10152109Python Scripting
Course Information
Description
This is an introductory course focused on scripting in the Python programming language. Students will learn the fundamentals of creating Python scripts and using the Python language to automate administration of IT systems. No prior programming or scripting experience is necessary to enroll in this course.
Total Credits
3
Course Competencies
  1. Utilize Python environments
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Written Product and/or Project
    Criteria
    Determine the version of Python installed
    Access the Interactive Python shell
    Create basic python scripts and execute them
    Install Python packages using the Python Package Manager

  2. Manage versions with Git
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Written Product and/or Project
    Criteria
    Setup local git repository
    Sync repository with GitHub
    Manage versions of weekly code changes
    Create GitHub issues for communication

  3. Create and utilize Python objects and variables
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Written Product and/or Project
    Criteria
    Create variables in Python
    Determine the type of objects using the type() function
    Find information about objects attributes (data) and functions (actions)

  4. Interact with files
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Written Product and/or Project
    Criteria
    Open and Close files
    Read and Write from/to files on your operating system
    Loop through files to get detailed information
    Use delimiters such as commas (,) to read in formatted data

  5. Use Boolean Logic to control the flow through a Python script
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Written Product and/or Project
    Criteria
    Use comparison and other operators to make up Boolean expressions
    Demonstrate conditional logic to make choices about what to do in a script
    Utilize loops when appropriate such as a repetitive task

  6. Create functions in Python
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Written Product and/or Project
    Criteria
    Demonstrate the scope of variables as you break code into functions
    Segment code into re-usable functions
    Pass arguments into a function
    Return data from a function
    Use a main function to distinguish the behavior of a script (interactive versus imported)

  7. Run processes and access results
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Written Product and/or Project
    Criteria
    Run an operating system command in a Python Script
    Loop through the results and data returned from the command
    Log results in a file

  8. Create arguments and help for running scripts
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Written Product and/or Project
    Criteria
    Create arguments for your script
    Provide default values for arguments and/or make them required
    Provide help information to users of your script
    Use arguments in a script to get input from the user

  9. Communicate with Web pages and Web services
    Assessment Strategies
    Skill Demonstration, Written Product and/or Project
    Criteria
    Access a webpage in Python
    Pass in parameters and information to web pages and web services
    Inspect an HTML response for attributes and information
    Convert web service responses to dictionaries in Python
    Serialize and de-serialize data structures using the JSON Format