Learning Python

How to Run Python Programs

So far, we’ve mostly talked about Python as a programming language. But it’s also a software package called an interpreter . An interpreter is a kind of program that executes other programs. When you write Python programs, the Python interpreter reads your program, and carries out the instructions it contains.^[5] In this section we explore ways to tell the Python interpreter which programs to run.

When the Python package is installed on your machine, it generates a number of components. Depending on how you use it, the Python interpreter may take the form of an executable program, or a set of libraries linked into another program. In general, there are at least five ways to run programs through the Python interpreter:

• Interactively

• As Python module files

• As Unix-style script files

• Embedded in another system

• Platform-specific launching methods

Let’s look at each of these strategies in turn.

Other Ways to Launch Python Programs

Caveat: to keep things simple, the description of using the interpreter in this chapter is fairly generic and stresses lowest-common-denominator ways to run Python programs (i.e., the command line, which works the same everywhere Python runs). For information on other ways to run Python on specific platforms, flip ahead to Appendix B. For instance, Python ports for MS-Windows and the Macintosh include graphical interfaces for editing and running code, which may be more to your taste.

Depending on your platform and background, you may ...