Overview Module 2

In this lesson, we revisit the key concepts covered in this module, focusing on internationalization, string operations, and error handling in Python.

Character Encoding: From ASCII to Unicode

We began by discussing the limitations of ASCII and introduced Unicode to address internationalization issues. Unicode supports a vast array of characters from different languages, and UTF-8 is the most popular encoding format used to represent these characters.

String Operations in Python

Python provides a comprehensive set of operations for handling strings. Key operations include:

• Retrieving Code Points:

  • Use ord() to get the code point of a character.
  • Use chr() to convert a code point back into its corresponding character.

• Membership Testing:

  • Leverage the in and not in operators to verify the presence or absence of specific characters in a string.

• String Methods:
  The following methods are commonly used to manipulate strings:

  Functionality	Description	Example Code
  Search and Strip	Locate specific substrings with find() and remove whitespace with strip()	s.find("text") and s.strip()
  Modify Case and Format	Transform strings using swapcase(), convert to title case with title()	s.swapcase(), s.title()
  Replace Content	Replace parts of a string with replace()	s.replace("old", "new")

String Comparison and List Methods

We then covered how string comparison works in Python, and demonstrated that many list methods can also be applied to strings, providing enhanced versatility for text manipulation.

Error Handling in Python

Robust error handling is essential for creating reliable applications. In this lesson, we examined:

• try-except Blocks:
  Learn how to capture and handle exceptions with tailored except clauses that align with the error hierarchy.

• The assert Statement:
  Use assert to validate expressions and automatically trigger an exception when a condition is not met. This feature is critical for protecting your code against invalid results.

This module equips you with the essential Python techniques to handle international text and manage errors effectively, ensuring your code is both robust and versatile.