Synopsis

This guide provides a quick introduction to Python for new developers. It covers the basics of installing and configuring Python, including creating and activating virtual environments. It also covers some best practices for working with Python, including naming conventions and using virtual environments to maintain a consistent environment.

Introduction

Python is a popular programming language known for its simplicity, readability, and flexibility. It is used for a wide range of tasks, including web development, data analysis, and automation. In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of installing and configuring Python so you can get started using it in your own projects.

Best Practices

When working with Python, it’s important to follow some best practices to ensure your code is easy to read, maintain, and debug. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Use descriptive, snake_case names for files, functions, classes, and variables.
• Use comments to explain what your code is doing.
• Keep lines of code to a maximum of 79 characters to make them easier to read.
• Use whitespace to separate logical blocks of code.
• Use docstrings to document your functions and classes.

Installation

To install Python on your machine, you can use the following commands:

mkdir -p $HOME/projects/webapp
cd $HOME/projects/webapp
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-virtualenv

These commands will create a new directory for your projects, navigate to that directory, update your package manager, and install the latest versions of Python, pip, and virtualenv.

Configuration

One of the benefits of using Python is the ability to create and activate virtual environments. A virtual environment is an isolated environment that contains a specific version of Python and its dependencies. This can be useful for keeping your main Python installation clean and for developing multiple projects with different requirements.

To create and activate a new virtual environment, use the following commands:

virtualenv venv
source venv/bin/activate

To install and configure the necessary dependencies for your Python project, you can use the following commands:

pip3 install ansible==2.9.7
pip3 install pre-commit
pip3 install jinja2

These commands will install the specified versions of ansible, pre-commit, and jinja2 in your virtual environment.

You can view a list of all the packages installed in your virtual environment by using the following command:

pip3 freeze

This is useful for creating a requirements.txt file for your project, which lists all the necessary dependencies.

To deactivate your virtual environment, use the following command:

deactivate

It is not necessary for everyone to use virtual environments, but they can be helpful tools for maintaining a consistent environment and isolating different projects from each other.

Conclusion

In this guide, we covered the basics of installing and configuring Python, including creating and activating virtual environments. We also covered some best practices for working with Python, including naming conventions and using virtual environments to maintain a consistent environment. With this foundation, you should be ready to start using Python in your own projects.