running python 2 vs 3

[John Gordon]

In <bp0lohF7aqdU3 at mid.individual.net> notbob <notbob at nothome.com> writes:

> On 2014-03-20, Zachary Ware <zachary.ware+pylist at gmail.com> wrote:

> > If you're specifying the interpreter in your command (by calling
> > "python <scriptname>.py", etc), the shebang won't mean anything
> > anyway.

> DOH!  

> I was following you, fine, until that last sentence.  Then how should
> I invoke the scripts? ....as your example is exactly how I've been
> doing it with 2.7, as per Learn Python the Hard Way.  Simply
> ./<scriptname>.py from the appropriate directory (assuming I keep both
> vers in separate dirs)?

There are two ways (at least!) to run a python script:

1. Execute the python interpreter manually, supplying the python script name
   as an arugment, like so:

     python myscript.py
     python2 otherscript.py
     python3 yetanotherscript.py

This lets you choose on-the-fly which version of python is being used to
interpret the script.

2. Execute the python script directly by just typing its name, like so:

     myscript.py
     ./otherscript.py
     /other/directory/yetanotherscript.py

   Depending on your operating system, this may require:
     a. Permissions on the script file be set to allow execution; 
     b. A 'shebang' entry as the first line in the file which specifies the
        program that shall be executed;

-- 
John Gordon         Imagine what it must be like for a real medical doctor to
gordon at panix.com    watch 'House', or a real serial killer to watch 'Dexter'.