Getting started with Python

In this chapter, we provide a gentle introduction into Python. We start with an explanation how to download and install Python, the Anaconda distribution, and Spyder. We will then show you how to install the program packages necessary to conduct automated content analysis. Afterwards, we continue with introducing relevant concepts we will encounter during the successive programming steps, before we summarize what skills we have learned in this chapter and what we will need them for in the following chapters. If you are already familiar with Python, then you may skip this section completely. But if you are a beginner or have started programming recently but are unsure about some of the concepts, you can always consult this chapter and its contents.