Philadelphia Python Workshop/Setup/OSX text editor
Our Recommendation
On OSX, we suggest using Sublime, or Komodo Edit. Sublime and Komodo Edit are both available for free, but Sublime has an indefinite free trial period and requests that you purchase a license (you can ignore this for now).
Sublime
Sublime Text is available from Sublime's web page. It as a (non-free) lisence, but you can use the free trial period for as long as you like.
Installation
- Go to the main page and click on the blue button that says "Download for OS X".
- Save the file to your desktop or downloads folder (or another convenient location).
- Double click on the file (Sublime Text 2.0.1.dmg) to extract it.
- In the newly opened window, drag the file Sublime Text 2.app into the Applications folder (a shortcut to your computer's applications)
- To run Sublime:
- Search for Sublime Text 2 in the Spotlight.
- OR Start Finder, select Applications from the left menu, then find and double-click on Sublime Text 2.
- If a text-editor window doesn't pop up, let a staff member know.
Setup
- Start the Sublime Text editor.
- With Sublime as the active window, click on Sublime Text 2 in the top menu, scroll the mouse over Preferences, then click Settings - Default. A new tab will open with text and options in it.
- Scroll down until you see the line
"translate_tabs_to_spaces": false, - On that line, change false to true so that it reads
"translate_tabs_to_spaces": true, - Save the settings by pressing
Command+sor clicking on File, then Save. - Now every time you press the tab key, it should insert four spaces instead of a tab.
Komodo Edit
Komodo Edit is a free editor available from Active State.
Installation
- Go to the downloads page and click on the blue button that says "Download Komodo Edit 8.0.1 for Linux".
- Save the file to your desktop (or another convenient location).
- Double click on the file to extract it, then open the extracted folder.
- The official instructions are in the install.html file.
- If you are comfortable with using a command prompt you can follow those instructions to install the program.
- Otherwise, open the INSTLLDIR folder, then open the bin folder. Double-click the file komodo to start the program.
- If the program does not run, ask a staff member for assistance.
Setup
- Once Komodo is running, click on Edit in the menu, then select Preferences.
- On the left-side menu, click on Editor to expand it, then click on Indentation
- In both Global Indentation Settings and Per Language Indentation Settings, make sure Prefer Tab characters over spaces is UNchecked, and make sure both fields for Number of spaces per indent and Width of each Tab character are 4.
- Click on OK. Now the editor should add four spaces instead of a tab character when you press the tab button.
- To open a file, click on the New File label in the lower right. Select Python (not Python3) from the menu.
- A new file should open with
#!/usr/bin/env pythonas the first line. This is a comment, and can be deleted or ignored. - If a new file doesn't open, ask a staff member for assistance.
Success!
If you prefer a different editor for text, check with an instructor before moving on to make sure it will work for the weekend.