go wrong. If users enter an index number that is
too big they will get a run-time error.
Here is an example of an error message you might see:

The largest number the user can enter is the list length minus 1.
Use an if... else program structure to test the index number
entered by the user. Only print the list element if the index number
is smaller than the list length. Otherwise give a warning message:
the number is too big.

Test yourself...
Look at this list and then answer the questions. Key words
CityList = ["Lima", "Athens", "Cairo", "Madrid", Index: Each element in a list
"Tokyo"] can be identified using the list
1 How many elements are there in this list? name plus an index number.
The index shows the position
2 Write the command to print out the first element in the list.
of the element in the list.
3 If you gave this command what would be printed out? Index numbers start at 0.
print(CityList[3]) Run-time error: A run-time
4 Write the commands to print out each element in this list using error happens when you run
a for loop. the program. Typically, the
5 If you gave this command, there would be an error. Why? user has entered data that
cause a problem.
print(CityList[5])

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4.3 Random element

Learning outcomes
You have made a program that lets the user input a list. The program prints
out the elements of the list. Now you will add code that picks out an element
at random. A team manager or teacher could use this to pick a random
person to do a task. For example, the random person might be asked to
answer a question or to take a free kick.
When you have completed this lesson you will be able to:
use code modules written by other programmers
make and use random numbers.

Learn about...
A module means any file that stores Python code. Some blocks of Python code
are very useful. They can be used in many different programs.
Many programmers store the most useful modules of code. They might use this
code in future tasks. A collection of useful modules is called a code library.
Python modules
Anybody can download Python and put it on a computer for free. When you
get Python you also get a library of useful modules. These extra modules were
written by Python programmers. The programmers have agreed to share their
code with anyone who uses Python.
Import
If you import a module to your program then you can use the extra Python
commands made by these programmers. In this lesson you will import a
module called random. This module has code that lets you make a random
number.
Random number
A random number is a number that you cannot predict. You don’t know what
the number will be.
When you tell the computer to make a random number you have to tell it the
number range. You have to tell it the smallest and the biggest numbers that are
allowed. The computer will pick at random anywhere from the smallest to the
biggest.

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 How to...
In this lesson you will add code to pick a random element from TeamList.
Remember, every element in a list has its own index number. The index
number is an integer (whole number).
This is what you will do.
1 Find the number range.
2 Make a random integer in the number range.
3 Use the random integer as the index number of an element.
Find the number range
You want to pick an element at random from TeamList. What is the smallest
and biggest number it can be?
The smallest number is the index number of the first element in TeamList.
That is always the number 0. This line of code will store the smallest
number as a variable.
smallest = 0
The biggest number is the index number of the last element in TeamList.
The biggest index number in a list is always the length of the list, minus 1.
This line of code will store the biggest number as a variable.
biggest = len(TeamList) – 1

Make a random integer

First you must import the module. The module is called random.
import random
The command to make a random integer is:
random.randint()
This command ends with two brackets. Inside the brackets you have to put the
smallest and biggest numbers. This sets the number range.
random.randint(smallest, biggest)
This command makes a random number. To complete the code you have to
save the random number as a variable. Then you can use it in your code. We
have called the variable random_index.
random_index = random.randint(smallest, biggest)
Finally, we have added a line to print out the variable so we can check that the
code is working.
print(random_index)

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 4 Introducing Python

Here is the complete code to make and show a random number.

Print out an element

You have made a random number. Now you can use it to pick a random
element. Remember each element of a list has an index number. For example:
TeamList[5]
You can print an element. For example:
print(TeamList[5])
Or use the random number as the index number.
print(TeamList[random_index])
Here is the complete code from this lesson.

Now you do it...

1 Add code to the program to generate a random number and pick a random
name from your team list.
2 Run the program to check that it works.

If you have time…

Here is a programming challenge. Make a program that generates 20 random
numbers between 1 and 10. Use a for loop.
Print out your results. Count how many times each number from 1 to 10 has
come up. Is it really a random distribution? Try running this program several
times. The numbers that come up will be different each time. The numbers are
different each time because they are random.

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 4.3 Random element

Test yourself...
1 What does the randint command do?
2 The randint command uses two numbers. In this lesson we
have called them smallest and biggest. What are these
numbers for?
3 Write the command that will make a random number between
1 and 100.
4 Explain how a code library can help programmers in their work.
5 Your program includes the command import random. What
does that mean?

FACT
Not perfectly random
The numbers made by the random module are not perfectly
random. They are random enough for general purposes such as
picking a name from a list. A specialist mathematician would use
more technical methods.

Key words
Code library: A code library is a collection of useful code.
Programmers save useful code. They can reuse it in different
programs.
Import: Importing a module brings all the code from the module
into your program, so you can reuse the code.
Module: A module is a file of Python code. A module might include
helpful code that can be reused.

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