Python is a popular and versatile programming language that can be used for various purposes, such as web development, data analysis, machine learning, game development, and more. One of the advantages of Python is that it is an interpreted language, which means that you can run your code without compiling it first. This allows you to test your code quickly and easily, and also to learn Python interactively.

There are two main ways to run Python code interactively: using the interactive interpreter or using the IDLE editor. In this article, we will explain what they are and how to use them.

What is the interactive interpreter?

The interactive interpreter is a program that lets you type Python commands and see the results immediately. You can use it to perform simple calculations, experiment with different features of Python, or debug your code. To start the interactive interpreter, you can either open a terminal or command prompt window and type python, or use an online tool like Repl.it.

When you start the interactive interpreter, you will see a prompt that looks like this:

>>>

This means that the interpreter is ready to accept your commands. You can type any valid Python expression or statement and press Enter to execute it. For example:

>>> 2 + 3

5

>>> print("Hello, world!")

Hello, world!

>>> name = input("What is your name? ")

What is your name? Alice

>>> print(f"Nice to meet you, {name}!")

To exit the interactive interpreter, you can either type exit() or press Ctrl+D (on Linux or Mac) or Ctrl+Z (on Windows).

What is the IDLE editor?

IDLE is an integrated development environment (IDE) that comes with Python. It provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that lets you write, edit, run, and debug Python code. IDLE also has an interactive shell that works like the interactive interpreter, but with some additional features, such as syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and indentation.

To start IDLE, you can either find it in your applications menu or type idle in a terminal or command prompt window.

The top part of the window is the interactive shell, where you can type and execute Python commands. The bottom part of the window is the editor, where you can create and save Python files. To create a new file, you can either click on File -> New File or press Ctrl+N. To save a file, you can either click on File -> Save or press Ctrl+S. To run a file, you can either click on Run -> Run Module or press F5.

For example, suppose you create a file called hello.py with the following content:

# This is a comment

print("Hello, world!")

To run this file, you can either press F5 or click on Run -> Run Module. You will see the output in the interactive shell:

>>> 

==================== RESTART: C:\Users\Alice\hello.py ====================

Hello, world!

>>>

You can also use the interactive shell to interact with your code. For example, if you define a variable or a function in your file, you can access it from the shell after running the file. For example:

# This is a comment

print("Hello, world!")

x = 10 # This is a variable

def square(n): # This is a function

    return n ** 2

After running this file, you can type x or square(5) in the shell and see the results:

>>> 

==================== RESTART: C:\Users\Alice\hello.py ====================

Hello, world!

>>> x

10

>>> square(5)

25

>>>

To exit IDLE, you can either click on File -> Exit or press Alt+F4.

You can use them to write and run simple programs, experiment with different features of Python, or debug your code. However, if you want to work on more complex projects, you may want to use a more advanced IDE or editor that offers more features and functionalities. Some examples of popular IDEs and editors for Python are PyCharm, Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, and Atom. You can try them out and see which one suits your needs and preferences best.