syntax error in first-time user script

[john polo]

On 3/24/2017 9:11 AM, Bob Gailer wrote:
>
> On Mar 24, 2017 4:53 AM, "john polo" <jpolo at mail.usf.edu 
> <mailto:jpolo at mail.usf.edu>> wrote:
> >
> > Greetings,
> > I am attempting to learn Python. I have no programming background. 
> I'm on a computer with Windows 7. I checked the PATH in System 
> Variables and Python and Python\Scripts are in the path. I have a 
> book, Python for Biologists and it supplies example scripts, one is 
> called comment.py. The output from comment.py is
> >
> > Comments are very useful!
> >
> > I use cd to get to the directory with the example scripts
>
> We can assume you are at a Windows command prompt. It' a good idea too 
> tell us that,  so we don't have to assume!
>
> and open a command prompt with "python" and get the prompt.
>
> Assumptions / terminology again! Typing "python" normally invokes the 
> python interpreter. Since you did not pass any arguments you get a 
> window displaying the python interpreter prompt (>>>).
>
> I type
> >
> > "python comment.py"
> >
> > and get
> >
> > "    File "<stdin>", line 1
> >         python comment.py
> >                                     ^
> > SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>
> It is great (as John said) that you provided the traceback. It would 
> have been even greater if you had given us the rest e.g,
>
> Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393]
> (c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
>
> C:\Users\bgailer>cd /examples
>
> C:\examples>python
> Python 3.3.5 (v3.3.5:62cf4e77f785, Mar  9 2014, 10:35:05) [MSC v.1600 
> 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32
> Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
> >>> python comment.py
>   File "<stdin>", line 1
>     python comment.py
>                  ^
> SyntaxError: invalid syntax
> >>>
>
> Which brings up one other important matter: when writing us also tell 
> us which python version you are using. In my example it is 3.3.5.
>
I'm using 3.6.0.

> >
> > Sorry, I realize this may not all line up like it does when I'm 
> typing this in the email. The caret/error pointer is under the t in 
> comment. I am not sure what is causing this error.
> >
> > If I type
> >
> > "import comment.py"
> >
> > the output is
> >
> > "Comments are very useful!
> > Traceback (most recent call last):
> >     File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
> > ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'comment.py'; 'comment'
> > "
> >
> > If I use IDLE shell:
> >
> > "python comment.py"
> >
> > "SyntaxError: invalid syntax"
> >
> > I know I can open the file in the editor and use F5, but shouldn't I 
> be able to use a command from shell? How do I run comment.py from a 
> command line without error? Or is that not possible?
> >
> > cheers,
> > John
> > --
> > https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list 
> <https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>
>


-- 
Men occasionally stumble
over the truth, but most of them
pick themselves up and hurry off
as if nothing had happened.
-- Winston Churchill