🔵 Read and Understand the Project
Study the working example.
WHY?
Before modifying a project, first read and understand how it works.
Reading the project before changing it builds understanding of the project structure, data flow, commands, and outputs.
Professional work often requires extending existing code rather than starting from nothing.
Understanding a working example supports better technical decisions in later modification and application phases.
Focus on the overall flow of the project. It's not necessary to understand every line of code at this point.
Professional Project Organization
Real-world projects contain many files, so most professional projects follow a predictable organization. You can use the Professional Python Project Explainer to get information about common files and folders.
Objectives
By the end of this phase you should understand:
- the purpose of the project
- the main tools and techniques used
- how data flows through the program
Suggested Reading Order
README.md (root project folder)
- Overview of the project
- Description of the problem and approach
- Instructions for running the project
Documentation (docs/)
- Explanations of the project
- Descriptions of techniques used
Source Code (src/)
Python modules are typically stored in src/. Execution often begins at an entry point near the end of the file:
python
def main():
# This is where execution logic begins
When reading a Python file:
- locate the main() function
- observe which functions are called
- follow how information flows through the program
- note what is passed to each function as arguments (inside the parentheses)
Data (data/)
- Explore the input datasets
- Observe how data is used in the program
Outputs (artifacts/ or output/)
- Review generated results, charts, or reports
Log File (project.log)
- Shows what the program did during execution
- Useful for understanding program flow and debugging
- Confirms the program was executed successfully