There’s no better way to understand programming than to write code! There are lots of different ways you can practice writing Python…​ there is no excuse for not trying.

  1. Starting out, you might like to try an online Python interpreter like OnlineGDB or jDoodle. You can work on problems there, then copy your code into a Python file using a text editor.

  2. Next, you might like to install Thonny, a Python interpreter designed for learning, on your computer.

  3. Later, you might like to install a more full-featured IDE (integrated development environment).

Along the way, you’ll also want to purchase the lab equipment from the Bookstore.

Online tools

If you just want to write some quick Python to see what it does (an excellent habit to get into!), you might find an online interpreter to be helpful.

Text editors

Python source files are plain text files, which are edited using text editors rather than word processors.

IDEs

An integrated development environment is a program that you can run on your computer to edit, compile, run and debug Python code.