Python Starter Guide

Aeishwarya Baviskar
4 min readMay 2, 2023

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Installation, IDE, and more!

Photo by James Harrison on Unsplash

Congratulations, you have decided to embark upon this exciting journey to learn Python! This is a guide to kickstarting your new adventure and making the launch seamless. But first, you will need an IDE!

What is an IDE?

An IDE, or Integrated Development Environment (IDE), is a software application that provides a comprehensive development environment for software developers to write, test, and debug their code. An IDE typically includes a code editor, a debugger, a compiler or interpreter, and other tools to streamline the development process.

The code editor in an IDE provides features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, and code formatting, making it easier for developers to write code quickly and accurately. The debugger in an IDE allows developers to debug their code and find and fix errors more efficiently. An IDE also provides a compiler or interpreter to compile or run the code, and it may include other tools, such as a profiler, to analyze the performance of the code.

IDEs are used by developers working on a wide range of software applications, from small scripts to large-scale enterprise applications. IDEs are available in many programming languages, including Python, Java, C++, and others.

An IDE provides developers with a comprehensive environment to develop, test, and debug their code, with tools to make the development process more efficient and productive.

Here’s a list of some of the best Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) available for Python:

1. PyCharm: PyCharm is a popular and feature-rich Python IDE developed by JetBrains. It has a powerful code editor with code completion, debugging, and refactoring capabilities. It also supports version control systems, databases, and web development frameworks.

2. Visual Studio Code: Visual Studio Code is a free, open-source code editor developed by Microsoft. It has excellent support for Python development, with features such as IntelliSense, debugging, and a built-in terminal. It also has an extensive extension library that provides additional functionality for Python development.

3. IDLE: IDLE is the default IDE that comes with Python. It is a simple and easy-to-use IDE with essential features such as code highlighting, debugging, and a shell for interactive testing.

4. Spyder: Spyder is an open-source scientific Python IDE designed for data analysis and scientific computing. It has a powerful editor with advanced debugging and profiling features. It also supports IPython consoles, Jupyter notebooks, and data visualization libraries.

5. Jupyter Notebook: Jupyter Notebook is an open-source web-based IDE that allows you to create and share interactive notebooks containing code, visualizations, and narrative text. It has support for many programming languages, including Python.

6. Wing IDE: Wing IDE is a commercial Python IDE with advanced features such as code intelligence, debugging, testing, and refactoring. It also supports remote development, version control systems, and web development frameworks.

These are just a few of the many IDEs available for Python. You can choose the one that best suits your needs and preferences.

My personal favourites are Pycharm, and Jupyter Notebooks.

How to install Python?

Installing Python on Windows OS:

  1. Go to the official Python website at https://www.python.org/downloads/.
  2. Click on the “Download Python” button.
  3. Select the latest version of Python that you want to install.
  4. Scroll down to the “Files” section and choose the appropriate installation file for your system. For Windows, select the executable installer (.exe) file.
  5. Double-click the downloaded file to start the installation process once the download is complete.
  6. Select the “Add Python to PATH” option in the installer to access Python from the command prompt.
  7. Choose the installation location and click “Install.”
  8. Wait for the installation to complete, which may take a few minutes.
  9. Once the installation is complete, you can verify that Python is installed by opening the command prompt and typing “python — version”. This should display the version of Python that you installed.

Installing Python with Pycharm on Windows OS:

  1. Go to the official PyCharm website at https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download/.
  2. Click on the “Download” button under the “Community” edition of PyCharm, which is free to use.
  3. Choose the appropriate installation file for your system, either the 32-bit or 64-bit version.
  4. Once the download is complete, double-click on the downloaded file to start the installation process.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation of PyCharm.
  6. Once PyCharm is installed, launch the application and select “Create New Project.”
  7. Choose the location where you want to save your project and select the version of Python you want to use. If you haven’t installed Python yet, select “New environment using Virtualenv” and PyCharm will guide you through the installation process.
  8. Once you’ve selected your Python interpreter, PyCharm will create a new project with a main Python file.
  9. You can start writing and running Python code in PyCharm, and take advantage of its powerful features such as code completion, debugging, and testing.

Installing Python with Anaconda on Windows OS:

  1. Go to the official Anaconda website at https://www.anaconda.com/products/individual.
  2. Click on the “Download” button under the Python 3 version of Anaconda for your operating system (Windows).
  3. Once the download is complete, double-click on the downloaded file to start the installation process.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation of Anaconda. During the installation, you’ll be asked to select the installation location and to add Anaconda to your system PATH.
  5. Once Anaconda is installed, you can launch the Anaconda Navigator, which provides a graphical user interface for managing environments, packages, and applications.
  6. To create a new Python environment, click on the “Environments” tab and select “Create” at the bottom of the window. Choose a name for your environment, select the version of Python you want to use, and select any additional packages you want to install.
  7. Once your environment is created, you can launch the Jupyter Notebook or any other development environment you prefer to start writing Python code.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Python and now you can test your installation by saying Hello!

print("Hello, World!")

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Aeishwarya Baviskar
Aeishwarya Baviskar

Written by Aeishwarya Baviskar

I am a researcher and I believe in magic.

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