Boston Python workshop 2/Friday tutorial: Difference between revisions

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Until now we've been executing commands at the Python prompt. This is great for math, short bits of code, and testing. For longer ideas, it's easier to store the code in a file.

<ol>

Open your text editor and create a new file called test.py. The .py extension helps us and other programs recognize that this file will contain Python code.

<li>Download the file http://mit.edu/jesstess/www/BostonPythonWorkshop2/nobel.py. The ".py" extension hints that this is a Python script.</li>

<li>Save the file in your home directory.</li>

<li>Open a command prompt, and use the navigation commands (<code>dir</code> and <code>cd</code> on Windows, <code>ls</code>, <code>pwd</code>, and <code>cd</code> on OS X and Linux) to navigate to your home directory. See [[Boston_Python_workshop_2/Friday_setup#Goal_.234:_practice_navigating_the_computer_from_a_command_prompt|navigating from a command prompt]] for a refresher on those commands.</li>

<li>Once you are in your home directory, execute the contents of <code>nobel.py</code> by typing

<pre>

Copy the following lines into your file:

⚫

python nobel.py.

</pre>

at a command prompt.

<nobel.py>

⚫

<code>nobel.py</code> introduces two new concepts: comments and multiline strings.</li>

Save the file.

Execute the contents of the file by typing at a terminal prompt:

⚫

python nobel.py.

<li>Open <code>nobel.py</code> in your text editor (see [[Boston_Python_workshop_2/Friday_setup#Goal_.232:_Prepare_a_text_editor|preparing your text editor]] for a refresher on starting the editor).</li>

⚫

~~this file~~ introduces two new concepts: comments and multiline strings. ~~Read~~

through the file careful and check your understanding of both the comments and

<li>Read through the file in your text editor careful and check your understanding of both the comments and the code.</li>

</ol>

the code.

==Practice==