Recommended Python IDE / Distribution ?

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awneil
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Posted by awneil: Thu. Feb 4, 2021 - 10:25 PM
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There was a discussion recently about getting started with python

 

in it someone (Cliff?) recommended a Python IDE / Distribution that I'd not heard of, but it sounded interesting.

 

Of course, now that I need to install Python, I can't remember what it was called. And I can't find the discussion.

 

frown

 

Any ideas?

 

This topic has a solution.

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Tools, Compilers and General Programming, solved, TypeScript, Visual Studio Code
Last Edited: Thu. Feb 4, 2021 - 10:44 PM
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jm8861
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This reply has been marked as the solution. 
Posted by jm8861: Thu. Feb 4, 2021 - 10:38 PM
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PyCharm is a great IDE. depending on how complex your application is you might be able to use the free version.

 

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awneil
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Posted by awneil: Thu. Feb 4, 2021 - 10:45 PM (Reply to #2)
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Yes - that's the one!

 

And it was in my own thread - on the Raspberry Pi Pico: https://www.avrfreaks.net/commen...

 

EDIT

 

PyCharm from JetBrains: https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/

Top Tips:

  1. How to properly post source code - see: https://www.avrfreaks.net/comment... - also how to properly include images/pictures
  2. "Garbage" characters on a serial terminal are (almost?) invariably due to wrong baud rate - see: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/serial-communication
  3. Wrong baud rate is usually due to not running at the speed you thought; check by blinking a LED to see if you get the speed you expected
  4. Difference between a crystal, and a crystal oscillator: https://www.avrfreaks.net/comment...
  5. When your question is resolved, mark the solution: https://www.avrfreaks.net/comment...
  6. Beginner's "Getting Started" tips: https://www.avrfreaks.net/comment...
Last Edited: Thu. Feb 4, 2021 - 11:35 PM
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westfw
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Posted by westfw: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 12:39 AM
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I've been using Spyder, which I installed as part of "Anaconda", which was recommended as part of a MOOC I took.

Altogether, it's huge (~5GB, which "someone" seems to have decided is an "acceptable size" for a development environment.)  But it seems to include everything pythonesque that you might normally have to install one at a time.

 

I don't have any other complaints.

I'll add that using a python-specific IDE/Editor seems to pretty much eliminate the confusion and discomfort I expected to experience with a whitespace-significant language.  The editors will recognize indentation errors so early in the process of writing python code, and enforce "proper" indentation, that this "issue" disappeared from my list of worries.

 

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avrcandies
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Posted by avrcandies: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 01:54 AM
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I have the paid Pycharm Pro edition & think its great (other than the yearly fee) ...it can be a bit overwhelming, but I use its remote development capabilities...at the same time I like the simple & effective Geany, once a number of useful plugins are put in place.

When in the dark remember-the future looks brighter than ever.   I look forward to being able to predict the future!

Last Edited: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 01:55 AM
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barnacle
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Posted by barnacle: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 06:24 AM
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There is an online python 'IDE' called CodeSkulptor - http://www.codeskulptor.org/ - which I came across as part of an online course. Handy and well documented.

 

Neil

Neil Barnes
www.nailed-barnacle.co.uk

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meslomp
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Posted by meslomp: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 07:05 AM
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A colleague recently brought up "thonny" as an IDE to start playing with Python.

Have installed it, but not yet had any time to actually play with it though :(

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awneil
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Posted by awneil: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 07:17 AM (Reply to #4)
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westfw wrote:
I've been using Spyder

https://www.spyder-ide.org/

 

Yes, that's the one I've generally used.

Top Tips:

  1. How to properly post source code - see: https://www.avrfreaks.net/comment... - also how to properly include images/pictures
  2. "Garbage" characters on a serial terminal are (almost?) invariably due to wrong baud rate - see: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/serial-communication
  3. Wrong baud rate is usually due to not running at the speed you thought; check by blinking a LED to see if you get the speed you expected
  4. Difference between a crystal, and a crystal oscillator: https://www.avrfreaks.net/comment...
  5. When your question is resolved, mark the solution: https://www.avrfreaks.net/comment...
  6. Beginner's "Getting Started" tips: https://www.avrfreaks.net/comment...
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Gold Markclawson
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Posted by clawson: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 09:34 AM
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Believe it or not but it seems Microsoft have "seen the light" and recognise the importance of Python so that later Visual Studios (2017, 2019) seem to know about it:

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us...

 

But I think I still prefer Pycharm as it's been dedicated from the ground up (and there is a free version for hobbyists).

 

Having said all that - being a luddite - if I just want to "try something out" I often find myself simply running Python interactively from the command line and effectively treating it as if it were something like GW-Basic !

Last Edited: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 09:35 AM
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westfw
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Posted by westfw: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 09:51 AM
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I often find myself simply running Python interactively from the command line and effectively treating it as if it were something like GW-Basic !

It's also handy to be able to run a program or partial program  "interactively" ("python -i foo.py") and then be able to poke around at the data structures that the more complex calls have left lying around...

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bugleboy
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Posted by bugleboy: Fri. Feb 5, 2021 - 06:13 PM
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Not an IDE, but IPython and jupyter notebook are awesome for what I use them for (signal/data analysis) which involves sharing results with people how understand the analysis concepts, but don't do programming much.

 

There have been a couple of instances where I've run the model, exported the results in a note book at pdf, sent out and been onto making the coffee while some major bloat spreadsheet is still churning through every cell... Also very quick to get started, intuitive and interactive work flow so a good intro to python... check it out

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ron_sutherland
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Posted by ron_sutherland: Sat. Feb 6, 2021 - 01:45 AM
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VScode for Python is my pick. I run its server on a headless Linux machine, which I remote into from my Windows desktop with its client. I do the same for my C programs, and I probably should not admit this but a little JS.

 

Update: I have never used the Win 10 calculator app, I find it better to use the Python CLI, and history in its readline interface, since I often goof the numbers up and need a redo.

my projects: https://github.com/epccs

Last Edited: Sat. Feb 6, 2021 - 05:42 AM
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gchapman
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Posted by gchapman: Sat. Feb 6, 2021 - 02:39 PM (Reply to #12)
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ron_sutherland wrote:
... and I probably should not admit this but a little JS.
Do ... or not ... Microsoft has TypeScript.

TypeScript: Typed JavaScript at Any Scale.

GitHub - microsoft/vscode: Visual Studio Code (93.7% TypeScript)

TypeScript creator: How the programming language beat Microsoft's open-source fears | ZDNet

 

"Dare to be naïve." - Buckminster Fuller

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ron_sutherland
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Posted by ron_sutherland: Wed. Feb 17, 2021 - 08:31 PM
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ron_sutherland wrote:
I have never used the Win 10 calculator app

 

https://pythonnumericalmethods.berkeley.edu/notebooks/chapter01.02-Python-as-A-Calculator.html

my projects: https://github.com/epccs

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