I need a beginners guide to setting up windows for python development

Question

I currently work with .NET exclusively and would like to have a go at python. To this end I need to set up a python development environment. I guide to this would be handy.

Answer 1

• Using Python on Windows
• SO: Python tutorial for total beginners?

Answer 2

Environment?

Here is the simplest solution:

• Install Active Python 2.6. Its the Python itself, but comes with some extra handy useful stuff, like DiveintoPython chm.

• Use Komodo Edit 5. It is among the good free editor you can use for Python.

• Use IDLE. Its the best simplest short snippet editor, with syntax highlighting and auto complete unmatched by most other IDEs. It comes bundled with python.

• Use Ipython. Its a shell that does syntax highlighting and auto complete, bash functions, pretty print, logging, history and many such things.

• Install easy_install and/or pip for installing various 3rd party apps easily.

Coming from Visual Studio and .Net it will sound a lot different, but its an entirely different world.

For the framework, django works the best. Walk thro the tutorial and you will be impressed enough. The documentation rocks. The community, you have to see for yourself, to know how wonderful it is!!

Answer 3

Python has build in SQL like database and web server, so you wouldn't need to install any third party apps. Remember Python comes with batteries included.

Answer 4

You should install python 2.4, python 2.5, python 2.6 and python 3.0, and add to your path the one you use more often (Add c:\Pythonxx\ and c:\Pythonxx\Scripts).

For every python 2.x, install easy_install; Download ez_setup.py and then from the cmd:

c:\Python2x\python.exe x:\path\to\ez_setup.py
c:\Python2x\Scripts\easy_install virtualenv

Then each time you start a new project create a new virtual environment to isolate the specific package you needs for your project:

mkdir <project name>
cd <project name>
c:\Python2x\Scripts\virtualenv --no-site-packages .\v

It creates a copy of python and its libraries in .v\Scripts and .\v\Lib. Every third party packages you install in that environment will be put into .\v\Lib\site-packages. The -no-site-packages don't give access to the global site package, so you can be sure all your dependencies are in .\v\Lib\site-packages.

To activate the virtual environment:

.\v\Scripts\activate

For the frameworks, there are many. Django is great and very well documented but you should probably look at Pylons first for its documentions on unicode, packaging, deployment and testing, and for its better WSGI support.

For the IDE, Python comes with IDLE which is enough for learning, however you might want to look at Eclipse+PyDev, Komodo or Wingware Python IDE. Netbean 6.5 has beta support for python that looks promising (See top 5 python IDE).

For the webserver, you don't need any; Python has its own and all web framework come with their own. You might want to install MySql or ProgreSql; it's often better to develop on the same DB you will use for production.

Also, when you have learnt Python, look at Foundations of Agile Python Development or Expert Python Programming.

Answer 5

Take a look at Pylons, read about WSGI and Paste. There's nice introductory Google tech talk about them: ReUsable Web Components with Python and Future Python Web Development.

Here's my answer to similar question: Django vs other Python web frameworks?

Answer 6

Well, if you're thinking of setting up an Ubuntu VM anyway, you might as well make that your development environment. Then you can install Apache and MySQL or Postgres on that VM just via the standard packaging tools (apt-get install), and there's no danger of polluting your Windows environment.

You can either do the actual development on your Windows machine via your favourite IDE, using the VM as a networked drive and saving the code there, or you can just use the VM as a full desktop environment and do everything there, which is what I would recommend.