Revisit Python Basics¶

In this chapter, you will take a short tour through those parts of Python you may be familiar with from basic Python lessons. These include:

variables
basic data types such as str, int, bool
data structures such as list, dict and tuple
a few built-in functions

This is a good opportunity for you to check your knowledge and find out gaps if necessary.

Exercise 1: The Space Game¶

Let’s consider the prototype of a space traveling game. In the game, you move from planet to planet and solve a few simple puzzles. It is a small example program that contains many basic Python features.

Examine the code in space_game.py . Open it in your code editor and try to run the program. You should notice that the program fails. In fact, it is full of bugs: there are at least 10 of them.

Hint

If you are using Visual Studio Code, it is a good idea to activate the Pylance plugin from the Extensions Panel on the left side. Pylance will highlight a lot of issues right away. For more specific help with data types, also set the Type Checking Mode to Standard.

Exercise 2: Debugging¶

Try to find and fix all bugs, so that the game runs.

Exercise 3: Test¶

The game comes with a set of Unit Tests. You find them in the file test_space_game.py . Place the file in the same folder with the code.

Run the tests with:

python -m pip install pytest
python -m pytest

Exercise 4: Code Review¶

The code of the game is actually not that great. What are the most important areas for improvement?