Topics

• Downloading Python
• Running IDLE
• Syntax Highlighting
• Creating a Python Script
• Running a Script in IDLE

Downloading Python

• Go to https://www.python.org/downloads/ and download the latest version of Python ...
• greater than version 3.5
• This will create a Python Directory on your machine
• Inside this directory you will find an application named IDLE

Running IDLE

• If you run IDLE it you will be using the Python interpreter ...
• in interactive mode

• You can enter a Python statement in this window ...
• and then hit Enter to run the statement

Syntax Highlighting

• Notice that different parts of the window text appear in different colors
• print appears in purple
• The "hello" inside the parenthesis appears in green
• The output of the print statement appears in blue
• This is called syntax highlighting ...
• a feature your will find in most text editors used by programmers
• Syntax highlighting can make it easier to find mistakes in your code

Creating a Python Script

• If you click and drag down to to "New File" you will get a window ...
• into which you can type Python statements

• But notice that you don't see the >>> prompt ...
• of the Python interactive mode
• If you hit Enter, it will not run the statement ...
• it will merely move down another line
• This window is a Python text editor
• Notice that you see the same syntax highlighting you see in the interactive mode
• This editor has a number of features which make it easier to write Python scripts
• You can save this file as a Python script ...
• which should have a .py extension

Running a Script in IDLE

• If you go back to the interactive mode window and type

  	import  SCRIPTNAME

• where SCRIPTNAME is the filename of the script ...
• without the .py extension ...
• the script will be run inside the interactive mode window

• You can use this editor to create your Python scripts ...
• and then test them in the interactive mode window