UsingPython < Main

---++ On a Windows PC, using the command line
   * Make sure your 'path' environment variable points to your Python executable (perhaps C:\Python25).<br />See [[http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000549.htm][this page]] for instructions on how to set the path variable in XP.<br />In Vista, find the control for setting environment variables in 'Start/Control Panel/System and Maintenance/System' and select "Advanced system settings".
   * Use notepad to save a copy of the script you're modifying, with a .py extension, in the directory of your choice. <br />(e.g. "C:\My Documents\Ling472\Assignment 1\elizalike.py")
   * Open a command prompt: From the start menu either <br />select 'All Programs/Accessories/Command Prompt', or <br />select 'run', and type "cmd" in the window that pops up.
   * type "cd" followed by the path to the directory containing your copy of the script.<br />(e.g. "cd C:\My Documents\Ling472\Assignment 1")
   * To run the script, type "python filename.py" in the command window.
   * Edit your script, save it, and test it again with "python filename.py".
---++ On a Windows PC, using the Graphical User Interface

Note: this works best for scripts that do not take any arguments.
   * Save a copy of the script you're modifying, with a .py extension, in the directory of your choice.
   * Associate the .py extension with the Python Interpreter: <br />In your directory, select 'Folder Options' from the tools menu.<br />In the File Types tab, click 'New', and enter the extension 'py'<br />click 'Change' and select the Python Command Line Interpreter
   * To run the script, double click it.
---++ On Dante or one of the Treehouse machines
   * Log in to Dante using ssh and type S at the initial screen to get a shell.
   * Or login to a Treehouse workstation.
   * Make a directory for your scripts: mkdir pythonscripts
   * Go to that directory: cd pythonscripts
   * Make a copy of the starter script you're working on. Save it with a .py extension.
   * Use a text editor such as emacs or pico to edit the script.
   * To run a script type<br /><br />python filename.py<br />
   * Edit your script and save it, and run it again to test changes.
   * You may find it helpful to have multiple terminal windows open, at least one for editing the script and one for running it.
---++ On a Mac running OS X
   * Make a directory, say, inside ~/Documents.
   * Save a copy of the python script you're working on in that directory, with the extension .py.
   * Edit the python script with emacs or textedit. (NB: With textedit, you'll need to make sure to save the file as plain text rather than rtf.)
   * To run the script, in your terminal window, type<br /><br />python filename.py<br />
   * Edit the script with your favorite text editor, and save it.
   * Run it again from the terminal window to see the effect of your changes.
This topic: Main > WebHome > UsingPython
Topic revision: r1 - 2013-03-30 - gslayden