In recent times, Python is the most popular language. The boom in Data science has seen tremendous usage of Python over other programming languages. Did you remember when you downloaded Python and how you did that? or if you just downloaded Python to your system, did you noticed a file name Python IDLE?

Don’t worry about too many questions. It’s just to make sure you noticed or not :). Whenever you download python to your PC, you will see an IDLE file. So, what is Python IDLE?

Let’s go through the things briefly!

What is Python IDLE?

Python IDLE stands for Integrated Development and Learning Environment. It is often called Python IDE(Integrated Development Environment). There are many IDE’s are available for your to write better code. But python IDLE is best for beginners who just started learning to program in Python. 

But note that, if you are a Windows and Mac user, python IDLE will come installed with Python. If you are a Linux user, you have to download or install the IDLE.

To Install the IDLE for both Python versions i.e. Python 2 and Python 3 –

sudo yum install python-tools.x86_64
  • Run the above command in terminal to install the python tools.
  • Then run the following commands to start Python 2 and Python 3 respectively. You can start IDLE for python2 or 3 based on requirements.
idle
idle3

Or, if you want to install python IDLE for only Python 3,

sudo apt-get install idle3
  • The above command will install the IDLE which works on Python 3.

Getting started with Python IDLE

To get things started, go to search bar in your PC and search for “IDLE”. Just as shown below.

search for python idle in system
  • Click on the IDLE file to open. (in this case, we are using python 3)
  • The below window will show how it looks like.
open idle
  • Welcome!!!
  • Here, type some code and press “Enter” key to run the code. Note that, in this window, you cannot edit your code once executed. You can see things below.
Python idle window
  • Wow! python IDLE welcomes you! Say ‘Hi’ 🙂 to your partner.
  • Now, let’s create a new file, where you can interpret your code and execute it.
  • Go to “File” option and click on “New File” option as shown below.
new file
  • You can see the new file. Now, write some code and click on the “Run” option in the main menu. Don’t forget to save before you run the code.
write code
  • Want to see the output? Have a look!
output in idle
  • That’s it. It is very easy to use and simple to operate. Best wishes for your coding journey, with your new friend.

Surprise, Surprise and Surprise

Hey, don’t be so excited about your surprise. Because you might not find it soooooo useful. But, you are patiently reading this article till this line and you deserve a surprise that will make your IDLE look good and also protects your vision by long screen time.

Coding will take some reasonable time. Sometimes you will spend more time working with your code.

So, what about turning your IDLE into dark mode?

Are you excited about it?

well, we are going to make it happen now.

  • Click on the “Options” option in the top menu and then click on “Configure IDLE” option.
configure
  • This will open a “Settings” window as shown below.
  • There go to “Highlights” option.
  • Then, click on “IDLE New” option in the left side.
  • There, you have to choose the “IDLE Dark” option to turn your IDLE into a Dark beauty. All these processes are illustrated below. Kindly follow it, to turn it with ease. After all the settings, click on the “Apply” button to see your efforts go live.
settings
  • See your new Dark mode IDLE.
dark mode

I hope you loved the surprise more.

Wrapping Up

Python IDLE is the best coding partner for beginners. It includes most of the basic tools and packages to get things started. This article talks about What is python IDLE, how to install it, configure it and write code and execute it as well. So, with this article, you can start things with a bang. That’s all for now. Next, time will see you with another topic. Till then, Happy Python!!!

Categorized in:

Tagged in:

, , ,