Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition

This is an introductory textbook for Python readers at all levels, known among readers as the "Python snake book." It consists of two parts: basics and project practice. Part One (Chapters 1–11) begins with setting up the Python and VS Code development environment, then systematically covers variables and simple data types, lists and working with lists, if statements, dictionaries, user input and while loops, functions, classes, files and exceptions, and finally introduces code testing with pytest, helping readers build complete basic syntax and programming habits. Part Two (Chapters 12–20) applies that knowledge to three complete projects: Project 1 builds the 2D game Alien Invasion with Pygame, across three chapters on the armed ship, aliens, and scoring; Project 2 covers data visualization, in turn generating data, downloading data, and using APIs; Project 3 builds a Django web application, covering getting started, user accounts, and styling and deployment. The third edition is fully revised for Python 3.11: it switches to the VS Code text editor, adds coverage of the removeprefix() and removesuffix() methods, uses the latest features of Matplotlib and Plotly in the projects, and includes five appendices on installation troubleshooting, text editors and IDEs, getting help, Git version control, and deployment troubleshooting. The book emphasizes "writing code by hand," with exercises in every chapter, and suits self-study from scratch.