Intermediate Python for Software Development
This intensive training course will teach you in-depth about principles, modern best practices, and practical tips for developing and managing complex Python codebases in teams. It will help you write code that is robust, correct, elegant, efficient, and easy to maintain.
Prerequisites
Expected Outcomes
You will learn about powerful Python features and best practices for writing maintainable code in teams.
Course Syllabus
Session 1: Intermediate language features
Day 1 will teach you powerful Python language features and help you fill the gaps in your knowledge as a foundation for developing larger real-world systems:
- Files, bytes, and encodings
- Iterators and generators, with applications
- Functional programming in Python; toolz
- Decorators, closures, lambdas, args in depth, with applications
- Idioms and elegant features of modern Python 3.x
- Defining custom data types with classes; properties; inheritance; OOP
- Elegant code beyond PEP8: special methods, context managers
Session 2: Packaging, testing, deployment
This session will teach you best practices and practical tips for developing maintainable, robust systems in teams:
- Creating packages: managing dependencies with uv, structuring projects
- Intro to Git and best practices: branching strategies; tagging; semantic versioning
- Virtual environments; deployment options and practices; CI pipelines
- Raising and handling exceptions
- Unit-testing in depth with pytest: fixtures, mocking; best practices like TDD; hypothesis
- Logging and warnings
- Integrated development environments; debugging tools
- Creating command-line scripts and executables
Personal help
We are happy to offer on-the-spot problem-solving after each day of the training for you to ask one-on-one questions — whether about the course content and exercises or about specific problems you face in your work and how to solve them. If you would like us to prepare for this in advance, you are welcome to send us background info before the course.
Other information
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Format:
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Courses are conducted online via video meeting using Python Charmers' cloud notebook server for sharing code with the trainer(s).
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Computer:
Hardware: we recommend ≥ 8 GB of RAM and a webcam. Preferably also multiple screens and a quiet room (or headset mic).
Software: a modern browser: Chrome, Firefox, or Safari (not IE or Edge); and Zoom.
Coding: we have a cloud-based coding server that supports running code and sharing code with the trainer(s).
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Timing:
Most courses will run from 9:00 to roughly 17:00 (AEST/AEDT) each day, with breaks of 50 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes each for morning and afternoon tea.
Certificate of completion:
We will provide you a certificate if you complete the course and successfully answer the majority of the exercise questions.
Materials:
You will have access to all the course materials via the cloud server. We will also send you a bound copy of the course notes, cheat sheets, and a USB stick containing the materials, exercise solutions, and further resources.
Testimonials
“The course was delivered by trainers who were extremely knowledgeable in their field. It was really good to learn from the best!”
“Great course. Enjoyed it and will follow up with some practical implementation of some of the work.”
“One of the best training courses I've been on.”
“I loved it. Ed was inspiring.”
“Really impressed by Python's capability and excited to use as alternative to MatLab, as is free and better supported.”
“Very comprehensive intro to every aspect of python. Highly qualified trainer. Beyond my expectation on every aspect.”
“The VM setup and USB is great. Ed is an excellent instructor - he presents well and welcomes any questions. He is clearly a super smart guy who has a great grasp on what he is teaching - able to just prototype on the fly and the course overall really opened my eyes to python.”
“Course content was well presented and easily digested. Practical exercises were an essential part of the course – a good ratio of lecture/play was achieved. Well done Ed and Henry!”
“Simply awesome!!”
“Both Ed and Henry presented well…. The course structure was adjusted to suit the participants quickly and easily.”
“Excellent training course, excellently presented. Perhaps the best that I have had in the area of IT / programming.”
“One of the best programming courses I have attended - thanks!”
“This course has shown me how I could have done the work I was doing just last week 10x more efficiently in Python.”
“It was a pleasure ... Shared feedback from all involved was that it’s been one of the most beneficial and well delivered training courses we’ve been a part of.”
“Was the most fulfilling and rewarding class I have taken since "general relativity" at uni. Was extremely well run. Excellent all round!”
“Very impressed with the course, delivery. And depth of knowledge of Ed and Henry. Far exceeded my expectations and has greatly improved my core skills as well as inspired so many new ideas for my current work / projects. Thank you!”
