Did you know that according to Stack Overflow, Python is one of the most used programming languages by developers?
The contribution to such an outcome is probably the nature of the language, making it applicable for many general-purpose projects. Python is used for developing programs for desktop, command-line, and the web. Also, its versatile nature makes it suitable for programmers that have different levels of skill sets, starting from the basic levels to experts and professionals.
We cannot say that continued learning won’t be a case with Python, because you have to upgrade your knowledge along the way. Therefore, some ways to stay on top of the game when it comes to learning Python is to try out and build some cool projects.
In this article, we’ll go through some popular Python project ideas that will help you enhance your programming skills. Most of these Python projects for beginners as well as experts will give you real world Python knowledge, being as insightful as a step-by-step Python tutorials.
So, why don’t you check out the following Python code ideas and maybe try to implement some of them?
#1. Contact Book
Building a contact book is an excellent project for beginners who want to improve their Python skills. This command-line project includes the design of a contact book that will have the name, address, contact phone, and email address of the contacts. Later on, users can add and quickly find the required contacts there.
Web developers who will delve into this project will learn the basics through a cool project, by using Python libraries to create a graphical user interface. Then, the users can take the following actions: update the contact information, list the saved contacts, and delete contacts. For saving contacts the most ideal platform is SQLite.
#2. Rock, Paper, Scissors
Just by creating this cool online version of rock, paper, scissors you’ll have a chance to learn a lot about Python and maybe some other programming languages. To create games with Python, you have to dig in a little deeper into the Pygame library. This game creation will help you get a better understanding of while loops and if statements.
The game set will be player vs. computer, and it’s such a simple structured game. So, you’ll make the first move and the computer will make theirs. To create the program’s move you have to use a single alphabet or an entire string. After the integration, there has to be a function that will be set to check the validity of the move. Other actions in the row will be: announcing the winner of the game, a scorekeeping function, as well as the function that will indicate a replay of the game or send the player at the end.
#3. Build a Virtual Assistant
Of all Python projects, machine learning projects may be the most challenging ones. However, if you are into learning how Python development and AI can work together, this is a project you should consider.
A virtual assistant has the primary purpose of understanding voice commands and acting accordingly, to complete the tasks that the users require. Examples of virtual assistants are Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, etc. built by Amazon, Google, and Apple.
If you are interested in building projects such as this one, you can explore some free courses where you can get expert knowledge in creating your very own virtual assistant. For instance, this free Python course by Udemy, Learn Python: Build a Virtual Assistant, is somewhere you can start from.
#4. URL Shortener
Python is a great choice when it comes to creating websites and web applications. This is why you can use Python to create a URL shortener app.
As we all know, URLs are the number one source of internet navigation. However, sometimes URLs can consist of plenty of characters that simply have no particular meaning. They can be bothersome instead or take up a lot of text space. This is when URL shorteners come into the bigger picture. The purpose of URL shorteners is to cut down the number of characters in URLs and make them easy to work with.
By using the random and string modules, the URL shortener will generate a short URL from the long one. After you fulfil this action, you should map the long and short URLs, by storing them in the database and making them applicable for further use.
#5. Content Aggregator
Content aggregators work as web frameworks in helping you search for online information faster and easier. Now you can have instant access to the info you’re looking for, from a bulk number of sources. The purpose of content aggregators is to save you time and give you exactly what you need over a specific topic.
Examples of content aggregators are TechMeme (content aggregator to provide you with technology-related articles and news) and Feedly (trending feeds from various industries: politics, fashion, business, marketing, science, etc).
To create a content aggregator by using Python, there are several options that you can use. You can either start from scratch or use WordPress. Later on, you will have to choose a monetization strategy, build strong filtering features, create a design that will capture the readers, etc.
The 5 things that we have elaborated on above, are just some options that you can use to experiment with Python. So, what will you start with?