The following post is a simple introduction to variables and the sorts of things commonly assigned to them in Python. If you are new to Python and/or programming, I encourage you to run each code block in your own editor as you read (repl.it is great for quickly running a little code). Think up questions […]
Python
Here you'll find posts specifically related to learning the Python programming language, my favorite language of them all. Enjoy!
Selenium + PhantomJS Tutorial
WARNING: Selenium support for PhantomJS has been deprecated. Both Firefox and Chrome now support headless capabilities. Use one of those instead. This post borrows from the previous selenium-based post here. If you have heard of PhantomJS, would like to try it out, and are curious to see how it performs against other browsers such as […]
Scraping Financial Data with Selenium
Note: The following post is a significant step up in difficulty from the previous selenium-based post, Automate Your Browser: A Guided Selenium Adventure. Please see the start of that post for links on getting selenium set up if this is your first time using it. If you really do need financial data, there are likely […]
Automate Your Browser: A Guided Selenium Adventure
Prerequisites: Have Python/Anaconda and Selenium installed. See the previous intro to Selenium if you’re not familiar with it. The full code for this post is included at the end. You might find it fun to first run the entire script and watch how it works before jumping in and following along with the post. And […]
Let Your Browser Do the Work for You: Writing Your First Selenium Script
Prerequisites: Have the Selenium Python package working on your machine. See this guide for help. If you ever find yourself doing something repetitive online, there’s probably a Python package that can help you automate the process. One that’s extremely simple to use and flashy to show off to others is called Selenium. Selenium basically allows […]
Quick Guide to Installing Selenium (Google Chrome version)
To set up Selenium, you’ll first need to have Python installed. Check out my other posts if you need help with that. Next, you need to install Selenium. To do this, simply open up your Windows command prompt or Mac/Linux terminal and enter the command: Now that Selenium is installed, you need to pick a […]
Escape from the Office (Intro to Python)
Prerequisites: Have some way of coding in Python. If you don’t have Python installed, I’d recommend using Repl.it, a browser-based programming environment that supports Python 3. If you want to take a few minutes to install Python, this quick installation guide may help. Or if you prefer, check out the Anaconda installation guide. When you […]
Quick Guide to Installing Anaconda
This guide will help you get Anaconda installed on your computer in the ballpark of 15-30 minutes. Anaconda is a sort of collection of programming goodies and comes with Python (programming language), Spyder (an IDE, or the place where you’ll do your actual coding), conda (a package manager that makes it really easy to install, […]
Quick Guide to Installing Python
This guide will help you get the newest version of Python 3 up and running on your computer in about 5-10 minutes. It shows how the process looks on Windows, but it should be similarly straightforward for Mac and Linux users. If you want some more bells and whistles than just the Python programming language, […]
P-Values and Han Solo (using R and Python)
While exploring the remains of a downed Star Destroyer, Han Solo and Rey are detected by a platoon of storm troopers. This rogue Imperial remnant intends to capture Han and Rey if possible, or terminate them otherwise. Our heroes, cornered in the hangar of the decrepit starship, see the soldiers approaching their position and consider […]