Python is a very Mac-style language. It ditches many of the syntax conventions of traditional programming languages in favor of human-readable code, tab-based hierarchy, and abstracted memory management. It’s a great first programming language especially, which leaves a lot of folks looking for explanations on how to perform tasks that are apparently so simple, no tutorial thought to explain them. Run a Python script on macOS is often one of those things.
If you’re not familiar with the language, you can recognize scripts written in Python by their distinctive “.py” file extension. Python scripts can be executed in a couple different ways, depending on what tools you have at your disposal.
The most basic way to create and run a Python program is to create an empty file with a.py extension, and point to that file from the command line with python filename.py. Alternatively, you can use the default Python IDLE which comes installed with Python. You can write and execute your code inside IDLE. Mac users can run Python scripts using Terminal. Launch Terminal to begin. There are two common ways to run a Python script from the command line. You can call the python program directly, and pass the name of the script to execute. Or you can make the script executable, and call it directly. Open up Terminal (Applications Utilities) and type in: sudo find / -iname.app. This will display all the apps you have on your computer. From there, you can copy and paste the results into a. The terminal.app is relatively a great terminal emulator. Since it comes as standard with MacOS, it negates the need to download or install a separate one. For those who are looking for a great terminal, this it. In addition, it uses the least amount of resources compared with the other terminal emulators.
Run a Python Script With Terminal
Just click the Run Python File in Terminal play button in the top-right side of the editor. The button opens a terminal panel in which your Python interpreter is automatically activated, then runs python3 hello.py (macOS/Linux) or python hello.py (Windows): There are three other ways you can run Python.
This most universal method uses only built-in tools and utilities.
![Run python file in terminal Run python file in terminal](/uploads/1/3/4/2/134206426/808352610.png)
1. Take note of the path of the Python script in Finder.
If you’re not sure what the path is, you can find out easily. Right-click on the file while holding down the Option key and select “Copy … as Pathname” to copy the path to your clipboard. How to sync apps between iphone and mac.
1. Use the cd command to navigate to the folder containing the Python file. If you copied the pathname above, paste the pathname after the cd command. If you need a quick refresher on how cd works, check out our introduction to Terminal. Office app download mac.
2. Type the following command to execute the script:
Of course, replace filename with the actual name of your script. In our example, we replaced it the filename with configure.py.
Run a Python Script with Python Launcher
By default, macOS comes with Python 2.7.3 installed. That’s not the newest version of Python, however. If you’ve installed Python 3, you’ll have access to a few more software tools. These include the Python Launcher, a GUI program that runs Python scripts. If it is installed on your Mac, you can run Python scripts from Finder.
1. Locate the Python script file in Finder.
2. Right-click the file and select “Open With -> Python Launcher” from the context menu.
Alternatively, Python scripts can be dragged onto the Python Launcher icon. This works with the Python Launcher icon in both the Dock and in the Applications folder.
Configuring the Python Launcher
You can also adjust the Python Launcher with a few additional options. With these options, you can select your version of Python, enable debugging tools, and adjust how the script runs. These options will be mostly of interest to those with some knowledge of the Python programming language.
The Python Launcher Preferences window opens in the background automatically when Python Launcher is executed. You can also open it manually by selecting “Python Launcher -> Preferences” from the Python Launcher menubar.
The preferences window can also be invoked before running a script. Drag the script on the Python Launcher icon while holding the option key, and the preferences menu will spawn before the script is run, allowing you to adjust settings that will only apply to this run of the script. Typically, changes to the Python Launcher preferences are global, affecting all future scripts.
Run a Python Script with IDLE
Python files can also be run within the Python IDE, IDLE. For Python programmers working within the integrated development environment, this makes sense. But if you’re just looking to quickly launch a script, it’s like lighting a cigar with a cruise missile. Impressive, perhaps, but not what you might call “necessary.”
Getting Started with Terminal: An Introduction
Create a RAID Array on macOS Sierra
Installing and Using Python 3 On Your Mac
Execute Python scripts in the terminal or an IDE. Python files have the .py extension. Whenever you make a Python script, save it as name.py
A simple program (hello.py) is shown below. The first line indicates that we want to use the Python interpreter. The 3rd line outputs a line of text “hello wlrd” to the screen.
A simple program (hello.py) is shown below. The first line indicates that we want to use the Python interpreter. The 3rd line outputs a line of text “hello wlrd” to the screen.
The text below can be copied into a text editor and save as hello.py. Python works with files that end in .py.
You can use any text editor to create a Python program. I recommend using a text editor that supports syntax highlighting (text colouring) and line numbers.
![Run Python Program From Terminal App Mac Run Python Program From Terminal App Mac](/uploads/1/3/4/2/134206426/209618092.gif)
Related course:Complete Python Programming Course & Exercises
Run Python
Run from terminal
You can start a Python program with the terminal or command line. This works on all platforms (Mac OS, Windows, Linux).
To open a terminal on Windows: press the windows key + r key (run program), type cmd or command and press enter.
On Mac OS use finder to start a terminal. You can hit command+space and type terminal, then hit enter.
Start program
To start the program, we have to open the command line and type:
For this to work you need to be in the correct directory. That means, the directory where your python program is located.
On Mac OS and Linux you can see the current directory with the command pwd.
If you use Windows the directory is shown in the command line title bra.
If you use Windows the directory is shown in the command line title bra.
To change directory use the command ‘cd’ like this ‘cd /home/user/pythonprojects’ or ‘cd C:Projects’.
Run from IDE
To run a Python script from an IDE, start a project first. Once the project is created add your .py files (or create them in the IDE) and press run.
In the PyCharm IDE:
- Start project
- Welcome screen opens, click Create New Project.
- On the main menu, choose File | New Project.
- Select Python interpreter
- Choose Python version from the list. Use 3.x
- Click create
- Add new Python file (File new) and add hello.py
- Click the green triangle to start the program. Another option is to click right mouse button on your Python file and selecting run.
Other IDEs have a similar process to run a Python program (start project, add file, run button).
Output
Run Python Program From Terminal
You should see a line of text showing “hello world”.
If you are a beginner, then I highly recommend this book.
Exercise
Try the exercises below:
- Make a Python program that prints your name.
- Make a program that displays the lyrics of a song.
Run Python Script In Terminal
After completing these continue with the next exercise.