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

Alan Gauld alan.gauld at yahoo.co.uk
Wed Aug 2 05:14:47 EDT 2017


On 02/08/17 04:35, Abdur-Rahmaan Janhangeer wrote:
> what difference do you make between python scripts and python code files?
> 

Not much. Scripts are a concept more than a defined term,
they often refer to executable programs written in a
"scripting language" - which is usually an interpreted
language, like Python. Scripts traditionally coordinate
the actions of other, external programs, but as scripting
languages get more powerful they increasingly do all
the work themselves.

Code files covers any file containing code. Thus a
script is a subset of code file since it contains code.
But code files are not all executable, some are modules
to be imported by other code files (including scripts).

> are codes relating to file manipulation called scripts?

Not necessarily. Scripts tend to be shorter, comparatively
simple programs, similar to OS utilities. So they might
manipulate files, or they may tweak environment or
network settings etc. But some programs that manipulate
files are much more complex than that (think of a web
server) and would not normally be called scripts.

But it is a very vague area, the naming of scripts,
programs, applications, systems, modules, packages,
libraries etc. There are no clear definitions of
where one stops and the next begins.

-- 
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




More information about the Tutor mailing list