Command Line Python Scripting:
Takeaways
by Dataquest Labs, Inc. - All rights reserved © 2021
Syntax
• Install Python packages
pip install [package name]
• Upgrade pip
pip install --upgrade pip
• Install the virtualenv tool
pip install virtualenv
• Note: Pyhon 3 should already have the venv module.
• Create a virtual evironment
virtualenv [name of environment]
• Change the Python interpreter
virtualenv -p [path to desired Python] [name of environment]
• Activate virtual environment
source [name of environment]/bin/activate
• Check Python version
python -V
• Check installed packages and version
pip freeze
• Switch a virtualenv off
deactivate
Concepts
• Command line python interpreter:
• Good for testing snippets of code quickly, as well as debugging.
• Not good for developing Python programs.
• Common way to develop with Python: use an IDE or text editor to create Python files, and then
run from command line.
• You can enter the default Python executable using python .
• We can access Python 3 using the python3 executable.
• Packages are an important way to extend Python's functionality.
• Pip is the best way to install packages from the command line.
• Virtual Environments allows us to have a certain version of Python and other packages without
worrying about how it will affect other projects on our system.
• By default, virtualenv will use the python executable.
• We can import functions from a package into a file as well as functions and classes into another
file.
Resources
• Python Package Index
• Python Virtual Environments - A Primer
Takeaways by Dataquest Labs, Inc. - All rights reserved © 2021
