concept-exercise-mapping.md

Python reference

Python is an interpreted, dynamically (but strongly) typed, and garbage-collected general programming language that has become extremely popular due to its readability, low barrier for entry, and exceptionally deep ecosystem of libraries and tools. Python is object-based, but is inherently multi-paradigm and has drawn together influences from a wide range of programming languages, including ABC, Haskell, Lisp, and Modula-3. It is ideal for prototyping and ad-hoc tasks, but also sees wide use in scientific computing, web development, and automation.

Below are concepts that were extracted/identified in Python based on Exercism's V2 exercises. Resources used include:

• Python 3 Documentation
• Python Tutorial
• Python Library Reference

Unique to Python

"Pythonic"/Python Community

• The Zen of Python
• Pythonic
• Python Enhancement Proposals
• PEP 8
• Dunder Methods

Baseline

Concepts Introduced in the "Basics" Exercise (_Guido's Gorgeous Lasagna_):

• Arithmetic

• Assignment

• Comments

  • TODO: Explain # syntax in Python

• Constants

• Docstrings

• Expressions

• Functions

  • Function Definition
    • def
    • pass
    • None
    • Return Values
      • return

• Statements

  • TODO: Explain the importance of statements in Python

• Variables

General

Concepts needed for a good working understanding of the language

Current "Core" Concepts:

• Argument unpacking

• Arithmetic

  • Modular Division
  • Arithmetic Operators

• Bitwise manipulation

  • Binary numbers
  • Bitflags
  • Bitwise operators
  • Powers of Two

• Boolean logic

  • Boolean values

    • Booleans are integers
    • True
    • False

  • Boolean operators

    • not
    • Short-circuiting
      • and
      • or

• Comparisons

  • Comparison operators
  • Integer comparison
  • Rich comparison methods
  • Equality operator
  • Equivalence
  • Inequality

• Conditionals

  • Conditionals structures
    • if
    • elif
    • else

• dict

• Enumeration

  • Enumerated values
  • enumerate()

• Functions

  • Function Definition

    • def
    • Function signature
      • Arguments & parameters
      • Positional parameters
      • Positional-only parameters
      • Keyword parameters
      • Keyword-only parameters
      • Default arguments
      • \*args
      • \*\*kwargs
      • Return Values
        • return
        • none

  • Nested functions

  • Type hinting

  • Call semantics

• Identity testing

  • is

• Importing

  • relative imports
  • import
  • from
  • as

• Iteration

  • Iterables

  • Iterators

  • Loops

    • while loops

      • while

    • for loops

      • for
      • range

    • Exiting loops

      • break
      • continue
      • else in a loop context

• Membership testing

  • in

• Numbers

  • int

  • float

  • complex

    • cmath

  • fractions

  • decimal

  • math

• Operators

  • Operator overloading
  • Operator precedence

• REPL

  • TODO: Discuss the interactive Python interpreter

• sequences

  • common sequence operations

    • bracket notation
      • Indexing
      • Slicing
      • Slice assignment

  • list

    • List Methods

  • range

  • str

    • str-methods
    • String formatting
    • str-splitting
    • str-translation

  • tuple

• Scope

  • del

  • Namespaces

    • global
    • nonlocal

• set

  • frozenset

• Type conversion TODO: Casting between types in Python can be a bit unclear; this will need expansion

  • Type conversion

• Variables

  • Assignment
    • Multiple assignment
    • Tuple unpacking
    • Constants

Detailed

Concepts needed for a deeper understanding/fluency

"Intermediate" Concepts

• Aliasing

  • as
  • import

• Anonymous functions

  • lambda

• bytes

  • bytearray

• Comprehension Syntax

  • List comprehension
  • Dict comprehension
  • Set comprehension
  • Generator comprehension

• Context managers

  • with

• Decorators

• Docstrings

• Exceptions

  • Exception handling

  • Exception catching

    • try
    • except
    • else
    • finally

  • Exception hierarchy

  • Raise

    • Exception message
    • raise
    • from
    • raise from
    • assert

• Generators

  • yield

• Higher-order functions

  • Decorators as higher-order functions
  • map
  • filter

• Partial application

  • TODO: functools.partial

• Recursion

  • TODO: explain limitations of recursion in Python, ie RecursionLimit

• Regular Expressions

Object-Oriented Specific

OOP-Specific/Class Oriented Concepts

• Objects

  • Everything is an object
    • type
    • object
    • property

• Classes

  • Custom classes
    • class
  • Class members
    • Behavior
      • Methods
        • Instance Methods
          • Implicit self
          • Initialization
          • Instantiation
        • Class methods
          • Constructor
        • Static Methods
    • State
      • Instance Attributes
      • Instance Properties
        • Property Decorator

• Inheritance

  • Class inheritance

• Composition

  • Class composition

• Encapsulation

  • Non-Public Methods

• Interfaces

  • Meta Classes
    • [Virtual Base Classes]
    • [Abstract Base Classes]
    • [.__subclasshook__() ]
    • [.register()]
  • Duck Typing

• Mutation

  • Immutability in Python
  • Mutability in Python

• Polymorphism

  • Dynamic typing
  • Duck Typing
  • Gradual Typing
    • Type Hinting
    • typing

Specialized

(These are probably outside scope of an Exercism Concept exercise, but might make good longer/practice exercises that receive mentoring)

Advanced/Specialized Concepts

• Asynchronous operations
  • async
  • await

These datatypes will very rarely be encountered in the wild, the first because it's more of an internal implementation detail and the second because it's hyper-specific:

• slice
• memoryview

Implementations in Progress

Expect information to be updated as larger concepts are broken down or additional concepts/exercises are identified.

See the Python Exercises page for committed/planned on website concept & practice exercises.