[Tutor] IDLE Usage - was Interpreter Restarts

[Tiger12506]

> Luke, Jacob, et. al...
>
> Dumb question (may be slightly off course from what you two were 
> discussing), but are you both describing how to get the IDLE to run along 
> with the editor?  I may just be getting too many things confused.  I've 
> tried to run IDLE, but that's not working.  I have the same function 
> through opening it separately from the Start menu but then it doesn't work 
> as IDLE should work with the editor (or so I've been told that happens). 
> I can type the word Python in my editor and it comes up, but then the 
> editor is gone.  I've gone so long with just SSH, but at this point it's 
> worth it if I find a way that makes sense.  As someone mentioned from this 
> list, at least it'll be code that is easier to read for a newbie like 
> myself.
>
> (Hope that didn't confuse or cause unnecessary headaches...)
>
> Sara

Not quite what we were discussing, but I think you may have given just 
enough clues that i can be of some help. Just for reference ~ which editor 
are you using?

IDLE is both an editor and a python shell or interpreter. It is not the same 
thing as typing python.exe wherever you might be typing it.

Typing Python into an editor should put the word "Python" into your 
currently open file. I don't believe that this is what you mean. Perhaps you 
are confusing what exactly is an editor?

You use Windows you've mentioned before. So here's what you can do. Start -> 
Programs -> Python 2.5 -> Python (commandline)

This is the python interpreter. As you might already know.

And then this.
Start -> Programs -> Python 2.5 -> IDLE (Python GUI)

This is IDLE. As you probably know.

Two windows should come up when you click IDLE. One is an editor. The other 
is the python shell, or interpreter. You can open .py files in IDLE by right 
clicking and selecting "Edit with IDLE". At any time that you wish to run a 
program that is open in the editor half of IDLE, hit F5 and the Python shell 
half of IDLE comes to the top and runs the program.

If doing all that doesn't do what I expect it to do, or you have something 
else in mind, reply back. If it does, then great!

Oh. And tell me which editor you are using which magically opens a python 
interpreter when you type Python into it. ;-)

JS