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<H2><A NAME="SECTION003110000000000000000">
1.1.1 How to run a Python script</A>
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<P>
Your best way to get started with Python on Mac OS X is through the PythonIDE
integrated development environment, see section <A href="IDE.html#IDE">1.3</A> and use the Help
menu when the IDE is running.
<P>
If you want to run Python scripts from the Terminal window command line
or from the Finder you first need an editor to create your script.
Mac OS X comes with a number of standard <font style="font-variant: small-caps;">Unix</font> command line editors,
<b class="program">vi</b> and <b class="program">emacs</b> among them. If you want a more Mac-like
editor <b class="program">BBEdit</b> or <b class="program">TextWrangler</b> from Bare Bones Software
(see <a class="url" href="http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/index.shtml">http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/index.shtml</a>) are
good choices. Their freeware <b class="program">BBEdit Lite</b> is officially
discontinued but still available. <b class="program">AppleWorks</b> or any other
word processor that can save files in ASCII is also a possibility, but
<b class="program">TextEdit</b> is not: it saves in <span class="file">.rtf</span> format only.
<P>
To run your script from the Terminal window you must make sure that
<span class="file">/usr/local/bin</span> is in your shell search path before <span class="file">/usr/bin</span>,
where the Apple-supplied Python lives (which is version 2.2, as of Mac OS X
10.2.4).
<P>
To run your script from the Finder you have two options:
<UL>
<LI>Drag it to <b class="program">PythonLauncher</b>
</LI>
<LI>Select <b class="program">PythonLauncher</b> as the default application
to open your script (or any .py script) through the finder Info window
and double-click it.
</LI>
</UL>
<P>
PythonLauncher has various preferences to control how your script is launched.
Option-dragging allows you to change these for one invocation, or use its
Preferences menu to change things globally.
<P>
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<span class="release-info">Release 2.3.4, documentation updated on May 20, 2004.</span>
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