Python for Economists Alex Bell
[email protected] http://xkcd.com/353 This version: October 2016. If you have not already done so, download the files for the exercises here. Contents 1 Introduction to Python 3 1.1 Getting Set-Up................................................. 3 1.2 Syntax and Basic Data Structures...................................... 3 1.2.1 Variables: What Stata Calls Macros ................................ 4 1.2.2 Lists.................................................. 5 1.2.3 Functions ............................................... 6 1.2.4 Statements............................................... 7 1.2.5 Truth Value Testing ......................................... 8 1.3 Advanced Data Structures .......................................... 10 1.3.1 Tuples................................................. 10 1.3.2 Sets .................................................. 11 1.3.3 Dictionaries (also known as hash maps) .............................. 11 1.3.4 Casting and a Recap of Data Types................................. 12 1.4 String Operators and Regular Expressions ................................. 13 1.4.1 Regular Expression Syntax...................................... 14 1.4.2 Regular Expression Methods..................................... 16 1.4.3 Grouping RE's ............................................ 18 1.4.4 Assertions: Non-Capturing Groups................................. 19 1.4.5 Portability of REs (REs in Stata).................................. 20 1.5 Working with the Operating System....................................