[Tutor] first call - newcomer

[Lie Ryan]

On Mon, 2008-10-06 at 05:32 +0200, tutor-request at python.org wrote:
> 
> Message: 8
> Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 20:27:39 -0700
> From: Anthony Smith <gods_bud666 at hotmail.com>
> Subject: [Tutor] first call - newcomer
> To: <tutor at python.org>
> Message-ID: <BLU146-W21D0F815F794C49517F301CA390 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> 
> This is my first post - I will be brief...
>  
> One:  I have programmed before - but it has been DECADES...so just a
> few simple queries:
>  
> 1.  A brief (but complete) description regarding the use of script
> editor (I will be using

Your script editor can be any plain text-editing tools, Notepad could
do.

>      command prompt in Windows), as:
>  
>          a.  details about loading and saving programs (not in that
> order) and little
>               specs about pathnames or other requirements (I will
> probably store all
>               my little goodies in one folder or space).

Pathnames is free, you can name your program anything your OS allows for
a file. A convention is to name the script ending with .py/.pyw
extension (command-line script/GUI script), although python doesn't
complain if it is not in those extension (in Windows, the extension is
associated with the interpreter). Calling a program from command line is
done like this:

python filename.py

>       That should get me going ... a book and manual by my side should
> suffice for
>        the rest - - - except for one thing:

> 2.  I have been unable to locate the gizmo in the literature to get
> ascii codes
>     in python.  In the old days, it was a list of 256 (or so)
> characters that 
>     represented all keyboard symbols (A equalled 36; B equalled 37; et
> cetera).
>    To assign a value, you used "Let A$ = ASC (36)" where A$ was a
> variable
>     and 36 was the ASCII value for 'A'.  I believe the reverse of this
> process
>     was PRINT VAL(A$) or something.  I want to play with a program
> that will
>    assign a number to a word (using a simple algorhythm that will give
> a
>     specific number to every word).  Other stuff is pretty easy to
> find with
>     the book and on-line literature.  I will need to get an ascii code
> out of
>      a string (whose content is not known to the programmer, as
> raw_input).
>     Then to assign, I will need the actual list with assigned numbers.

a = ord('A')
b = chr(36)

-- read on the help file: Built-in Functions
 
> You will be giving me probably the only boost I will need!  I will be
> available later on,
> if I want to take part in the ask/answer system here.