Chapter 1 · Lesson 2

Setting Up Python

Setting up Python is straightforward. Here's how to get started:

Installing Python:

Visit python.org and download the latest version
Run the installer (check "Add Python to PATH" on Windows)
Verify installation: python --version

Running Python Code:

Option 1: Interactive Mode (REPL)

Open terminal/command prompt
Type python or python3
Type code directly and see results

Option 2: Script Files

Create a file with .py extension
Run with: python filename.py

Option 3: IDE/Editor

VS Code: Free, popular, great Python extension
PyCharm: Full-featured Python IDE
Jupyter Notebook: Great for data science

Virtual Environments: Keep project dependencies isolated:

code

python -m venv myenv
source myenv/bin/activate  # Linux/Mac
myenv\Scripts\activate     # Windows

Code Examples

Your First Scriptpython

# hello.py - Your first Python script

# Print a greeting
print("Hello, Python!")

# Get user input
name = input("What's your name? ")
print(f"Nice to meet you, {name}!")

# Basic calculation
age = int(input("What's your age? "))
future_age = age + 10
print(f"In 10 years, you'll be {future_age}!")

# Running this script:
# python hello.py

Save this code as hello.py and run it with 'python hello.py' in your terminal.

Quick Quiz

1. What file extension do Python scripts use?

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Code Examples

Your First Scriptpython

# hello.py - Your first Python script

# Print a greeting
print("Hello, Python!")

# Get user input
name = input("What's your name? ")
print(f"Nice to meet you, {name}!")

# Basic calculation
age = int(input("What's your age? "))
future_age = age + 10
print(f"In 10 years, you'll be {future_age}!")

# Running this script:
# python hello.py

Save this code as hello.py and run it with 'python hello.py' in your terminal.