How to Run a Python Script via a File or the Shell

Running a Python Script from a File

To run a Python script from a file, save your code in a .py file (e.g., script.py). You can then execute it by opening a terminal or command prompt and typing: python script.py

Running Python Code in the Interactive Shell

You can run Python code directly in the Python shell. Open the shell by typing python or python3 in your terminal, then type your code line by line for instant execution.python script.py

Using exec() to Run Python Code

Within Python, you can run scripts stored in a string or file using the exec() function. This is useful when you want to execute dynamically generated code.

Making a Python Script Executable

On Unix-based systems (like Linux or macOS), you can make a Python script executable by adding a shebang line (#!/usr/bin/env python3) at the top and running chmod +x script.py in the terminal.

Execute Script Directly

Running Python Scripts with Arguments You can pass arguments to Python scripts by appending them after the script name in the terminal (e.g., python script.py arg1 arg2). Use the sys.argv list in your script to access these arguments.

Automating Tasks with Python

Python scripts can automate repetitive tasks like file manipulation, data analysis, or web scraping. For more tips on running Python scripts efficiently, check out pythoncentral.io for expert advice.