No, not the snake that would be weird. We’re talking about the programming language here. And let me tell you, walking like a Python is way easier than writing code in it.
To kick things off: what do I mean by “walking like a Python”? Well, imagine yourself as a computer program and your body parts are functions. You have two legs (or rather, two function calls) that move forward one at a time just like how you walk! And the best part? It’s super easy to learn.
Step 1: Start with the basics
Before we dive into walking like a Python, let’s first understand what functions are and why they’re important in programming languages. In simple terms, functions are reusable blocks of code that perform specific tasks. They can take input (called arguments) and return output based on those inputs.
In Python, you define a function using the `def` keyword followed by the name of your function and its parameters inside parentheses:
# Defining a function called "my_function" with a parameter "x"
def my_function(x):
# Code to be executed when this function is called
# This code block is where the function's task will be performed
# The parameter "x" will be used in this code block to perform the task
# The function will return an output based on the input provided for "x"
Now that we know what functions are, let’s move on to walking like a Python.
Step 2: Take your first step (or rather, call your first function)
To walk like a Python, you need to start by calling the `walk()` function. This is our base function it’s what we’ll use as our starting point for all other functions that will help us move forward.
Here’s an example of how to call the `walk()` function:
# First, we define our base function, walk(), which will be used as the starting point for all other functions.
def walk():
# This is where we will put the code that will be executed when the function is called.
# Next, we call the move_left_leg() function to take our first step.
move_left_leg()
# After our left leg has moved, we call the move_right_leg() function to move our right leg.
move_right_leg()
Step 3: Define your first helper function `move_left_leg()`
Now that we have called the base function (`walk()`) and defined what happens when it is executed, let’s create a new function to help us take our left leg forward. This will be our first helper function.
Here’s an example of how to define this function:
# Define the helper function `move_left_leg()` with no parameters
def move_left_leg():
# code to be executed when the `move_left_leg()` function is called
# initialize a variable `current_position` with a value of 5
current_position = 5
# update the variable `current_position` by adding 10 units to it
new_position = current_position + 10
# print a message indicating the movement of the left leg by using f-strings to format the output
print(f"Left Leg moved {new_position - current_position} units!")
Step 4: Define your second helper function `move_right_leg()`
Now that we have defined our first helper function, let’s create another one to help us move our right leg forward. This will be our second helper function.
Here’s an example of how to define this function:
# Define the `move_right_leg()` function with no parameters
def move_right_leg():
# code to be executed when the `move_right_leg()` function is called
# initialize the current position of the right leg to 5 units
current_position = 5
# update the current position by adding 10 units
new_position = current_position + 10
# print a message indicating the movement of the right leg
print(f"Right Leg moved {new_position - current_position} units!") # use the updated position and the original position to calculate the distance moved
Step 5: Putting it all together
Now that we have defined our base function and helper functions, let’s put them all together to create a complete walking sequence. Here’s an example of how you can call the `walk()` function to make your computer program walk like a Python!
# Defining the walk function
def walk():
# This function executes a sequence of movements to make the computer program walk like a Python
# Calling the move_left_leg function to move the left leg
move_left_leg()
# Calling the move_right_leg function to move the right leg
move_right_leg()
# Testing the walking sequence by calling the walk function
walk()
You now know how to walk like a Python. It may not be as graceful as a snake, but at least your code will look neat and organized.