Python Projects for Beginners a ten-Week Bootcamp Approach to Python Programming

Note if you don’t see the “.txt” extension, it’s because you don’t have “extensions” checked in your preferences within file explorer.

Checking a Version Number

The terminal is always a great way to check version numbers of certain software that we download. Since we already downloaded and installed Python, let’s run the following
code:

$ python --version

Clearing the Terminal Output

Sometimes the terminal gets full of useless output or just becomes tough to read. When you want to clear the output, you need to write the following line (for Windows):

$ cls

For Linux/OSX users, you’ll need to type in the following:

$ clear

Using the Python Shell

Python is a language that requires what is called an “interpreter” to read and run the code we create. When the Python shell is activated, it acts as a local interpreter within the terminal session that is open. While it’s open, we can write any Python that we wish to execute. This is generally great for practicing small snippets of code, so that you don’t have to open an IDE and run an entire file. To start the Python shell up, while we are in the directory of “python_bootcamp”, simply type “python” and hit enter. The following will appear:

$ python
Python 3.7.0 (v3)
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information
>>>

The output will show the Python version you’re currently running. You’ll notice the three arrows (>>>), this means that you’re now working within the Python interpreter. While in the Python shell, everything you write is interpreted as the Python language. If for some reason you receive the following response:

$ python
'python' is not recongized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

This means that Anaconda and Python were not installed properly. I’d advise you to go back to yesterday’s lesson and reinstall Anaconda following the step-by-step instructions given. You may need to restart your computer as well.