[Tutor] if __name__=='main' vs entry points: What to teach new comers?

[Abdur-Rahmaan Janhangeer]

what difference do you make between python scripts and python code files?

are codes relating to file manipulation called scripts?

Abdur-Rahmaan Janhangeer,
Mauritius
abdurrahmaanjanhangeer.wordpress.com

On 1 Aug 2017 22:48, "Alan Gauld via Tutor" <tutor at python.org> wrote:

> On 01/08/17 15:54, Thomas Güttler wrote:
>
> > He asked me if "if __name__=='main':" is state of the art if you want
> > to translate a shell script to python.
>
> It all depends what you plan to do with the script.
> If you literally just want to translate a shell script such
> that it will always be executed directly then you don't
> even need an 'if name' clause, just hard code the script.
>
> But if you plan in writing some functions that could be
> reused by importing the script as a module then you really
> should use 'if main'...
>
> And if you intend to use your script only as a module
> you should still use 'if name'... but this time call a
> test function that runs some regression tests and/or
> demo code.
>
> But if you want to write a distributable package that
> users can install into their Python infrastructure then
> you should *additionally* create setup scripts with
> entry points etc.
>
> > you want to teach a new comers the joy of python.
>
> For a newcomer I'd ignore packaging for now and focus
> on the benefits of 'if name' over hard coding. One of the
> great things about Python is how insanely easy it is to
> create a file that can act as both a module and
> executable. That can be crazy complex in some other
> languages by comparison.
>
>
> --
> Alan G
> Author of the Learn to Program web site
> http://www.alan-g.me.uk/
> http://www.amazon.com/author/alan_gauld
> Follow my photo-blog on Flickr at:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/alangauldphotos
>
>
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