PrettyTable

:dart: Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Install and import the PrettyTable package
• Create and display tables in Python
• Add data to tables using rows or columns
• Format tables with titles and custom styles

:information_source: What is PrettyTable? PrettyTable is a simple Python package that helps you display data in beautiful, easy-to-read tables. Instead of showing messy data, PrettyTable organizes your information into neat rows and columns!

:bar_chart: Why Use PrettyTable?

When you're working with data, you want to make it easy for people to understand. PrettyTable helps you:

• Show data in a clean, organized way - No more messy output!
• Create professional-looking tables - Your data looks neat and tidy
• Save time formatting - PrettyTable does the hard work for you

:bulb: Learn More Want to explore more features? Check out the official documentation: https://pypi.org/project/prettytable/

:emoji: Finding Real Data

You can practice with real data from the Malaysia Open Data Portal: https://www.data.gov.my/. This website has lots of interesting datasets you can use in your projects!

:rocket: Getting Started with PrettyTable

Here are the basic steps you'll follow when using PrettyTable:

1. Install and import package - Get PrettyTable ready to use
2. Create table - Make a new empty table
3. Show table - Display your table on screen
4. Clear data in table - Remove data when you make mistakes
5. Add data into table - Put your information into the table
6. Show table with title - Add a heading to make it clear

:computer: Install and Import Package

Before you can use PrettyTable, you need to install it!

For VSCode Users:

Open your terminal and type:

py -m pip install prettytable

:memo: Google Colab Users Good news! If you're using Google Colab, PrettyTable is already installed. You can skip the installation step!

Import the Package:

After installing, you need to import PrettyTable into your Python program:

from prettytable import PrettyTable

This line tells Python you want to use PrettyTable in your code.

:emoji:️ Create Table

Let's create your first table! You'll use PrettyTable() to make a new empty table. Remember to save it in a variable so you can use it later:

table1 = PrettyTable()

Now you have an empty table called table1 ready to fill with data!

:emoji: Show Table

To see your table, use the print() function. Let's see what an empty table looks like:

print(table1)

Expected output:

++
| |
++
++

That's your empty table! It's waiting for you to add some data.

:emoji: Clear Data in Table

Made a mistake? No problem! You can clear all the data from your table and start fresh using the clear() method:

table1.clear()

This removes all data but keeps the table ready for new information.

:emoji: Add Data into Table

Now for the fun part - adding data! There are two ways to do this:

1. Add field names and rows - Add headers first, then add data row by row
2. Add columns - Add entire columns at once

Let's practice with real data: "Statistics of not following SOP in Malaysia 2020" from the Malaysia Open Data Portal.

:memo: Method 1: Add Field Names and Rows

Step One: Add Field Names

Field names are the headers at the top of your table. They tell people what each column contains:

table1.field_names = ["Fail to", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov"]

These headers describe what's in each column.

Expected output:

+----------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

| Fail to  | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
+----------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
+----------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

Great! Your table now has headers but no data yet.

Step 2: Add Rows

Now let's add the actual data, one row at a time using add_row():

table1.add_row(["Social Distancing", 1973, 1530, 3787, 3424])
table1.add_row(["Wear Mask", 413, 617, 5051, 3155])

Each row contains data for one category across all months.

Expected output:

+-----------------+------+------+------+------+

|     Fail to     | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  |
+-----------------+------+------+------+------+

|Social Distancing| 1973 | 1530 | 3787 | 3424 |
|    Wear Mask    |  413 |  617 | 5051 | 3155 |
+-----------------+------+------+------+------+

Great! Your table now has headers but no data yet.

:bar_chart: Method 2: Add Columns

Sometimes it's easier to add data column by column. Use add_column(field_name, data) for this:

table1.add_column("Fail to",["Social Distancing", "Wear Mask"])
table1.add_column("Aug",[1973, 413])
table1.add_column("Sep",[1530, 617])
table1.add_column("Oct",[3787, 5051])
table1.add_column("Nov",[3424, 3155])

Each column contains all the data for that field.

:memo: Same Result! Both methods (adding rows or adding columns) create the exact same table. Choose the method that works best for your data!

:emoji:️ Show Table with Title

Make your table even clearer by adding a title! Use get_string(title="Your Title") when printing:

print(table1.get_string(title="Statistics of not following SOP in Malaysia 2020"))

The title appears at the top of your table.

Expected output:

+-------------------------------------------------+
|Statistics of not following SOP in Malaysia 2020 |
+---------------------+------+------+------+------+

|       Fail to       | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  |
+---------------------+------+------+------+------+

|  Social Distancing  | 1973 | 1530 | 3787 | 3424 |
|      Wear Mask      |  413 |  617 | 5051 | 3155 |
+---------------------+------+------+------+------+

Your table now has a professional title that explains what the data shows!

:books: Summary

You've learned how to:

• :white_check_mark: Install and import PrettyTable
• :white_check_mark: Create empty tables
• :white_check_mark: Add data using rows or columns
• :white_check_mark: Display tables with titles
• :white_check_mark: Clear tables when needed

PrettyTable makes your data look professional and easy to read. Practice with different types of data to become a table-making expert!

:movie_camera: Video Tutorial

:emoji: AI Prompt

Code with AI: Try using AI to work with PrettyTable for creating formatted tables.

Prompts to Try:

• "Help me create a basic table using PrettyTable with field names for student grades."
• "Show me how to add rows of data to my PrettyTable and display it with a title."
• "Write code to create a table using the add_column method instead of add_row."
• "Help me format my table data to show statistics for a sports competition."

:dart: Practice Challenge

Create your own table showing:

1. Your favorite subjects and grades
2. Sports team statistics
3. Daily temperature readings for a week
4. Your friends' birthdays by month

Remember: The more you practice, the better you'll get at creating beautiful tables!