[Tutor] Running .py files in shell

[Alan Gauld]

"Kevin Rapley" <kevin at digikev.co.uk> wrote

>> The simplest way is to put a "shebang" line at the top of your 
>> script
>> and then make them executable:
>>
>> $ cat>  myscript.py
> What is the significance of this and how do I use it?

> >>> cat > tryme1.py

Notice the difference in the prompt. A dollar sign is the generic
way of indicating a Unix shell prompt.

cat is a Unix command which catenates the output to a file, again 
using
cat like this is a generic way of sayong create a file containing 
whatever
follows cat. In practice you would use a text editor like vim or pico 
etc.

>>>
means the python prompt. You are typing a Unix command into Python
which doesn't reciognise it, hence the error.

My apologies for not being explicit. I assumed since you were using
the shell to run sudo port install that you were an experienced Unix
shell user and would understand the significance of $.

(Incidentally % is the generic way of indicating a rioot user command,
so

% cat > mydfile

implies login as root (or use sudo) to type the command....)

>> Then use chmod +x to make it executable
>>
>> $ chmod +x myscript.py
> When I try to run this with one of my files I get the following 
> error:
>
> >>> chmod +x tryme1.py

Same problem. chmod is the unix command to Change Mode of a file.

>> $ myscript.py
>>
>> Alternatively you can just call python explicitly:
>>
>> $ python myscript.py
> I get a syntax error doing this too:
>
> >>> python tryme1.py

And again, you type python on its own to start a Python interpreter 
session.
You type, in Unix shell, python file.py to get Python to execute 
file.py

You can find a box explaining some of this in my tutor in the Style 
topic,
near the bottom...

HTH,

-- 
Alan Gauld
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/