Python Tutorial Part 8 | Conditional Flow: While Loops

We’ll start exploring loops with the ‘while’ loop in this tutorial. Loops are critical in all programming languages, especially in the control world, where loops form the basis of PLC functionality. In this Python tutorial series, we have begun to explore flow control, beginning with the previous topic of ‘if’ statements. The next basic form … Read more

Licensing Your New Software in the Modern Industrial Landscape

As commercial and industrial software migrates to ‘cloud-based’ and ‘subscription’ models, what does it mean? How does it affect the usability and security of critical parts of control infrastructure? When this author first built a computer in the mid-1990s, software was simple. It was purchased at the store and included a set of floppy disks or … Read more

Python Tutorial Part 6 | Data Structures: Sets

Wrapping up the data structures portion of our journey are sets. This is the least frequently used data structure, but don’t write off the set just yet. Its efficiency and simplicity may provide value in manufacturing data processing. The set data structure in Python is one of the more niche structures that is built into … Read more

Python Tutorial Part 3 | Data Structures: Lists

This section will dive into the world of data structures used within the Python programming environment, starting with one of the more commonly used structures called ‘lists.’ Previously, we discussed various data types that contain information from text to numerical values, critical for every computer system, including PLCs, IPCs, and more advanced OS platforms. What … Read more

Python Tutorial Part 1 | What is Python and Where do I Start?

An introduction to the popular Python language and how to take the first step in learning programming. In this article, learn how to obtain the proper IDE and executable for your OS. Python is, at present, one of the most popular programming languages in the world. In a 2023 developer survey by Stackoverflow, Python ranked … Read more