Back to Basics: The Professional Standard

Bridging the gap from "Script Kiddie" to "Software Engineer."

This repository is the companion code to the Back to Basics YouTube series,a deep re-examination of Python fundamentals through the lens of professional software engineering standards. We don't just teach syntax. We teach memory models, type safety, defensive coding, and the Trigger Standard: the non-negotiable rules that separate amateurs from professionals.

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🛑 The Rules of Engagement

Every line of code in this repository follows these commandments:

• 🔒 Strict Type Hinting — No naked variables. Every function declares its contract:

  def calculate_area(width: float, height: float) -> float:

• 📋 PEP 8 Compliance — Code is automatically formatted with Black and validated with Flake8. Formatting arguments are over.

• 🧠 Memory Awareness — We understand Stack vs Heap, mutable vs immutable, references vs copies. No id() hacks.

• 🛡️ Defensive Coding — Guard clauses replace nested if/else. Fail fast, return early.

  if not user:
      return "Invalid user"
  # Only happy path here

• 🚫 No Global Scope — All executable code lives inside if __name__ == "__main__":. Modules are libraries, not scripts.

• 📚 Complete Docstrings — Every function has a Google-style docstring explaining the why, not just the what.

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📚 The Curriculum

Module	Title	Key Concepts	Status
00_Prerequisites	🧱 The Rust Remover	Memory Model, PEP 8, Mutable vs Immutable	🟢 Complete
01_Strings	🔤 The String Architect	ASCII, Manual Parsing, ord(), String Methods	🟡 In Progress
02_Lists	📊 The Data Crusher	Algorithms, Error Handling, Matrix Logic, Sorting	🔴 Planned
03_Dicts_Sets	🔑 The Hash Master	O(1) Lookups, Hashing, Merging Data, Caching	🔴 Planned
04_Logic	🎲 The Logic Gate	Nested Loops, Math, Visual Patterns, Recursion	🔴 Planned
05_OOP	🏗️ The Class Architect	self vs cls, @staticmethod, Inheritance, Polymorphism	🔴 Planned
06_Advanced	🔮 The Meta-Programmer	Decorators (@), Wrappers, Context Managers, I/O	🔴 Planned

Status Legend: 🟢 Complete | 🟡 In Progress | 🔴 Planned

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🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• Git
• A terminal (bash/zsh/PowerShell)

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/TriggerGuy99/Back-to-Basics-Python.git
cd Back-to-Basics-Python

2. Create a Virtual Environment

# Create the virtual environment
python -m venv venv

# Activate it
# On Linux/macOS:
source venv/bin/activate

# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

This installs:

• Black — Code formatter (PEP 8 automation)
• Flake8 — Linter (style compliance)
• mypy — Type checker (optional but recommended)

4. Verify Setup

python --version  # Should be 3.10+
black --version
flake8 --version

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📖 How to Use This Repository

For Learners

1. Navigate to a module (e.g., 00_Prerequisites/).
2. Read NOTES.md for the deep concepts.
3. Study the example files (*.py).
4. Attempt the exercises.
5. Refer to solutions/ only after you've tried.

For Educators

• All code follows the Trigger Standard explicitly.
• Use this as a reference for what "professional Python" looks like.
• The NOTES.md files are standalone lessons—presentable to any audience.

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🎯 The Philosophy: "Trigger Standard"

The Trigger Standard is our shared standard for professional code:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│    S: Strict Type Hinting              │
│    T: Tests & Type Checking            │
│    A: ASCII & Algorithm Awareness      │
│    N: No Global Scope                  │
│    D: Defensive Coding (Guard Clauses) │
│    A: Automated Linting (Black/Flake8) │
│    R: Readable & DRY Code              │
│    D: Docstrings & Documentation       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Every module reinforces these principles. By the end, you won't just know Python—you'll think like a software engineer.

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🧪 Running Examples

Each module contains runnable examples:

cd 00_Prerequisites
python examples/memory_model.py

All examples include:

• Type hints
• Docstrings
• Guard clauses
• Error handling

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🤝 Contributing

This is an open-source educational repository. Contributions are welcome!

Guidelines

• All code must follow the Trigger Standard.
• Run Black and Flake8 before committing:

  black .
  flake8 .

• Include docstrings and type hints.
• Update NOTES.md if you add new concepts.

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📝 License

This repository is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

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🎬 Related Resources

• YouTube Series: Back to Basics
• Book: Professional Python (coming soon)
• Community: Join our Discord for questions and discussions

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🎓 Final Word

"Code is read 100 times more often than it is written."

Every function, every variable, every line of code you write is a conversation with future developers—most likely yourself, six months from now, exhausted at 2 AM, trying to fix a bug.

Make their life easy. Make your future self proud.

Write code to the Trigger Standard. 🏆

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Last Updated: February 2026 | Maintainer: The Back to Basics Team