How to Effectively Load Code into the Python Interpreter: Alternatives to Direct Pasting

Code Copying and Pasting to the Python Interpreter

Copying and pasting code directly into the Python interpreter can be tricky due to the language's sensitivity to whitespace. This can lead to indentation issues, making it difficult for the interpreter to parse the code correctly.

Instead of attempting direct pasting, it's better to use alternate methods to load the code into the interpreter. Here are two recommended approaches:

Using IPython

IPython, an enhanced interactive Python shell, provides two convenient commands for code pasting:

• %cpaste: Copy code from the clipboard. To end the code, type "--" on a new line.
• %paste: Execute the code immediately.

These commands handle leading prompts and strip them, ensuring that your code executes correctly. Use %cpaste? and %paste? for more information.

Running a Program with %run

IPython also supports executing programs with the %run command. This command runs a program and retains all defined variables, allowing you to interact with them in the Python shell. To use %run, specify the program's filename as an argument, as shown in the example below:

%run my_script.py

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