"barisa" <bbaj...@gmail.com> wrote: >Hi, >I'm also begginer in python; >i did few basic programs about graph etc.. > >my question is : what benefit is using interactive intrepreter ? > >i come from java backround, so I use eclipse for python as well. >I start my program, it does it's job, and that's it. (after some >debugging ofc) > The Interactive Interpreter is not intended to be a development environment, (although you can use it like that for small things) but it is very handy to do simple tests in when you are not sure that you understand what some new (to you) language feature does exactly. In this way you can "test bench" small snippets of code, which makes subsequent debugging of your program less onerous, and makes it more likely that the "job" your program does is in fact the "job" that you imagined it should do when you started to write it. So, for instance, lets say that it is the first time that you use the append method of the built in list class, and you are not sure what it returns. you have two basic options - you can either go look for the documentation and RTFM, or you can go into your active interpreter and just try it. The second alternative is often the quickest, and it is definitely the safest, because what happens is the definitive behaviour of your installation. Reading the manual carries the following risks: - It could be the wrong manual - The manual and the code may not be congruent
Another reason for using the II is to help you discover stuff. Calling dir(something) can teach you quite a lot that is of practical import. And then there is the help system too. hth - Hendrik -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
