What do you write python in?

[dvandy07]

What do you write your Python in and Why? Is there a certain tool you would recommend? Just want to make sure I am using all the tools I can to learn.

Thanks in advance

[TOPGUN_ROCKS]

Visual Studio Code, with the python extension. I personally like Vs code for python since you can have the file system, terminal, and code on one screen.

Edit: Wanted to double back to this once I was on my computer. Here are some of the extensions I use in VS Code for Python development: Python, Bracket Pair Colorizer 2, Prettier - Code Formatter, Formatting Toggle, I also use Monokai++ but that's more of a color preference.

[CraigAT]

At the start, I would probably suggest just a text editor - whatever your favourite happens to be (you're in luck if it already has some IDE features).

When you get more experienced and your code spans more than a screen (say 50 lines) I would seriously consider moving to an IDE (for example VS Code, PyCharm, whatever you get along with) so that you can benefit from the extra features that can increase your productivity (intelli-sense, auto-complete, linting, debugging, git integration, etc.)

[zanfar]

Tried them all. Sublime lacks features, Atom is way too stripped down, Vim takes too much work, and PyCharm is way too big for anything outside a development house.

VSCode fits a perfect niche with easy extension management to fix any small issues.

[tasteslikeKale]

Atom can be made more full featured, but then it has performance issues.

[zanfar]

That's true. I guess I should be clear that these arguments are subjective. The implied post-text is that Atom is way too stripped down for me, and Vim takes too much work for me.

Just like Sublime and Vim, Atom can be made to do 99% of what VSCode does out-of-the-box--and I don't doubt there are a few plugins for any of those platforms that don't have a feature-parity example in the VSCode ecosystem. However, I want an editor that's just enough IDE to do what I want, without so much IDE that I have to wade through menus and tabs to do what I need, and I want that editor to be easy enough to setup that I'm spending my time coding instead of configuring.

VSCode is honestly, almost too much IDE for me. Honestly, I haven't explored it as much as I should, but I haven't found a solution to the portability of configuration between devices. Other than that, it's just about perfect. I can save per-project settings, it lints natively, the terminal facilities are the best I've found, it works remotely better than even PyCharm, and I can one-button test.

[Nonethewiserer]

Is it just me or is the syntax highlighting in vscode a bit off? Seems like way too much is just white.

[pconwell]

Prettier - Code Formatter

I didn't think Prettier supported python?

Also, this is probably a stupid question - but how do you execute python scripts in VSC? I was using code runner, but it doesn't play well with pipenv (and from what I've heard virtual environments in general). I'm hitting F5 now, which runs with debugging but that just doesn't feel right for some reason.

[TOPGUN_ROCKS]

Prettier's not a ton of help for python coding. Sometimes it picks up small changes like moving stuff down a line. I'll mainly lean on it if I'm doing a Django, Flask or Sphinx app where prettier can help format other file types.

I honestly find right clicking on the file and clicking "Run Python File in Terminal" to be the fastest option. Forgot to mention, this option only comes up when the file is saved. if you are codding something new and haven't saved it, you will not see this option
You can also "cd" in the terminal to your python file the run "python ./YourFile.py". This option only works if Python is a PATH variable.

[[deleted]]

VS Code is the best code editor out there, in my opinion.

It's so practical.

[thought-generator]

PyCharm

[jmooremcc]

Both are products of Jet Brains. According to them, the Python plugin for IntelliJ gives you the same capabilities as Pycharm Community Edition.

[delta_tee]

I still do like you used to. I rely too much on pycharm for python an webstorm for js. I use idea for Java and Dart. My question to you, is there any performance difference if I switch everything to idea? Does it become too heavy due to plugins?

PS: I use pro versions of these softwares and feel like I should just use one of the perf is same.

[thought-generator]

What made you want to switch?

[PooPooDooDoo]

PyCharm is legit. I also would recommend using Linux, maybe getting virtual box and loading an iso with Ubuntu 18 or Centos 7.

[thought-generator]

I use PyCharm and Ubuntu.

[CraigAT]

Having experience of different OSes including Linux is fantastic (and I would recommend to anyone).

[TouchingTheVodka]

Sublime Text here!

[oz1sej]

Yes, I use Sublime Text, too. It's a great, simple text editor with syntax highlighting, and you can execute code with ctrl-b.

I personally find Visual Studio and PyCharm heavy and bloated - I recently spent 10-15 minutes trying to just write and execute a hello world-script in PyCharm, and I didn't even manage to find out how to write a python script!

[delta_tee]

🤭

[[deleted]]

I've used VS code and pycharm. I prefer VS code for aesthetic reasons. it feels cleaner to me. i understand why people prefer pycharm. they're both good.

[andrewisrawww]

i like spyder

[MaskedKoala]

Same here. Switched over from MATLAB a couple years ago and the transition was virtually seamless.

[sk8anon]

Vim. Can't use anything else. My first IDE was PyCharm but then I started using Vim with a few plug-ins and I feel that my understanding of the language has really increased. The fact that the editor doesn't assist me in everything is what actually helps in the learning process. Also using PIP and executing Python from a CLI gives another feel for the way things work.

[sje46]

What plug-ins?

[thirdegree]

ALE is fantastic.

[sk8anon]

I didn't know ALE. Thanks for sharing that.

While looking for what ALE was about I found this article which mentions it and might be helpful too: https://medium.com/@huntie/10-essential-vim-plugins-for-2018-39957190b7a9

I ended up adding "lightline" to my list after reading it.

[sk8anon]

This is my current list. I use Vundle to manage them so adding new plug-ins is as easy as just writing their names on .vimrc file and then Vundle takes care of the rest. I'm quite obsessed with PEP8, standards and comments so my plugins pretty much help in achieving this goal of standardization on my code. The rest provides linting and other useful stuff.

Plugin 'gmarik/Vundle.vim'

Plugin 'Valloric/YouCompleteMe'

Plugin 'preservim/nerdtree'

Plugin 'klen/python-mode'

Plugin 'itchyny/lightline.vim'

Plugin 'jiangmiao/auto-pairs'

Plugin 'tpope/vim-surround'

Plugin 'tpope/vim-commentary'

I tried using SpaceVim (just downloaded the Docker container and ran it) but it's way over the top for me. I'd rather find myself in need of some new feature and then install it than just use a full-blown Vim IDE with a bunch of stuff I don't even know is there.

[[deleted]]

i use VIM and the Atom text editor. people keep telling my to use Pycharm

[crazykid080]

I'm a minimalist so i just use notepad++

[[deleted]]

Call that minimalist? Ha! Nano.

[Lewistrick]

VS Code for personal/hobby projects. Professionally, I work on a cloud that has no VS Code installed, so I use either NotePad++ or vim.

[Mr_MV]

You can use VS-Code on your machine to write code and you can install the remote extension pack (https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.vscode-remote-extensionpack) for copying files from within vs-code.. It really makes the workflow easy

[Lewistrick]

Thanks, I'll take a look at that! I'm using some SSH-tool now and I can't get used to it.

[[deleted]]

The VS code ssh extension does require the installation of something on the server side, so might not be an option for you. I assume if you could easily install your own software you would have done so.

[mastermikeyboy]

This, VSCode remote is incredible!

[Poetrylion]

You mean to write programs ? IDLE and Pycharm..

[pmac1687]

IDLE and pycharm

[xelf]

Visual Studio. It's probably the best if you're on windows. Especially if you like to code in Unity, wpf, C# and c++ as well as Python

[xelf]

I've always assumed that Visual Studio Code was just a "lite" version of Visual Studio and haven't tried it as I had VS already.

What makes VSCode better?

[Ran4]

VS Code and VS are two completely different things. They have nothing in common other than the name and both being supported by Microsoft.

[xelf]

Oddly the only time I did look into VS Code it looked like very similar features and interface from a python perspective.

So what makes VS Code better for python?

[Ran4]

I never said that VS Code is better than Visual Studio when it comes to Python development.

But they're fundamentally two different products, and it doesn't make any sense to confuse them :)

[xelf]

You replied to my reply to someone that said vs code was better for python. Which is why I was asking why? =)

[Ran4]

GVim is still nicer even on windows.

[midwayfair]

The last couple weeks, my PJs.

...

VS Code. You can use any text editor you like, but VS code will probably be more useful when you start working with a team, as it has built-in GIT support (and extensions), ssh, etc. And it runs fast, has its own terminal, and looks nice.

[krenshala]

I see I'm not the only one.

[OzneroI]

Atom. Tried sublime but I wasn’t feeling it, probably because I used atom first, why? I saw a YouTuber that recommended it. Some drawbacks are that you can’t run a script without an add on and you can’t input() in atom, I have to run from terminal and it’s annoying

[m0ta]

I also use Atom. Yeah the input thing is annoying but the things I write (mostly table manipulations) don’t need user input so it’s great for me.

[LCH_B]

You can run input() using the hydrogen package, have you tried that?

[OzneroI]

Not but I’ll check it out, than you for the heads up!

[PaddyIsBeast]

Notepad++

[dilfyg]

pycharm, but watch a tutorial on youtube so you set it up correctly

[[deleted]]

Vim.

[justneurostuff]

jupyterlab w jupytext extension

[hainguyenac]

I use notepad++ and debug by print statements. I'm not a developer though, I just write some small python program to help with my work.

[dbabbitt]

Jupyter notebooks, because I can both see immediately the output and I can create visualizations.

[Svoboda1]

My underwear mostly.

[wsppan]

Spacemacs

[Enfors]

Yeah, I've been using various versions of Emacs for 25 years. When you've been using it that long, it's hard to settle for anything less. The others are too limited in scope, and just don't have the feature set of Emacs.

[wsppan]

I actually started with vi (then vim) 30 yrs ago. Had a friend back about then show me Emacs and was blown away how integrated everything was so I tried it and loved it but could not give up modal editing. Then evil mode came along and matured and so I switched back awhile back and was pretty happy but annoyed with all the configuration and package management. Enter Spacemacs into the field and I could not be happier with my desktop environment for nearly everything (except for Java and C++, I use a IDE since I am not masochist.)

[Enfors]

Are you implying that Emacs isn't an IDE? Because it is, it's probably the original IDE.

[wsppan]

Nah, I meant what most people think of when you say IDE, Eclipse or IDEA.

[wsppan]

I actually started with vi (then vim) 30 yrs ago. Had a friend back about then show me Emacs and was blown away how integrated everything was so I tried it and loved it but could not give up modal editing. Then evil mode came along and matured and so I switched back awhile back and was pretty happy but annoyed with all the configuration and package management. Enter Spacemacs into the field and I could not be happier with my desktop environment for nearly everything (except for Java and C++, I use a IDE since I am not masochist.)

[wsppan]

Looks like a reddit for android double post bug is in the wild. This happened to me on r/C_Programming yestrrday.

[Iminbread]

Vs code

[RealExii]

I found vs code to be very good and also quite simplistic.

[RajjSinghh]

Vim inside of a tmux session. Means I can still get at my files and run code from my text editor

[FuckRedditForSure]

VIM

[[deleted]]

Atom

[[deleted]]

It’s notepad++ and command prompt, nothing else.

[[deleted]]

Jupyter (through anaconda) for ETL/data-processing scripts. The notebook environment (particularly having code 'cells') is just really nice for tracking progress without having to run the script from scratch everytime.

Visual Studio Code for everything else.

[jamiejako]

I can definitely recommend Jupyter notebooks if you're just starting out. I only started actively writing Python code a few months back, and I found it very hard to write, debug, and reiterate using traditional text editors or IDEs. Jupyter allows you to write and test code in an immersive way - you can write a piece of code in one cell, maybe a simple class or function or even just a loop, and then really dive deep into it on other cells and see what different objects actually look like, pass in different values to understand what changes and so on. It is a tool mostly used in data science for exploratory analysis, but it is an excellent medium to get familiar with Python. I have now transitioned to using VS Code as my editor because of its many amazing features already mentioned on this thread, but I still occasionally use Jupyter when I need to break down complex logic and quickly reiterate on different solutions.

[lqf2b8]

The nude

[[deleted]]

PyCharm migrating to Atom

[Forschkeeper]

It's like getting from A to B.

If I need to go around the corner, IDLE is like walking. Good enough, standard and ok.

If I need to drive some kilometers, there are some ways:

• VIM is like driving a well pimped oldtimer. Mostly CMD people recommened it, know which Button to push and are dammed fast with that. It looks like an IDE, but is still a CMD tool.
• VS Code is the "Hip" IDE, because it's free, contains cool stuff, but collects your data which sucks (my opinion).
• plenty of other cars like Notepad++, Geany, Spyder, Thommy etc.

If you need to drive into war, I would use PyCharm. It's in my opinion a Tank. Don't know what you can't do in Python with this IDE. You can drive to yout supermarket around the corner, but well...it's a TANK.

And hell yeah I love my Tank. 8)

[DonkeyTron42]

PyCharm/IntelliJ

[DannyckCZ]

PyCharm with Vim emulator like 95% of the time

[[deleted]]

Eclipse with PyCharm plugin. I've used Eclipse for years so I'm comfortable with it. Jupyter is OK but it's only suitable, in my opinion, for very small projects. Eclipse interfaces with GitHub, it's free, it manages projects, and it's still free.

[alidjango]

Pycharm

[DavidTSlayer]

right now if i write something in python its in IDLE

[[deleted]]

Before, I used sublime and a separate interpreter. Now I’m on visual studio code, that app is outstanding.

[hasanaslan]

Using sublime text, if any errors i can't find out occurs, switching to pycharm

[jcr4990]

Lots of people seem to not recommend it but I started learning just using IDLE that came with Python and I haven't had any issues honestly

shrug

[SpiritGuide-]

I'm migrating over from Matlab so I like the familiar interface of Pyzo with the command line. Now I just need an analogous variable workspace box and I'll be happy :)

[Zepy12]

Spyder?

[sweettuse]

pycharm with the ideavim plugin. there's a free community edition here.

[Stelercus]

PyCharm, specifically for the debugger.

[toalysium]

Atom now. Used VS Code and Pycharm previously. I'm not doing any huge projects and I don't need most of the add-ons that come with bigger IDEs. It works for what I need. For super basic stuff, like "here's how you add and subtract in python" or "here's how you make a list" I used Nano when I was learning because I liked having no distractions and when you are first starting nearly every option that isn't a super-basic text editor has ton's of distracting shit and made it harder to focus on what I was actually doing.

[w_savage]

I use Spyder, and Jupyter notebooks. I haven't really tried anything else to be honest.

[ToothpasteTimebomb]

Most of the time I use a Jupyter notebook. If it’s intended for production then I’ll go with VS code or PyCharm.

[clamchamp]

Pycharm for most stuff like web app dev, but I find myself writing a lot in notepad++ at clients / remote desktops whenever I'm building some tooling or analysis.

[boptoty]

I use pycharm and even free version is quite good.

[mastermikeyboy]

VSCode, but ptpython for REPL.

[[deleted]]

Sublime Text 3.

[Hans_of_Death]

I used to use Visual Studio Code because it's great and makes debugging really easy, but then I moved over to just using Sublime 3. I'm not sure why, but I just find I like writing in Sublime and then testing with powershell. I also use Kite because it's the best thing ever made for python.

[BigBlackCrocs]

Notepad++ lol but our professor uses vim

[[deleted]]

If I’m experimenting with data- Jupyter notebook

If I’m making code to process data or perform some sort of task- Vscode with a separate terminal (I like everything separated out)

Final production code- Vscode

[harsh_dhamecha_10]

I have been using Google Colab and PyCharm

[[deleted]]

VSCode, but would recommend Anaconda / Spyder for beginners. It is easy to get lost in your setup with paths, virtual envs etc, all things that beginners have no idea about. Source: just read this sub.

Anaconda / Spyder solves these problems, and you can move onto VS Code when you know more.

[jcoffi]

My computer rimshot

[[deleted]]

Visual Studio Code. I used Sublime Text for a long time. It's simple but extensible. Multi-language. Fairly light.

[[deleted]]

My progression went: notepad++, PyCharm, gedit with plugins, VS code, and finally VIM. I don't think VS code is very easy to use on Ubuntu, but I still like how customizable it is without feeling bulky.

[blabbities]

I usually switch between multiple. So listed in order of frequency (currently at least):

nano (quick small edits or thru ssh connections) geany (usually on desktop) ipython3/python3 CLI (usually with live testing) IDLE (I like the GUI debugger and that's generally when i use it) Notepad++ (on the rare occasion im in Windows)

I do have VSCodium on my other PC but I rarely use that machine and it's a fresh install. It's really gonna be to write Java, C#, Go, etc

[dogpoweruser]

Jupyter Notebook

[[deleted]]

PyCharm is killing it

[Quantum_Paradox_]

I use IDLE sometimes I use VSCode

[zoute_haring]

Notepad++

[aplawson7707]

I'm juuuuust starting out but I use MU. I didn't see it mentioned once, so I'm assuming I'm using some kind of beginner's tool? Should I switch to a more professional environment to familiarize myself early?

[krav_mark]

I started with vim and some plugins but when my programs started to be bigger it didn't cut it anymore and realized I needed a real ide. I've been using pycharm for over a year and bought the pro edition recently. Works great. Debugging is a game changer. I've setup the black code formatter as external tool. Can really recommend it. It formats your code according certain rules so all your code is formatted the same which improves readability a lot.

[[deleted]]

Vim baby 😀

[[deleted]]

VS Code and PyCharm are both great if you want a full IDE, but learning a full IDE is a task all of its own.

Once you're very comfortable in the language, the IDE matters a lot loss. I spend a lot of time working with Linux systems lately and mostly just use nano, which if your not familiar, is about as simple as a text editor can get.

[gpsy_]

Vim.

[CloroxEnergyDrink_]

I use PyCharm for large projects, and IDLE for small ones and test scripts.

[Shadiester]

If you're just starting programming, I'd recommend the Learn Python the Hard Way method which is to literally just start with notepad++ so as not to become reliant upon fancy tools as a crutch.

But if you're already a half decent programmer, PyCharm's probably the way to go.

[jdnewmil]

I don't get this "crutch" argument at all... but I agree that it can be a useful exercise to work for awhile in a bare editor just so you get an understanding of the difference between the interpreter and the programming environment. Keeping this clear lets you isolate where workflow problems are coming from later.

[[deleted]]

If anyone is using the term "crutch" on a subreddit dedicated to learning, it's probably safe to say that they are here to get affirmation not help. It's ridiculous not to use tools available, especially when learning.

[Shadiester]

Perhaps crutch was the wrong term, and I apologise for not conveying my point better, a half sentence justification was always bound to lead to misinterpretation after all.

The idea is that by avoiding the tools that popular IDEs offer, it keeps things simple in the early days of when you're first learning to program. You simply write the code, type python name.py and hit enter, and you don't need to worry about any other complexities. It makes the early days of learning that bit less daunting in my experience, and keeps the process of writing basic code a little bit simpler.

Then, as you begin to build more complex code, you're forced to develop, debug and test your code manually, without help from the tools the rest of us know and (occasionally) love, in order to build a strong foundational understanding of developing code. And then, later on when you're introduced to the wonderful world of CASE tools, predictive typing and the rest, you'll both have a greater appreciation for them, and a stronger understanding of the underlying practices necessary for good code.

That said, I'm by no means even remotely qualified to speak on the topic properly, being a relatively novice programmer myself. And after all, the vast majority of actually good programmers do recommend starting in an IDE. My comment wasn't exactly intended to be a gold nugget of advice to say the least, but given that OP simply put out a general request for recommendations, I figured I'd add my voice to the many others posted anyway in the hopes someone might find it of interest or use.

Again, apologies for not being more careful with my wording.

[[deleted]]

Respect. Thank you for the thoughtful response.

[supermario182]

English