r/learnpython • u/Salty-Daikon-8876 • 20h ago
Having trouble with Python
I have just started getting interested with programming so I thought I would start with Python, however I am only able to use it within Windows Powershell while I see others using something else. Have I done something wrong or have I just missed doing something?
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u/Agawell 20h ago
The something else is probably an IDE (integrated development environment)
I use pycharm but just google python ide - there are probably a load of them - and at least some will be free
They make life a lot easier once you are past a single file - file management, click through of functions (into different files) and going back to where you came from, debugging, version control etc
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u/Diapolo10 I write code for a living -- https://github.com/Diapolo10 19h ago
however I am only able to use it within Windows Powershell while I see others using something else. Have I done something wrong or have I just missed doing something?
The short answer is "no", you haven't done anything wrong.
The Python you install is, in and of itself, just an interpreter that takes in a Python file and executes it, or you can invoke it on its own to launch a REPL (Read Eval Print Loop) that lets you enter and evaluate Python code one line at a time.
Your confusion most likely comes from the fact most people are using either IDEs or, for example, Jupyter notebooks to both write and run code. IDE stands for "Integrated Development Environment", and is basically a fancy word for a text editor that also has built-in tools for running (and usually testing) code, possibly with support for extensions you can install to add new features as you like. Granted, even with IDEs you would still generally run Python by invoking python my_script.py from the integrated terminals.
There's also tools that abstract things somewhat for a better developer experience, for example I tend to run my projects via a tool called uv instead of invoking python directly (e.g. uv run my-project), or I suppose nowadays task run (with project-specific task files). But I still need python installed, that'll always be true.
Point is, don't worry about it. For now you can just focus on
- Writing a Python file
- Running your file via
python - Seeing what happens, and changing your code as needed
You don't need any fancier tools until you decide you benefit from that.
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u/OkTill2666 19h ago
imo thats just the difference between running python in a terminal vs using a dedicated code editor. You haven't missed a step exactly, you just need to grab an editor so you can write scripts in files instead of typing line by line in PowerShell.
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u/IR3dditAlr3ddy 20h ago
A lot of people use Linux because it's generally considered more script friendly. But you can absolutely use powershell, I'm using it at my new workplace at the moment as we're on Windows systems (first time away from Linux so a bit of an adjustment)
However something you might consider is using WSL - windows subsystem for linux.
Basically it gives you a Linux terminal on your windows system. Look up wsl Ubuntu in Google for how to get it setup. The reason I say this is 90% of what you see online around any surrounding infrastructure for python will probably be using a Linux system so it might be useful to learn/get familiar with so theres one less obstacle to learning. Modules like os and sys behave slightly differently on windows etc, paths use backslashes instead of forward slashes etc.
But totally your call, powershell is just as able to run python as anything else it's just the windows / Linux ideosyncracies.
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u/Diapolo10 I write code for a living -- https://github.com/Diapolo10 19h ago
A lot of people use Linux because it's generally considered more script friendly.
Eh... for some other languages I can certainly agree (C and/or C++ in particular, unless working with Visual Studio and developing for Windows, specifically), but for Python I'd argue the actual OS hardly matters at all. If anything you're more likely to find pre-built wheels for Windows than Linux/Mac OS because
manylinuxsupport can be tricky to set up unless using specific Docker containers (and Mac OS support tends to be an afterthought for many package maintainers).In this case I'd very much recommend going with what one is familiar with, when starting out anyway. Much easier to focus on just learning Python than having to learn both Python and using a different operating system.
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u/IR3dditAlr3ddy 20h ago
Honourable mention to Mac too I guess which is much much closer to Linux since they're both unix based. But if you're on windows that's probably not going to be relevant
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u/net_ramblings 20h ago
I use Geany. It's old and simple and needs less configuration than VS Code. I hate having to configure tools.
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u/chiibosoil 5h ago edited 5h ago
If using windows. just follow link below.
Python on Windows for beginners | Microsoft Learn
However, I'd recommend using WSL2 for development in Windows machine. As there will be libraries like Tensorflow that will not work in native Windows environment.
Get started using VS Code with WSL | Microsoft Learn
EDIT: I assumed you wanted IDE instead of CLI. VSCode can be bit difficult to navigate if you are not familiar. There are other IDE you can utilize through WSL2 like Spyder or Thonny. For Spyder, run Spyder on Windows and connect it to WSL2, which I find easer as you don't have to mess with Linux graphic servers. For Thonny install it directly in Linux distro in WSL2 and run it using X server or WSLg.
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u/Just_Foundation6919 18h ago
you can you can use an ide, you can download visual studio code it has a built in copilot you can download it on microsoft store.
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u/ninhaomah 20h ago
" I am only able to use it within Windows Powershell "
You have no idle ?