Today we’ll be talking about three important building blocks of programming:

  1. Data types
  2. Operators
  3. Variables

For many lectures, there are associated files you can use to follow along with the work we do in IDLE. You can click the button below to download those files.

Mac Users

For Mac users, the ZIP file that is downloaded will either be automatically extracted into a folder, or you can simply double click on the ZIP file to extract it (turn it into a regular folder). Then you can open any of the .py files by double clicking on the file which will cause it to open in IDLE.

Windows Users

If you’re on a Windows machine, there’s a few extra steps for both of these processes.

To extract a ZIP file, you can follow those instructions here. Note: you must extract these files first in order to use them in IDLE. Otherwise, it will say “read-only” and you will not be able to run or edit the files.

To open any .py files in this course, it’s easiest to:

  1. Open up the IDLE application.
  2. Click on the File menu
  3. Click on the Open... option
  4. Using the pop-up window, navigate to the file you’d like to open!

However, if you want to be able to double click on .py files and open them in IDLE that way, you can do so, it just takes a few setup steps.

Today's Resources

1. Exercise Files

Download Exercise Files

2. Slides

3. Pre-Recorded Lecture Video(s), Mini-Quizzes, and Live Recordings

Available Videos
Link Title Type Duration
Video 1 Live Lecture Recording lecture 50:00

4. Supplemental Materials

  • Charles Severance - Ch 4: Variables – Python for Everybody (Reading • Video)