Command Line, Git, and Python Basics Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering file system commands, Git workflow, integrated development environments, and basic Python programming concepts from the lecture notes.

df command

A command line utility, short for disk free, used to list the drives or partitions on a computer.

ls command

A command line utility, short for list, used to list the files in the current directory.

ls -la

A command option combination used to list detailed information about all files in the current directory, including hidden files, permissions, owner, group, file size, and last modified date.

mkdir

A command used to create a new directory with a specified name in the file system.

cd

A command, short for change directory, used to navigate into a specified directory within the file system.

Version Control System (VCS)

A software system used to manage a persistent, versioned backup of files and maintain a complete history of changes.

git clone

A Git command used to download a local copy of a remote repository from a specified URL onto a computer.

Working Copy

The directory in the local file system where a developer directly creates, reads, updates, and deletes project files.

Staging Area

A temporary intermediate caching area in Git where changes are gathered before being committed to the local repository.

Local Repository

A local file system copy of a repository containing all tracked project files alongside their complete version history.

Remote Repository

A central backup copy of a repository hosted on a separate server or computer, such as GitLab.

git status

A Git command used to check the state of the working copy, displaying untracked, modified, or staged files.

git add

A Git command used to stage untracked or modified files from the working copy into the staging area.

git commit

A Git command used to permanently record staged changes into the local repository along with a required commit message.

git push

A Git command used to upload committed local repository updates to a remote repository on a server.

Statement

An instruction written in code that directs the computer to perform a specific action.

Syntax

The set of formal rules governing the precise arrangement of symbols, letters, numbers, and punctuation to form valid statements in a programming language.

String

A sequence of characters enclosed within double quotes or single quotes in Python.

print() function

A built-in Python function that sends strings or other provided arguments as text to standard output.

REPL

An acronym for Read-Evaluate-Print Loop, referring to the interactive shell mode of the Python interpreter that reads input statements, evaluates them, prints the results, and loops.

input() function

A built-in Python function that displays an optional prompt and reads user input from standard input, returning it as a string.

Variable

A named location in memory used to store data that can be accessed or modified later in a program.

Identifier

A user-assigned name for variables, functions, or other entities in Python that must begin with a letter or an underscore and contain only letters, numbers, and underscores.

Argument

A concrete value, variable, or expression passed into a function inside its parentheses when the function is called.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

A comprehensive software application, such as Visual Studio Code, that combines file management, code editing, terminal access, version control, and debugging in a single interface.

Function

A named block of related programming statements that executes together whenever the function is called.

def keyword

A reserved Python keyword used to declare and define a new function.

Docstring

A multi-line comment placed as the first statement inside a function body, delimited by triple-double quotes, used to document the function's purpose.

Expression

A code snippet that, when evaluated by the interpreter, results in a single value.

Floor division operator

The Python arithmetic operator $//$ that divides two numbers and rounds the result down to the nearest whole number.

Mod operator

The Python arithmetic operator $\%$ that returns the remainder from the division of two numbers.

Exponent operator

The Python arithmetic operator $**$ that raises a number to a power $x^y$.

Type casting

The process of converting a value from one data type to another using built-in functions such as $int()$, $float()$, or $str()$.

ASCII

An acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a standard character-encoding scheme mapping characters to integer values from $0$ to $127$.

ord() function

A built-in Python function that accepts a single character as an argument and returns its corresponding integer ASCII code.

chr() function

A built-in Python function that accepts an integer ASCII code as an argument and returns its corresponding character.

Parameter

A named variable defined inside a function header's parentheses that receives the value of an argument passed into the function.

Global scope

The accessibility region of a variable declared outside all functions, allowing it to be accessed anywhere within the program.

Local scope

The accessibility region of a variable declared inside a function, restricting its usage exclusively to the block of code within that function.