Wade: Chapter 2: Working With Python Editors

Mack Wade

Chapter 2: Working with Python Editors

Notes

This chapter wasn’t too hard to follow along to. I’m pretty familiar with Pro and some of the terms used. I only followed along with the Python window in Pro. 

Key Terms:

  • Command Line Interface: A command-line interface processes commands to a computer program in the form of lines of text.
  • Dependency: to refer when a piece of software relies on another one. Simply put, if Program A requires Program B to be able to run, Program A is dependent on Program B.
  • Environment: a hardware platform and the operating system that is used in it
  • Interactive Interpreter: Python interpreter runs each line of your code directly. This allows you to use the Python interpreter interactively, simply by typing python at a command prompt.
  • Module: A module is a software component or part of a program that contains one or more routines
  • Package Manager: A package manager or package-management system is a collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer’s operating system in a consistent manner.
  • Printing: refers to writing text on the screen
  • Prompt: signals where you can type code
  • PyCharm: PyCharm is an integrated development environment used in computer programming
  • Python editor: has a menu-driven interface and tools for organizing and testing Python scripts to make working with Python easier
  • Python environment: A virtual environment is a tool that helps to keep dependencies required by different projects separate by creating isolated python virtual environments for them. 
  • Python Package manager: Python Package Manager is a Python utility intended to simplify the tasks of locating, installing, upgrading and removing Python packages. It can determine if the most recent version of a software package is installed on a system, and can install or upgrade that package from a local or remote host.
  • Python Shell: Python provides a Python Shell, which is used to execute a single Python command and display the result.

 

Review Questions

  • Which Python editor comes installed with every version of Python? 
    • IDLE comes installed with every version of python. 
  • What are some of the recommended Python editors to work with in Pro?
    • Spyder, Pycharm
  • What is syntax highlighting?
    • Syntax highlighting is a feature of text editors that are used for programming, scripting, or markup languages, such as HTML. The feature displays text, especially source code, in different colours and fonts according to the category of terms.
  • What is the file extension for a Python script file?
    • .py 
  • How do you open the Python window in Pro?
    • Analysis Tab > Python > Python window
  • What are some typical examples of autocompletion prompts in the python window, and how do they help you write proper code
    • They assist in reducing the amount of writing you need to do