Python Syntax - Everything you need to know!

Summary

This video tutorial offers an in-depth introduction to Python syntax, focusing on indentation with spaces or tabs, emphasizing readability and uniformity. It covers the significance of using snake case for variables and functions, pascal case for classes, and capitalized snake case for constants, as per PEP 8 guidelines. The tutorial also explains the use of comments with hashtags, string literals with different quote types, and techniques for managing long statements with backslashes. Aimed at beginners, the video simplifies complex concepts and encourages interactive learning through a provided repository for hands-on practice.

Takeaways

• 😀 Python uses indentation with spaces or tabs for code structuring, unlike languages like JavaScript that use semicolons.
• 📏 The PEP 8 style guide recommends using four spaces for indentation if spaces are chosen, and one tab if tabs are used.
• 👀 Consistency is key: never mix spaces and tabs in Python code.
• 🔑 Functions in Python are defined using the `def` keyword, followed by the function name and colon.
• 📝 Comments in Python are made using the `#` symbol, which is essential for code readability and collaboration.
• 🔍 String literals in Python can be declared using single quotes, double quotes, or triple quotes for multi-line strings.
• 📑 Multi-line strings are useful for preserving formatting, such as line breaks, in the output.
• 🔗 Long statements in Python can be split into multiple lines using a backslash for better readability.
• 📝 Casing conventions in Python are important for readability: snake_case for variables, functions, methods, and modules; PascalCase for classes; and UPPER_CASE for constants.
• 🌐 For further learning, the video suggests checking out the Python category on cosec.com for tutorials, written articles, and coding repositories.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the video?

The primary focus of the video is to teach the basics of Python syntax, including code structuring, indentation, and commenting.

Why is indentation important in Python?

Indentation is important in Python because it is used for code structuring, distinguishing blocks of code such as functions, loops, and conditionals.

What is the recommended number of spaces for indentation according to PEP 8?

According to PEP 8, the recommended number of spaces for indentation is four.

Can you use tabs for indentation in Python?

Yes, you can use tabs for indentation in Python, but it is recommended to use spaces for consistency, and mixing spaces and tabs is discouraged.

How does Python handle the end of statements compared to other languages like JavaScript?

Python does not require a semicolon at the end of statements like JavaScript does. Instead, Python uses indentation to define the end of a statement.

What is the purpose of comments in Python code?

Comments in Python code serve to explain the code, making it easier to understand for both the developer and others who may read the code. They are also useful for temporarily disabling code during testing.

How do you create a comment in Python?

In Python, you create a comment by starting the line with a hashtag (#), and the rest of the line is treated as a comment and not executed.

What are the different ways to declare strings in Python?

In Python, you can declare strings using single quotes ('string'), double quotes ("string"), triple single quotes ('''string'''), or triple double quotes ("""string""") for multi-line strings.

Why would you use multi-line strings in Python?

Multi-line strings are used in Python when you want to preserve whitespace and line breaks in the output, which is not possible with single-line strings.

How can you separate long statements in Python for better readability?

You can separate long statements in Python for better readability by using a backslash (\) at the end of the line before the line break.

What are the casing conventions for different elements in Python according to PEP 8?

According to PEP 8, variables, functions, methods, and modules should be in snake_case, classes should be in PascalCase, and constants should be in UPPER_SNAKE_CASE.

Outlines

00:00

🐍 Python Syntax Basics

This paragraph introduces the basics of Python syntax, emphasizing the importance of indentation using white spaces or tabs. It explains that Python uses indentation to structure code, contrasting with languages like JavaScript that use semicolons. The speaker recommends using tabs for uniformity but also mentions the PEP 8 style guide, which suggests using four spaces if spaces are chosen. The paragraph also touches on the debate between tabs and spaces, highlighting the need to be consistent. The tutorial includes a practical example of creating a function in Python and how indentation works within it. The benefits of using indentation are discussed, such as better readability and ease of understanding code structure.

05:01

📝 The Role of Comments in Python

The second paragraph delves into the significance of comments in Python programming. It highlights how comments serve as a tool for communication among developers and as a memory aid for oneself when revisiting old projects. The paragraph explains that comments are not executed and are marked by a hashtag. It also stresses the importance of commenting in professional programming, as it aids collaboration and code understanding. The tutorial demonstrates how to write single-line comments and briefly mentions the use of multi-line comments, although the focus remains on the syntax and purpose of comments rather than their detailed usage.

10:02

🔤 Understanding Python Strings and Long Statements

This paragraph focuses on Python's handling of strings, known as string literals. It explains the different ways to declare strings using single, double, or triple quotes, and the importance of matching the type of quote at the beginning and end of the string. The paragraph demonstrates the use of multi-line strings for preserving spaces between lines when printed, contrasting this with single-line strings. It also touches on the use of backslashes to separate long statements for better readability, providing an example of an if statement that continues across lines. The speaker emphasizes the importance of proper casing in Python, according to PEP 8 guidelines, for variables, functions, methods, modules, classes, and constants.

15:02

🔑 Key Python Syntax Elements

The final paragraph summarizes the key elements of Python syntax covered in the tutorial. It reiterates the use of spaces or tabs for indentation, the importance of snake case for variables and functions, pascal case for classes, and capitalized snake case for constants. It also reminds viewers of the use of backslashes to split long statements and the use of different quote types for string literals. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to explore more Python tutorials on the website, suggesting that these resources will further enhance their understanding of Python programming.

Keywords

💡Indentation

Indentation in Python refers to the use of whitespace to define the block of code. It is a fundamental concept in Python syntax, as it replaces the need for braces or semicolons found in other programming languages. The video emphasizes the importance of indentation for structuring code, such as within functions. For instance, when a function is defined, the subsequent lines of code are indented to show that they are part of the function's body. The script mentions that indentation can be done using spaces or tabs, but it should be consistent throughout a project, aligning with the PEP 8 style guide which recommends four spaces per indentation level.

💡PEP 8

PEP 8 is the style guide for Python code, providing conventions to follow for writing readable and consistent code. The video discusses PEP 8 in the context of indentation, recommending the use of four spaces for each indentation level. Adhering to PEP 8 not only makes Python code more readable but also helps in maintaining a uniform coding style across different projects and developers.

💡Syntax

Syntax in programming refers to the set of rules that dictate how code should be structured. The video focuses on Python syntax, particularly on how indentation is used to structure code blocks. The script explains that Python syntax is designed to be readable and less prone to errors due to its reliance on indentation, as opposed to other languages that use semicolons or braces to denote code blocks.

💡Comments

Comments in programming are notes or explanations added to the source code that the compiler or interpreter does not execute. In the video, it is mentioned that comments are essential for describing code, aiding both the original developer and others in understanding the purpose and functionality of the code. In Python, a comment is created by prefixing a line with a '#' symbol. The script demonstrates how to write single-line comments and emphasizes their importance in programming practices.

💡Strings

Strings in Python are sequences of characters used to represent text. The video explains how to declare strings using single quotes, double quotes, or triple quotes. Single or double quotes are used for single-line strings, while triple quotes are used for multi-line strings, allowing for line breaks within the string. The script provides examples of declaring strings and printing them, highlighting the flexibility in using different types of quotes.

💡Multi-line Strings

Multi-line strings in Python are strings that span multiple lines, allowing for the inclusion of line breaks and formatting. The video demonstrates the use of triple quotes to create multi-line strings, which is useful for preserving the structure of text, such as when writing code that includes blocks of text or when formatting output to include line breaks. The script shows how multi-line strings can be used to print text with spaces between lines, which is not possible with single-line strings.

💡Long Statements

Long statements in Python are code lines that exceed the typical line length for readability. The video discusses the use of a backslash to split long statements into multiple lines, which helps in maintaining the readability of the code. This is particularly useful when dealing with complex expressions or assignments that would otherwise clutter the code. The script provides an example of using a backslash to continue an 'if' statement on the next line.

💡Casing

Casing in programming refers to the convention of writing variable names, function names, and other identifiers. The video explains the importance of casing in Python, adhering to the PEP 8 style guide. It mentions that variables, functions, methods, and modules should be in snake case, classes in Pascal case, and constants in capitalized snake case. The script provides examples of each casing style and emphasizes the role of casing in making code more readable and maintainable.

💡Snake Case

Snake case is a naming convention where each word in a name is separated by an underscore and all letters are in lowercase. In the video, it is mentioned that snake case is used for variables, functions, methods, and modules in Python. The script illustrates how to write identifiers in snake case, such as 'python_syntax', and explains that this style helps in making the code more readable and consistent.

💡Pascal Case

Pascal case is a naming convention where each word in the name starts with a capital letter and there are no spaces or underscores. The video explains that in Python, Pascal case is used exclusively for class names. The script provides an example of a class name written in Pascal case, such as 'PythonSyntax', and highlights its use in differentiating class names from other types of identifiers.

Highlights

Introduction to Python syntax tutorial for beginners.

Python tutorials available on cosec.com for further learning.

Emphasis on the importance of indentation in Python code structure.

Discussion on the personal preference between using spaces or tabs for indentation.

Recommendation to adhere to PEP 8 style guide for indentation consistency.

Explanation of how to use tabs and spaces for proper code indentation.

Demonstration of automatic indentation in Python code editors.

Illustration of creating and calling a function in Python.

Clarification on the absence of semicolons at the end of statements in Python.

Advantages of using indentation for code readability and structure.

Introduction to the use of comments in Python with '#'.

Explanation of the importance of comments for code clarity and collaboration.

Guidelines on declaring strings in Python using single, double, or triple quotes.

Demonstration of printing strings with single and multi-line formats.

Explanation of when to use multi-line strings for formatting purposes.

Introduction to long statements and their separation using a backslash.

Discussion on the importance of casing in Python for readability.

Explanation of snake case, pascal case, and capitalized snake case in Python naming conventions.

Summary of the key points covered in the Python syntax tutorial.

Invitation to explore more Python tutorials on cosec.com.

Transcripts

hey guys what's up everyone in today's

video i will show you everything that

you need to know about the python syntax

as you know we have a bunch of new

python tutorials on our website

cosec.com and this is one of the first

tutorials you should look at if you are

interested in learning the python

programming language i'm going to show

you all of this in a replied repository

which you can go and fork and play

around with yourself this is the best

way to practice python i'll leave a link

to that in the video description and you

can also find a link in the written

article for that you can just fork it

you can create a free account and then

directly code along so i recommend you

to do that before we get started so in

python we use white spaces or

indentation for code structuring if you

have been coding in other languages such

as javascript before you probably have

seen that certain statements are ended

with a semicolon like so this is not the

case in python in python everything is

structured using white space

it is up to you if you want to use

spaces or tabs which kind of is a

ongoing discussion between people who

prefer tabs over spaces or vice versa

but it's really personal preference we

like to use tabs because it keeps

everything more uniform

but do note if you use spaces according

to the official pep8 style guide you

should use four spaces for indentation

and if you use tabs just one tab is fine

you should never mix spaces and tabs

always stick with one so if you use a

one tab here that's one tab but if you

actually look at four spaces one two

three four that's a bit further and then

indented um but that's fine if you use

tabs which we do recommend you for ease

of use uh then

one tab is just fine

so let's look at an actual python code

snippet now don't worry about any of the

things that i'm writing here don't need

to understand it it's simply about

indentation if you create a function in

python we use the dev keyword and then

we do the name of our function

and then we do parentheses on the end

and a colon and then we do a print

statement here and you can see while i

was pressing enter here it already

automatically indented our code which

means that we are now working inside of

this function so we do

hello from our function this is a simple

print statement you will learn more

about this later again this is only

about the structure of the code and now

if i hit enter once more then i'm still

inside of this code block and if i hit

enter once more at least here in replied

every editor is different but most of

them have some form of auto indentation

and that's how you can work and if you

want to actually get back into the

function you can just go back one step

up and then press the tab key and you

will be in the exact same line here

and this is exactly what we are talking

about so this is the indentation

now if we actually want to call the

function we do our function and

parentheses on the end

and then if we run our code our code

will run and print the statement that's

coming from our function but again don't

focus on what is all of that here just

focus on the indentation part and you

can see that this is clearly indented

one tab in

you may also recognize that we don't

need any kind of semicolon at the end of

our function statement or of our print

function here

we don't need any of that so this not

only allows us to write less code but

also makes it more of a human readable

language that actually reads a little

bit like english

to summarize here

why or what are some advantages of using

this approach there is better

readability clearly defined functions by

using indentation indentation is

required which makes reading other

developers code easier so if you jump

into code of some other developer that

you haven't been working with before and

it's all correctly indented you can

directly see that this is part of the

function and if it would be indented

that way you would see that it's

actually not in the function and the

function is empty so once you develop a

little bit of an eye for that then you

can better understand why we indent code

there is also a lower barrier of entry

it makes learning python syntax easier

compared to other languages

so

all of that green syntax you see up here

is a comment and comments are essential

in programming let's write another

comment down below here

so this is a single

line comment in python

and

it won't

run

if you execute your

code comments and programming languages

are an essential tool to describe your

code not only if you work together with

other developers as previously mentioned

but also for yourself if you have a

project that you haven't been working on

for longer periods of time you will

forget parts or sometimes all of it

all of its functionality

comments help us to remember what we

have written and with pointing out key

elements of our codes

functionality writing comments is

required in most programming related

jobs since you almost always collaborate

with other developers on different

projects commenting in python is

straightforward to write a comment you

simply put a hashtag in front of your

comment like so

and this indicates a comment to the

compiler and it won't run this piece of

text when you run your code another

essential part of the python syntax or

understanding the python syntax are

strings or so called string literals so

if you're declaring strings in python

you have a bunch of options here you can

declare a string let's first create a

variable here let's call it our string

this is how you declare a variable in

python if you haven't seen that before

and we can go and we can declare a

string by using single quotes we can

call that our string

but we can also use double quotes

instead of single quotes and it doesn't

really make a difference we just have to

make sure to not use too many quotes so

we only use double quotes for this and

this will work just the same and to

prove that to you let's just print that

out here print

our string

and we quickly

comment out that function call here and

that's also a way how you can just

comment out code that you don't want to

run when you're testing something so

this is printing out our string

let's put that back to single quotes to

demonstrate that it's actually working

and then if you print that out

that prints out exactly the same we can

also use triple single quotes or triple

double quotes but it's crucial that you

always start and end a string by using

the same type of quotes for example if

you start your string with a double

quote you can't end it with a single

quote so let's look at some examples

below to better understand that whole

concept

let's create a single

line

string here

and give that

single quotes and then we say this

is a single line string using single

quotes okay so this is our single line

now we print it all out in the end let's

create a bunch of strings that we can

look at the output all together then we

create another

single line

string and we equal that to

this is another single

line string using double

quotes

okay this is our second string

and then we create a multi-line string

so to create multi-line strings we are

going to use triple single quotes or

triple double quotes we do multi

line

string

equals and then we do triple quotes and

if you just hit the button three times

it will automatically create triple

quotes here so you can see we have six

quotes all together and now we can go

ahead and we can do

this is a multi

line string using triple quotes

now let's create a final one that we

call another

multi

line string and equal that to

three

double quotes

uh triple quotes

yeah two

okay now i'm getting confused it's six

triple six double quotes and uh then we

do this is a multi-line string using

triple double oh my god triple double

quotes okay there we go now if you want

to print out all of that we can simply

do that by using a print statement so we

do print

single

line

string

and then we just copy that a bunch of

times so we don't always need to reprint

it or retype it we do that four times

and we do

it's the other one called

another

single line string and then we do

multi-line string

multi

line string

and then we do another multi-line string

another

multi-line

string there we go so if you print all

of that out

we get the result and you immediately

can see that there's actually a space

between these and there is no space in

here

so why do we actually use multi-line

strings we use multi-line strings if we

want to have some space in between the

lines that we are printing and this is

exactly what we are seeing here now if

we go to the triple single quotes

uh line of code and we say this is a

multi-line string using triple quotes

and we just hit enter and we gifted some

space in between and then we run the

code then you can actually see that

those

lines have actually been separated so

this is not the case if we do that in a

single line string so if we would do

that here it would already give us an

error because it recognizes that it's

only single quotes or single double

quotes in that case and it doesn't allow

us to hit the enter button but the same

is true for the triple double quotes

here we can also use the enter key here

to create some space between the print

statements and if we look at that again

you can see that that is actually

printing out with space in between

so to summarize that we use

multi-line strings to print out spaces

between our lines and we use usually

single

single line strings using single quotes

or double quotes when we just want to

print out a single line with any space

in between

so this is also an essential part of

python syntax so the next thing we want

to take a brief look at are so called

long statements in the python

programming language it is sometimes

required to use longer statements that

need to be separated for better

readability and we can utilize a

backslash to achieve that so what i'm

talking about here is if you write a

very long statement that would exceed

the line here and in your code editor

you maybe would not see the line anymore

because it got too long then we can

utilize a backslash to separate that

line

much like in those multi-line strings so

to do that i create a simple if

statement here to demonstrate that for

you don't worry about the logic here it

doesn't it's not necessary it's just

about the syntax

so if we do a simple uh statement here

where we check if some numbers are equal

to another or bigger or smaller than the

other one

we can just do that by creating a simple

number game here and then we do another

end statement and now let's say if we

want to continue this

logic on the next line we can do a

backslash here and then we press enter

now we need to indent our code here a

little bit for that to work and then we

do another

condition down here and then we do a

colon at the end and then we want to

print out something if that all if all

these conditions are true so we do multi

line statement is running

and let's actually check if that works

and it is working the multiline

statement is running so this is good to

know because if you run a very long

statement or if you write very long

statements here then you might run out

of space and it gets hard to read so

separating them in different lines makes

it a lot easier

the last thing i want to quickly talk

about when it comes to understanding a

basic python syntax is casing

so by casing i mean how do we actually

write our variable names and so on and

so forth

so we do casing and then we look at some

examples so while sticking to casing

isn't mandatory for your code to work it

is highly recommended to stick with the

recommended casing standards for python

according to pep8 and those standards

are

variables functions methods and modules

are written in snake case classes are

written in pascal case and constants are

written in capitalized snake case we

highly recommend sticking to these

guidelines which helps tremendously with

making your code better readable both

for you and anyone who works with you

let's take a quick look at some of the

examples below then you better

understand what i'm actually talking

about so camel case means capitalizing

the first letter of each word except the

first one and removing all spaces we do

python

syntax and equal that to a string that's

camel case

so this is how camel case looks like

that's actually not used in python a lot

very rarely i see that and it's not

recommended in the style guide so this

is just for you to understand what camel

case is the next one is important that's

pascal case capitalizing all first

letters and removing all spaces so we do

python syntax it would look like this

and then we say it's pascal

case

okay so pascal case is only used for

class names in python

for class names

okay so we got that the next one is

snake case snake case is written like

this python syntax

and then we equal that to

snake

snake case is used for variables

functions methods and modules

is used for

variables

functions

methods

and modules okay

and the last one is capitalized

snake case

so we do

python

syntax

and

capitalized is used for constants is

used for

constants

now you don't need to worry about what

constants are we have another article

and video when you want to learn more

about constants i'll link it in the

video description below and you will

learn everything you need to know about

pyson if you just check out our python

category on cosec.com

so to summarize what you have learned

today python code is indented with

spaces or tabs that was the first thing

we were talking about

in python we use snake case for

variables functions methods and modules

we use pascal case for classes we use

capitalized snake case for constants as

you j as you just have seen here we can

separate long statements with the use of

a backslash we can use different types

of quotes for string literals that's

what you have seen here

and finally we can use hashtags for

writing comments now if you want to

learn more about python we highly

recommend checking out our python

category on cosec.com if you click on

learn on the top navigation bar and

click on python there are all of our

python tutorials and all of our python

tutorials usually come with a

corresponding replica that you can

directly code with us and with a

corresponding video as well if you

prefer video content over written

content make sure to bookmark the

website and also make sure to check out

our regular videos alright guys that's

it thank you for watching and i hope to

see you back in the next video