PYTHON INSTALLATION

Before you download anything, check if you have Python already installed on your machine (which is likely if you have a Macbook or a Linux machine) by typing the following command in a command shell:

python -V

The output for the Macbook used in this book is here:

python 3.9.1

Note: install Python 3.9 (or as close as possible to this version) on your machine so that you will have the same version of Python that was used to test the Python scripts in this book.

If you need to install Python on your machine, navigate to this website:

http://www.python.org/download

In addition, PythonWin is available for Windows, and its home page is here:

http://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/Outreach/pc204/pythonwin.html

Use any text editor that can create, edit, and save Python scripts and save them as plain text files (don’t use Microsoft Word).

After you have Python installed and configured on your machine, you are ready to work with the Python scripts in this book.