This course will show how one can treat the Internet as a source of data. We will scrape, parse, and read web data as well as access data using web APIs. We will work with HTML, XML, and JSON data formats in Python. This course will cover Chapters 11-13 of the textbook “Python for Everybody”. To succeed in this course, you should be familiar with the material covered in Chapters 1-10 of the textbook and the first two courses in this specialization. These topics include variables and expressions, conditional execution (loops, branching, and try/except), functions, Python data structures (strings, lists, dictionaries, and tuples), and manipulating files. This course covers Python 3.
This course is part of the Python for Everybody Specialization
Using Python to Access Web Data
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About this Course
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Learner Career Outcomes
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started a new career after completing these courses
33%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
15%
got a pay increase or promotion
What you will learn
Retrieve data from websites and APIs using Python
Understand the protocols web browsers use to retrieve documents and web apps
Use regular expressions to extract data from strings
Work with XML (eXtensible Markup Language) data
Skills you will gain
JsonXmlPython ProgrammingWeb Scraping
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
12 hours to complete
Getting Started
In this section you will install Python and a text editor. In previous classes in the specialization this was an optional assignment, but in this class it is the first requirement to get started. From this point forward we will stop using the browser-based Python grading environment because the browser-based Python environment (Skulpt) is not capable of running the more complex programs we will be developing in this class.
6 videos (Total 21 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz
6 videos
Welcome to Python - Guido van Rossum1m
Windows 10: Installing Python and Writing A Program8m
Windows: Taking Screen Shots2m
Macintosh: Using Python and Writing A Program4m
Macintosh: Taking Screen Shots4m
5 readings
Python Textbook10m
Help us learn more about you!10m
Welcome to Python 310m
Notes on Choice of Text Editor10m
Notice for Auditing Learners: Assignment Submission10m
Week
22 hours to complete
Regular Expressions (Chapter 11)
Regular expressions are a very specialized language that allow us to succinctly search strings and extract data from strings. Regular expressions are a language unto themselves. It is not essential to know how to use regular expressions, but they can be quite useful and powerful.
4 videos (Total 44 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes
4 videos
11.2 - Extracting Data15m
Bonus: Office Hours - Den Haag2m
Bonus Interview: Bjarne Stroustrup - C++15m
1 reading
Python Regular Expression Quick Guide10m
1 practice exercise
Regular Expressions20m
Week
33 hours to complete
Networks and Sockets (Chapter 12)
In this section we learn about the protocols that web browsers use to retrieve documents and web applications use to interact with Application Program Interfaces (APIs).
8 videos (Total 68 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes
8 videos
12.2 - Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)14m
Worked Example: Sockets (Chapter 12)6m
Using the Developer Console to Explore HTTP10m
Bonus: Leonard Kleinrock - The First Two Packets on the ARPANET13m
Bonus Video: Robert Cailliau - co-Inventor of the Web9m
Bonus: Office Hours - Atlanta GA (Buckhead)3m
Fun: Dr. Chuck @ CNN Reading the News4m
1 reading
If You Want to Learn More10m
1 practice exercise
Networks and Sockets20m
Week
44 hours to complete
Programs that Surf the Web (Chapter 12)
In this section we learn to use Python to retrieve data from web sites and APIs over the Internet.
8 videos (Total 58 min), 1 reading, 3 quizzes
8 videos
12.4 - Retrieving Web Pages6m
Worked Example: Using Urllib (Chapter 12)3m
12.5 - Parsing Web Pages9m
Worked Example: BeautifulSoup (Chapter 12)9m
Bonus: Office Hours - Montreal4m
Bonus Interview: Tim Berners-Lee - Inventing the Web1m
Fun: I Got My Mojo Working - Geneva, Switzerland5m
1 reading
Notes Regarding the Use of BeautifulSoup10m
1 practice exercise
Reading Web Data From Python26m
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4100 ReviewsTop reviews from Using Python to Access Web Data
Highlights
Practical assignments
(217)High quality content
(256)I have not found an easy way to learn how to code with python language. Mentor are really helpful and Dr Chuck is one of the most self explain professor that I have met in my three university career.
Getting a bit more challenging than the earlier courses in the specialization. The exercises require more struggle, but all the information is there. Another step along the way. Thank you, Dr. Chuck!
Instructor
Charles Russell Severance
Clinical ProfessorSchool of Information
About University of Michigan
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.
About the Python for Everybody Specialization
This Specialization builds on the success of the Python for Everybody course and will introduce fundamental programming concepts including data structures, networked application program interfaces, and databases, using the Python programming language. In the Capstone Project, you’ll use the technologies learned throughout the Specialization to design and create your own applications for data retrieval, processing, and visualization.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.