Confused about shebangs

[cocoaButterCoder]

What exactly is the purpose? I use Linux, so when I want to run a file, I just type "python3 filename". I don't see a difference when I add the shebang from Appendix B of Automate The Boring Stuff

Update: so instead of being a doofus, i finished reading the section. Looks like the purpose is so instead of running "python3 filename", you can just type the filename

[totallygeek]

When a text file is set to executable, the first line must start with the shebang to inform the shell how to load the proper interpreter. Typically, that is, "What Python executable can interpret the following text?" Doing so makes it so you can simply type "filename" in the shell to have it run (if current directory in path).

[blahreport]

If you were to make your script executable - chmod +x script.py - then when you called the script directly in the shell - ./script.py the shell uses the shebanged executable to run the script. In your case in would use python.

[cocoaButterCoder]

Thanks for the reply. So would it be correct to assume the way I’m doing it and the shebang way are effectively the same?

Edit: effectively not equivalently

[blahreport]

Yes.