Module 1: Python Environments & Flowcharts

 

    This week's lab was all about understanding the basics of python programming, becoming familiar with different integrated development environments (IDE), and understanding how to use flowcharts and pseudocode to develop our own scripts. 

    For the "Zen of Python" by Tim Peters, I think this little poem is referencing the abilities and “Zen” python provides to those who use it. For example, “complex is better than complicated” to me means that even though writing a python script can look and be complex, it’s better than constantly (repeatedly) doing something in a complicated way. “Errors should never pass silently” also makes be believe this is about the beauty that is writing python by interpreting this line as the error codes that display when one of the scripts you’ve written doesn’t make sense. There are many other quirky lines in the text, like "unless you're Dutch", but overall, I believe Tim Peters is referencing the beauty that is Python as a programming language. 

    Some notes from this lab are as follows:

• I started creating my folders and file paths through Google Drive so I could use the data across multiple computers without downloading Citrix onto each machine. After realizing that I’m in a programming class and the process summary was very explicit in its grading criteria, I realized that the professor might have a script to check if our process summary contains the S:\ file paths and grade them according to that. All my data will be in the S:\ drive.
• Running the script through IDLE was neat in how it created the output locations. Might need to steal this idea for work.
• Need to use both ArcGIS Notebooks and IDLE more to really see the differences.
• Could use the Flowchart Website given in the exercise but PowerPoint is working just fine!
• The Flowchart shapes function in PowerPoint is more than enough to create flowcharts.
• Very interesting that the Python Command Prompt has a built-in poem about itself after typing in “import this”.

    Overall, this was an excellent introduction into Python Programming, and I look forward to diving into the powers that lay within Python.