Programming with Python: Beyond the Basics
Published by Pearson
How to Write a Web Scraper in Python
This training is meant as a next step after Arianne’s Introduction to Python Programming Live Training course. In it, you will go beyond the basics and learn how to write useful programs in Python.
This is a hands-on course where you will build a web scraper in Python. It covers concepts like reading and writing to files, making HTTP requests, installing external libraries, and managing projects.
What you’ll learn and how you can apply it
- How to read and write to CSV files
- How to install libraries and make HTTP requests using the requests library
- The basics of HTML and how to scrape a website
This live event is for you because...
- You’re a novice Python developer who is ready to learn some intermediate concepts
- You’re an intermediate/experienced developer who is new to Python
- You’ve attended "Introduction to Python Programming" (live online training course) by Arianne Dee and want to learn more
Prerequisites
- Some experience coding in Python 2 or 3
- Basic understanding of the following concepts in Python: types, functions, conditionals, lists, while loops, and for loops
Course Set-up
- Download and install Python 3.6+
- A code editor with Python syntax highlighting (PyCharm is recommended)
- Download the course materials at http://github.com/ariannedee/python-level-2
- Download links and installation instructions are at http://github.com/ariannedee/python-level-2
Recommended Preparation
- Introduction to Python Programming Live Training or Lessons 1 - 4 of Introduction to Python Programming LiveLessons is recommended for those new to programming - https://learning.oreilly.com/videos/introduction-to-python/9780135707333
Recommended Follow-up
- (video) Refactoring in Python LiveLessons: Improving Your Code Video Training - https://learning.oreilly.com/videos/refactoring-in-python/9780134864020
- (video) Python Survival Skills LiveLessons - https://learning.oreilly.com/videos/python-survival-skills/9780135772676
Schedule
The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.
Segment 1: Introduction, set-up, and review Length (45 min)
- Installing Python and PyCharm
- Reviewing Python Basics: conditionals, lists, and for loops
- Break/Q&A (15 mins)
Segment 2: Intermediate concepts Length(25 min)
- Dictionaries
- Exceptions
- Testing
Segment 3: Reading and Writing to Files Length (30 min)
- Reading from files
- Writing to files
- CSV files
- Q&A / Break (15 min)
Segment 4: Scraper overview Length (40 min)
- Installing external libraries
- Using the Requests library to make HTTP requests
- Introduction to HTML
- Using the Beautiful Soup library to parse HTML documents
- Q&A / Break (10 min)
Segment 5: Scraping websites Length (50 min)
- Scraping data
- Saving to a CSV file
- Refactoring
Segment 6: Further discussion Length (10 min)
- How to deal with logins, JavaScript,
- Course wrap-up and next steps
Your Instructor
Arianne Dee
Arianne is a full-stack software developer and freelancer, with a passion for user-focused design for the public good. She has bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering and Computer Science from the University of British Columbia, and has taught thousands of students, aged 9 – 99 through Engineers Without Borders, Canada Learning Code, and Pearson on the O’Reilly platform. Arianne’s most popular videos and live trainings help beginners and experienced developers get up to speed with Python