Question

[Beginner/Not Yet Programmer]

I've never programmed before, so I thought I'd try and learn a bit by
using some Python tutorials. I started using the tutorial at
http://www.honors.montana.edu/~jjc/e...tut/node3.html. It
mentioned different forms of Python, specifically Command Line and
IDLE. Being inexperienced, I'm not sure how to change from Command
Line to IDLE, and I'm not sure which one I'm in when I start up the
program. In my Python folder, the only applications I have are
python.exe and pythonw.exe. Pythonw.exe won't run. So, I run
python.exe, and I'm not sure whether it is IDLE, Command Line, or
neither. Also, I'm unsure of how to save programs, considering when I
run python.exe, it opens up a window which does not have the little bar
with the "File", "Edit", "View" and "Help" buttons on it. If you can
help me out at all, thank you.

[Adam Tomjack]

Double clicking python.exe will give you the command line version. To
run IDLE, click Start -> Programs -> Python 2.x -> IDLE.

pythonw.exe is useful for running GUI scripts. In Windows there are two
types of programs: command line and gui programs. python.exe is the
command line version. Suppose you write a Tk or a wxWindows program
with python and you save it to a file. You can still use python.exe to
run that gui program, but it'll open an extra black window with nothing
in it. That's what pythonw.exe is for. It can't give you a command
line (which is why it disappears right away when you double click it),
but it also doesn't open than extra window when you use it to run a gui
application.

Adam

Beginner/Not Yet Programmer wrote:

I've never programmed before, so I thought I'd try and learn a bit by
using some Python tutorials. I started using the tutorial at
http://www.honors.montana.edu/~jjc/e...tut/node3.html. It
mentioned different forms of Python, specifically Command Line and
IDLE. Being inexperienced, I'm not sure how to change from Command
Line to IDLE, and I'm not sure which one I'm in when I start up the
program. In my Python folder, the only applications I have are
python.exe and pythonw.exe. Pythonw.exe won't run. So, I run
python.exe, and I'm not sure whether it is IDLE, Command Line, or
neither. Also, I'm unsure of how to save programs, considering when I
run python.exe, it opens up a window which does not have the little bar
with the "File", "Edit", "View" and "Help" buttons on it. If you can
help me out at all, thank you.

[wittempj]

Much more useful stuff for beginners is here:
http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide