1. At the website www.python.org, choose the “download” button for Windows, macOS, or
whichever operating system you need.
2. After you download the file, click on it. That will start the installation process. Depending
on your machine, you might need to enter your password before the computer will install
the software.
3. If the computer asks you how to install, choose “install now” which by default will install
both the coding environment (the IDLE) and the underlying compiler.
4. After the files are installed, find the file named “IDLE Python 3” and launch it.
5. Your screen should now look like the one on the
right. In the menus, choose “file” and then “new
file” to open a new window where you can write
your own code and/or paste sample code from
any of the book’s CodeLinks.
6. In the coding window, I suggest clicking “options”
and then “show line numbers” because that will
make it much easier for you to organize and work
with the code. And whenever you are ready, you
can ask the computer to execute your code by
choosing the menu option “run” and then selecting
the “run module” option. The computer will save
your file and then try to execute the instructions.
8. Lastly, this editor has all sorts of tools that will help you write and debug your code
quickly. For instance, in the format menu, the “indent region” and “dedent region” options
help you change indentation when, for example, you are adding or removing an “if”
statement from your code. Just highlight the code that needs to move and click either
indent or dedent. That said, don’t feel like you need to master all the available tools and
features right now. As you use the interface, you will gradually learn more. For now,
though, you can start coding with the editor left as-is. The default setup is well done
and easy to work with.
7. A new window will now open. You will either see an error message (no!!!!!) telling you
about some problem in your code, or your code will execute in that window. And don’t
worry: your original coding window is still there too. This Python editor uses two
windows: one for code, and another for errors and also output.
How to Install Python on Your Portable or Desktop Computer
1. At the website www.python.org, choose the
“download” button for Windows, macOS, or
whichever operating system you need.
2. After you download the file, click on it. That
will start the installation process. Depending
on your machine, you might need to enter
your password before the computer will
install the software.
3. If the computer asks you how to install,
choose “install now” which by default will
install both the coding environment and
the underlying compiler.
4. After the files are installed, find the file
named “IDLE Python 3” and launch it.
5. A new window should now open. In the
menu, choose “file” and then “new file” to
open another window. This is where you
can write your own code and/or paste
sample code from any of the book’s
CodeLinks.
6. In the coding window, I suggest clicking
“options” and then “show line numbers”
because that will make it much easier for
you to organize and work with the code.
And whenever you are ready, you can ask
the computer to execute your code by
choosing the menu option “run” and then
selecting the “run module” option. The
computer will save your file and then try to
execute the instructions.
8. Lastly, this editor has all sorts of tools that
will help you write and debug your code
quickly. For instance, in the format menu,
the “indent region” and “dedent region”
options help you change indentation when,
for example, you are adding or removing an
“if” statement from your code. Just highlight
the code that needs to move and click either
indent or dedent. That said, don’t feel like
you need to master all the available tools
and features right now. As you use the
interface, you will gradually learn more.
For now, though, you can start coding with
the editor left as-is. The default setup is well
done and easy to work with.
7. A new window will now open. You will either
see an error message (no!!) telling you
about some problem in your code, or your
code will successfully execute in that
window. And don’t worry: your original
coding window is still there too. This
Python editor uses two windows: one
for code, and another for output.
