The Python foundations cheat sheet.

client = "Okafor & Sons"
hours = 12
print(f"{client} logged {hours} hours — {hours + 2} with the review.")

Text goes in quotes (a string); numbers don’t. An f before the quotes lets you drop values — even calculations — into a sentence with {curly braces}.

matters = ["Contract review", "Due diligence", "IP filing"]
matters.append("Board minutes")   # add to the end
print(matters[0])                 # first item — counting starts at 0

for matter in matters:
    print(f"Status check: {matter}")

The indented line runs once per item. The loop variable (matter) is just a label for “whichever item we’re on”.

if overdue_days > 30:
    print("Send a reminder.")
elif overdue_days > 0:
    print("Keep an eye on it.")
else:
    print("All up to date.")

Indentation isn’t decoration — it’s how Python knows which lines belong to which branch.

def estimate_fee(hours, rate=250):
    return hours * rate

estimate_fee(8)        # uses the default rate
estimate_fee(8, 350)   # overrides it

Write the logic once, name it, reuse it everywhere. return hands the result back.

with open("clients.txt") as f:
    for line in f:
        print(line.strip())

with open("summary.txt", "w") as f:   # "w" overwrites, "a" appends
    f.write("Reviewed 3 files today.\n")

with guarantees the file closes safely, whatever happens.