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authorGuido van Rossum <guido@python.org>1992-09-03 21:27:55 (GMT)
committerGuido van Rossum <guido@python.org>1992-09-03 21:27:55 (GMT)
commit9a4e3fc56a2bacc7af884117c53b37fdf104daa2 (patch)
tree07fc5e7cac02985e4faa2bf25a12f8af888a6911 /Doc/tut.tex
parent2dff991f6b3f0be50e8f97d2172ddb140adeec50 (diff)
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Changed references to /usr/local into /usr/local/bin.
Documented $PYTHONSTARTUP
Diffstat (limited to 'Doc/tut.tex')
-rw-r--r--Doc/tut.tex40
1 files changed, 31 insertions, 9 deletions
diff --git a/Doc/tut.tex b/Doc/tut.tex
index be84fcc..f86fc39 100644
--- a/Doc/tut.tex
+++ b/Doc/tut.tex
@@ -147,8 +147,8 @@ modules that can save you a lot of time when writing Python programs.
\section{Invoking the Interpreter}
-The Python interpreter is usually installed as {\tt /usr/local/python}
-on those machines where it is available; putting {\tt /usr/local} in
+The Python interpreter is usually installed as {\tt /usr/local/bin/python}
+on those machines where it is available; putting {\tt /usr/local/bin} in
your {\UNIX} shell's search path makes it possible to start it by
typing the command
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ python
to the shell. Since the choice of the directory where the interpreter
lives is an installation option, other places are possible; check with
your local Python guru or system administrator. (E.g., {\tt
-/usr/local/bin/python} is a popular alternative location.)
+/usr/local/python} is a popular alternative location.)
The interpreter operates somewhat like the {\UNIX} shell: when called
with standard input connected to a tty device, it reads and executes
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ and a copyright notice before printing the first prompt, e.g.:
\bcode\begin{verbatim}
python
-Python 0.9.5 (Jan 2 1992).
+Python 0.9.7 (Aug 28 1992).
Copyright 1990, 1991, 1992 Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam
>>>
\end{verbatim}\ecode
@@ -248,12 +248,12 @@ When a module named {\tt foo} is imported, the interpreter searches
for a file named {\tt foo.py} in the list of directories specified by
the environment variable {\tt PYTHONPATH}. It has the same syntax as
the {\UNIX} shell variable {\tt PATH}, i.e., a list of colon-separated
-directory names. When {\tt PYTHONPATH} is not set, an
-installation-dependent default path is used, usually {\tt
-.:/usr/local/lib/python}.
+directory names. When {\tt PYTHONPATH} is not set, or when the file
+is not found there, the search continues in an installation-dependent
+default path, usually {\tt .:/usr/local/lib/python}.
Actually, modules are searched in the list of directories given by the
-variable {\tt sys.path} which is initialized from {\tt PYTHONPATH} or
+variable {\tt sys.path} which is initialized from {\tt PYTHONPATH} and
the installation-dependent default. This allows Python programs that
know what they're doing to modify or replace the module search path.
See the section on Standard Modules later.
@@ -280,13 +280,35 @@ On BSD'ish {\UNIX} systems, Python scripts can be made directly
executable, like shell scripts, by putting the line
\bcode\begin{verbatim}
-#! /usr/local/python
+#! /usr/local/bin/python
\end{verbatim}\ecode
%
(assuming that's the name of the interpreter) at the beginning of the
script and giving the file an executable mode. The {\tt \#!} must be
the first two characters of the file.
+\subsection{The Interactive Startup File}
+
+When you use Python interactively, it is frequently handy to have some
+standard commands executed every time the interpreter is started. You
+can do this by setting an environment variable named {\tt
+PYTHONSTARTUP} to the name of a file containing your start-up
+commands. This is similar to the {\tt /profile} feature of the UNIX
+shells.
+
+This file is only read in interactive sessions, not when Python reads
+commands from a script, and not when {\tt /dev/tty} is given as the
+explicit source of commands (which otherwise behaves like an
+interactive session). It is executed in the same name space where
+interactive commands are executed, so that objects that it defines or
+imports can be used without qualification in the interactive session.
+
+If you want to read an additional start-up file from the current
+directory, you can program this in the global start-up file, e.g.
+\verb\execfile('.pythonrc')\. If you want to use the startup file
+in a script, you must write this explicitly in the script, e.g.
+\verb\import os;\ \verb\execfile(os.environ['PYTHONSTARTUP'])\.
+
\section{Interactive Input Editing and History Substitution}
Some versions of the Python interpreter support editing of the current