This course is part of the Functional Programming in Scala Specialization

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Martin Odersky

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Functional Programming in Scala SpecializationÉcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

About this Course

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In this course you will learn how to apply the functional programming style in the design of larger Scala applications. You'll get to know important new functional programming concepts, from lazy evaluation to structuring your libraries using monads. We'll work on larger and more involved examples, from state space exploration to random testing to discrete circuit simulators. You’ll also learn some best practices on how to write good Scala code in the real world. Finally, you will learn how to leverage the ability of the compiler to infer values from types.
Several parts of this course deal with the question how functional programming interacts with mutable state. We will explore the consequences of combining functions and state. We will also look at purely functional alternatives to mutable state, using infinite data structures or functional reactive programming.

Recommended background: You should have at least one year programming experience. Proficiency with Java or C# is ideal, but experience with other languages such as C/C++, Python, Javascript or Ruby is also sufficient. You should have some familiarity with using the command line. This course is intended to be taken after Functional Programming Principles in Scala: https://www.coursera.org/learn/progfun1.

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Course 2 of 5 in the

Functional Programming in Scala Specialization

Intermediate Level

Approx. 35 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English

What you will learn

Recognize and apply design principles of functional programs
Design functional libraries and their APIs
Write simple functional reactive applications
Understand reasoning techniques for programs that combine functions and state

Skills you will gain

Laziness
Type Class
Functional Programming
Referential Transparency
Reactive Programming

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 2 of 5 in the

Functional Programming in Scala Specialization

Intermediate Level

Approx. 35 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.72/5 (102 Ratings)

Martin Odersky

Offered by

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating89%(3,912 ratings)

Week

Week 1

12 hours to complete

For Expressions and Monads

We'll start by revisiting some concepts that we have learned from Principles of Functional Programming in Scala; collections, pattern matching, and functions. We'll then touch on for-comprehensions, a powerful way in Scala to traverse a list, process it, and return a new list. We'll see how to do queries with for-comprehensions as well as how the for-comprehension is "desugared" into calls to higher-order functions by the Scala compiler. Finally, we'll discuss what monads are, and how to verify that the monad laws are satisfied for a number of examples.

12 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 76 min), 8 readings, 3 quizzes

8 videos

Introduction1m

Week 1 Introduction58s

Recap: Functions and Pattern Matching12m

Lecture 1.1 - Queries with For5m

Lecture 1.2 - Translation of For6m

Lecture 1.3 - Functional Random Generators23m

Lecture 1.4 - Monads11m

Lecture 1.5 - Exceptional Monads13m

8 readings

Working on Assignments5m

Tools Setup (Please read)10m

Grading Policy10m

SBT tutorial and Submission of Assignments (Please read)10m

Cheat Sheet10m

Scala Style Guide10m

Learning Resources10m

Reactive Cheat Sheet10m

Week

Week 2

7 hours to complete

Lazy Evaluation

This week we'll revisit performance issues caused by combinatorial search, and we'll discover an important concept in functional programming that can address these issues: laziness. We'll also learn a little bit about proofs on trees; in particular, we'll see how to extend structural induction to trees.

7 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 69 min)

Week

Week 3

9 hours to complete

Type-Directed Programming

This week, we’ll learn how to make the compiler write programs for us! We’ll see how the compiler can summon program fragments based on their type and how this mechanism can be used to implement a new form of polymorphism (type classes).

9 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 89 min), 5 readings, 5 quizzes

7 videos

Week 3 Introduction1m

Lecture 3.1 - Contextual abstractions10m

Lecture 3.2 - Using clauses and given instances18m

Lecture 3.3 - Type classes13m

Lecture 3.4 - Abstract algebra and type classes9m

Lecture 3.5 - Context passing26m

Lecture 3.6 - Implicit function types9m

5 readings

Motivating Example10m

Type-Directed Programming10m

Type Classes10m

Conditional Implicit Definitions10m

Implicit Conversions10m

3 practice exercises

Type-Directed Programming

Conditional Implicit Definitions30m

Implicit Conversions

Week

Week 4

1 hour to complete

Functions and State

This week, we'll learn about state and side-effects. Through a rich example, we'll learn programming patterns for managing state in larger programs. We'll also learn about for-loops and while-loops in Scala.

1 hour to complete

5 videos (Total 62 min)

Reviews

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TOP REVIEWS FROM FUNCTIONAL PROGRAM DESIGN IN SCALA

by JMFeb 18, 2019

There's a lot to chew on here, and it's well-articulated. Some of the examples are a bit opaque and academic - a little more of a practical, intuitive approach would go a long way.

by CRMar 17, 2021

i thought i knew scala at the time. but i had trouble putting the pieces together. this course really helped me understand how the various parts can be used together in practice.

by HLMar 5, 2017

Great experience with the assignments. Took some time to get understand all the course materials. Highly recommended. Still can learn a lot after reading fpins

by JSMay 7, 2021

I got even more functional programming knowledge effectively. I also got an Excel or more like Google Sheet core in source code with the Week 5 programming task.

View all reviews

About the Functional Programming in Scala Specialization

Discover how to write elegant code that works the first time it is run.

This Specialization provides a hands-on introduction to functional programming using the widespread programming language, Scala. It begins from the basic building blocks of the functional paradigm, first showing how to use these blocks to solve small problems, before building up to combining these concepts to architect larger functional programs. You'll see how the functional paradigm facilitates parallel and distributed programming, and through a series of hands on examples and programming assignments, you'll learn how to analyze data sets small to large; from parallel programming on multicore architectures, to distributed programming on a cluster using Apache Spark. A final capstone project will allow you to apply the skills you learned by building a large data-intensive application using real-world data.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
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.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Functional Program Design in Scala