Execution and Interaction

There are three ways to try Python code:

Creating a .py file and executing it with python script.py.
Using IPython, a Python shell.
Using Jupyter Notebook, a web-based interactive environment.

IPython

IPython is an interactive shell for Python that provides rich features like syntax highlighting.

After creating and activating a virtual environment, install IPython with:

pip install ipython

Then open it by one of the next two commands:

ipython

venv/bin/ipython

Now you can start trying writing python code in the interactive shell, for example:

hello = 'Hello from IPython!'
hello

It has special commands like these:

%time sum(range(1000000))  # Measures execution time
%history                   # Shows command history
exit                       # Exits from IPython

Jupyter Notebook

Jupyter Notebook is a web-based tool that allows users to create and run interactive Python notebooks with code, text, and visualizations.

To install it:

pip install jupyter

To open it:

jupyter notebook

venv/bin/jupyter notebook

This will open a new tab in the browser. To create a new notebook go to File > New > Notebook, then open the new created file.

Here you can create cells with code and execute it with ctrl + enter, for example:

hello = 'Hello from the Notebook!'
hello

Last modified: 17 March 2025