Of course, the topics on the midterm are fair game also, since the final is comprehensive. They are posted at the bottom of the main CS 115 page.

• Try / except control structure - syntax and semantics
  • TypeError, ValueError
• Strings
  • strings are immutable
  • string comparison (ASCII)
  • string operators and methods
    • concatenation (+)
    • [] (indexing)
    • [:] (slicing)
    • the find method
    • len function for lists and strings
    • strip
    • lower, upper
    • split function
      • operates on strings to produce lists of strings
      • split with no argument (uses whitespace)
      • split with argument given
      • what is whitespace? space, newline, tab
      • what is a "delimiter"?
    • "in" operator, "not in" operator
  • traversing and processing strings with loops (2 ways)
  • string typecasts str()
• Functions
  • parameters/arguments
  • scope - local vs. parameter vs. global
  • lifetime of a variable
  • design of a function - what is in the design? 3 P's
  • when can a function change a parameter permanently
  • functions which return values vs. functions which don't
    • how to call
    • how to write the definition of
  • return statements
  • functional cohesion - "a function should do one job, do it well, and do nothing else"
  • unit testing
  • scaffolding: stubs and drivers
• objects / methods / dot notation - syntax, semantics
• Lists (arrays)
  • properties
    • lists are heterogeneous (elements don't have to be all the same type)
    • have direct (or random) access (can refer to any element without having to access the others before it)
    • don't have to stay the same size all the time - can get larger or smaller
    • ordered - numbered in order using subscripts from 0 up to n-1 - no gaps
      OR from -n to -1 (from right end of list)
    • mutable - their elements can be changed
  • slice, copy() and deep copy (to avoid aliasing)
  • creating lists - 1 and 2 dimensional
  • initializing a list
  • when is a subscript to a list out of range?
  • passing a list as an argument to a function
  • manipulating the elements of a list
    • sequentially
    • randomly
  • len function, append method, concatenation
  • membership in a list "in" "not in"
  • index method
  • slicing a list
  • difference between "for i in list" and "for i in range(len(list))"
  • reverse, max, min, sum, count functions
  • sorting a list using sort method - what does it RETURN? None!
  • comparison of lists and external files
• debugging
  • breakpoint
  • stepping (Step into, Step over, Step out)
  • call stack
  • debugger jobs: slow down the program (allow you to step through one line at a time), show variables' values, show function calls (call stack)
• Structured Programming
  • control structure versus data structure
  • four kinds of control structures
  • general guarantee for all control structures (One entrance, One exit)
  • sequence
    • what is it?
    • guarantees - executed in order, started at first step, ended at last step
  • selection
    • what is it?
    • guarantees - entrance at condition, one branch or the other executed, never both, after exit of either branch, continues at same point
    • dead code - don't do it! logically impossible to execute
  • iteration
    • what is it?
    • guarantees - entrance at condition, exit only from condition at top
    • infinite loop - don't do it!
  • module (function)
    • what is it?
    • guarantees - entrance at top of definition, exit at bottom, returns to point it was called from
    • can have dead code too! don't put code after return statement!
• Selection
  • bool constants - True, False
  • relational operators <, >, etc.
  • logical (boolean) operators - and, or, not
    • precedence with all other operators
    • truth tables - how do the operators work?
  • DeMorgan's Laws not (A and B) is the same as not A or not B, not (A or B) is the same as not A and not B
  • if statements
  • nested if statements
    • which if does the else go with?
  • if - elif statements "open" vs. "closed"
  • tracing ifs
  • test cases for testing ifs
  • comparing floats
  • comparing strings - ASCII ordering
• Random numbers
  • deterministic - what does it mean?
  • randint, randrange, choice, random - what do they each return? what arguments do they have?
  • what does seed do? what does Python use for the seed if you do not call the seed function?
• Loops - for and while
  • syntax
  • for loops
    • how does the range function work? 1 argument? 2 arguments? 3 arguments?
  • while loops - syntax and semantics
  • which loop do you use for which purpose? (definite vs. indefinite)
  • control logic - counter-controlled and sentinel-controlled
  • infinite loops
  • What is the pattern for sentinel logic?
  • What is the pattern for input validation?
  • What are the THREE test cases you use to test a loop?
  • accumulators and counters- how they work
  • the prev/curr pattern - how does it work?
  • flags
    • what type are they? how are they used?
    • initializing them
    • setting them
    • testing them
  • nested loops
  • tracing loops
  • break - how does it work and why you do NOT use it!
• Graphics (Zelle)
  • class versus object
  • constructors like GraphWin(), Line(), Point()
  • objects do things (functions) - those things are methods
  • dot notation for referring to a method of an object
  • clipping on a graphics window
  • coordinate system - setCoords
  • methods for draw, setFill
  • "get" methods versus "set" methods
  • aliasing, clone method
• Files
  • why use files
  • how to open / process / close
  • 3 steps to using them - open, use them, close
  • "opening a file to write to is constructive (creative) and destructive"
  • input data from files (know how much they read, what type they return)
    • read
    • for line in infile
    • delimiter for lines = newline character
  • output to files
    • print(stuff, stuff, stuff, file=file object)
    • fileobject.write(string) - more limited, must be writing one string
  • buffer
  • file modes "r","w","a"
  • sequential access