[Tutor] How to use Python 2.6 with IDLE?

[Dick Moores]

On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 02:20, Dave Angel<davea at ieee.org> wrote:
> Dick Moores wrote:
>>
>> <snip>
>> I'm not sure how to edit it. What's required for Ulipad is quite
>> different, I believe.
>>
>> This is what I got from Dave Angel:
>> e:
>>  cd \Python26\Lib\idlelib\
>>  ..\..\pythonw.exe idle.pyw %*
>>
>> And I can't decipher it. What is the "..\..\"?
>>
>>
>
> Just ask.    The double-dots are the standard way of indicating "the
> directory above the previous one."  That's useful knowledge not only within
> batch files but also within shortcuts and within Python programs.
>
> The batch file starts by changing to the E: drive.  Then it changes to the
> explicit directory \Python26\Lib\idlelib, and because of the leading slash,
> that refers to an absolute directory, irrespective of what the current
> directory happened to be earlier. The 3rd line means that we want to run a
> program pythonw.exe, located two directories up from the current one,
> *without changing" the current directory.  It could have been written:
>
>    e:\Python26\pythonw.exe idle.pyw %*
>
> but then if you ever changed to a different version, or installed on a
> different drive or directory, you'd have two places in the batch file to
> change.  I like using relative directories where possible.
>
> Finally, the %* at the end means copy whatever other parameters were passed
> to the batch file, as additional parameters to the program.

Thanks, Dave. Very informative.

Dick