"notejam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >I am trying to get started with a interactive version of Python for > windows and need some help. > I have played with the tutorial, and now want to write a program. > > In basic language, I could write something like > 10 print "hello" > 20 print "Jim" > > and if I run it I would get > hello > Jim > > How do I do sometihing simple like that in python? > How do I enter line numbers, or if none, what do I do. > Can the interpreter load a text file with my program in it? > How do I list a program or the parts of a program I am interested in > looking at? > > How do I run a python program? > Hmmm, exactly how much have you "played with the tutorial"? I think if you go back and play some more, you will answer many of these questions for yourself.
In fact, you should find Python to be quite friendly to your past experience. For example, if you take your basic language example, remove the line numbers (Python doesn't use them, and many modern Basics don't either), and just enter the same print statements at the Python command line, you should get the exact same output. Python editing doesn't require a specialized development environment (the way VisualBasic does, for example). Python programs are simply text files, usually saved with a .py extension, that you create, view, print, list, etc. using any plain text editor. (Note: Windows WordPad does not fall in this category - like a slimmed-down version of Word, WordPad inserts many special binary characters for text formatting, which is not at all Python-friendly.) If you use a simple text editor like notepad, enter those same two lines above (remember, without the line numbers) in a text file, name it "HelloJimThisIsYourFirstPythonProgram.py", then open a console window, set your working directory to the same directory where you saved HelloJimThisIsYourFirstPythonProgram.py, and enter at the command line: "python HelloJimThisIsYourFirstPythonProgram.py" (leave off the quotes, they are just there in this message to show you what to type), you should get the same output. And voila! you have run your Python program. I've left out a lot, because there is quite a bit of meat in the tutorials already available. Also, there are more tutorials than just the official one, google about a bit and you should find quite a bit of entry-level material. Lastly, before posting again, please review the Python FAQ's at http://www.python.org/doc/faq/. Don't be another one to exclaim "Shoot! I wish I'd checked the FAQ's before posting that newbie question that everyone is tired of hearing again and again!" Best of luck to you in your new Python adventure! -- Paul -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list