Simple Question regarding running .py program

[Caroline Hou]

On Monday, 12 November 2012 21:25:08 UTC-5, Dave Angel  wrote:
> On 11/12/2012 09:02 PM, Caroline Hou wrote:
> 
> > Hi all!
> 
> >
> 
> > I just started learning Python by myself and I have an extremely simple question now!
> 
> > I am in my Python interpreter now and I want to open/edit a program called nobel.py. But when I typed >>> python nobel.py, it gave me a "SyntaxError:invalid syntax”( I've changed to the correct directory)what should I do?
> 
> > I also want to run the program, but as I double-clicked the program, a command window pops up and closes immediately. How can I see the result of the program run?
> 
> > Could anyone help me please? I am pretty confused here...Thank you!
> 
> 
> 
> It'd be nice to specify that you're running Windows, and also what
> 
> version of the interpreter, although in this case the latter doesn't matter.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Go to a shell (cmd.exe), change to the directory containing that script,
> 
> and type the command as you did.
> 
> 
> 
> On linux:  davea at think:~$ python nobel.py
> 
> On Windows:   c:\mydir\myscript > python nobel.py
> 
> 
> 
> If you're already in the python interpreter, then running python is
> 
> useless -- it's already running.  In that case, you might want to use
> 
> import.  However, I recommend against it at first, as it opens up some
> 
> other problems you haven't experience with yet.
> 
> 
> 
> When you say you "double clicked the program', we have to guess you
> 
> might have meant in MS Explorer.  If you do that, it launches a cmd, it
> 
> runs the python system, and it closes the cmd.  Blame Windows for not
> 
> reading your mind.  If you want the cmd window to stick around, you
> 
> COULD end your program with an raw_input function call, but frequently
> 
> that won't work.  The right answer is the first one above...   Open a
> 
> shell (perhaps with a menu like  DOS BOX), change...
> 
> 
> 
> That way, when the program finishes, you can see what happened, or
> 
> didn't happen, and you can run it again using the uparrow key.
> 
> 
> 
> BTW, you don't need to send email to both the python-list and to the
> 
> newsgroup.  The newsgroup is automatically fed from the list.  But since
> 
> you're posting from google groups, that's just one of the bugs.  Many
> 
> folks here simply filter out everything from google groups, so your post
> 
> is invisible to them.
> 
>    
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> 
> DaveA

Hi Dave!

thank you very much for your quick reply! I did manage to get the program run from cmd.exe. 
So does it mean that if I want to use python interactively,I should use the interpreter,while if I just want to run a python program, I should use DOS shell instead?
Also, how could I edit my script? I have sth called "IDLE" installed along with python. Is it the right place to write/edit my script?
Sorry about these semi-idiot questions but it is really hard to find an article or book that covers such basic stuffs! 
Thank you!

Caroline Hou