Python Tutorial: Getting Started

What is Python?

Python is a relatively new language which is both great for beginning programmers and a language really used in the world today. The following are its key ingredients:

• An interactive interpreter
• Relaxed typing
• Object-less or object-oriented
• Lots of cool libraries (e.g., media computing, Google/Amazon web services)
• Bare-bones syntax
  • Allows beginning students to focus on problem solving
  • allows beginning students to create cool programs early on.

Using the Interactive Python Interpreter

1. On Windows, Select Start | Programs | Python2.4 | IDLE

2. In the window that appears, you should see the python prompt >>>. This is asking you to enter python commands. Type in the following to see what happens (don't type the >>>):

    >>> print 'hello'.

    >>> print 3*6

    >>> print 3/6

    >>> print 3.0/6.0

    >>> print 2+4*2

    >>> print 'abc'+'def'

    >>> first='david'

    >>> last='wolber'

    >>> print first+' '+last

    >>> x = 5

    >>> print x*7

    >>> print 'x'*7

    >>> grades=['a','b','c']

    >>> grades[1]

    >>> grades[2]=44

    >>> list

    >>> grades[3]=55

Writing a Program in a File

You can also write a program in a file and run the whole thing at once. Select File | New Window. Then just enter some python commands in the window and save the file with a ".py" extension, e.g., hello.py.

1. Create a new file and enter the following statements:

print "hello"
print "world"
name = "jive"
print name

2. Save the file as 'hello.py' in a subdirectory 'pythonCode' of your h: directory.

Run the program by selecting Run | Run Module.

The following should print:

hello
world
jive.