Although all 3 are used for programming in python but what is difference between them?especially in their application?when we use ide and when we use idle and when we use interpreter?
1 Answer
When do we use an IDE?
An IDE is an Integrated Development Environment. IDEs typically allow:
- Code editing/saving
- Building/Running code (e.g. via an interpreter)
- Debugging code (or other kinds of code cleanup)
IDEs may also have other features desirable to a developer. In essence, an IDE "combines" tools for what are normally different tasks (handled by separate software) into a single application. IDEs are typically used when developers don't wish to (or cannot) use separate tools to accomplish similar tasks.
When do we use IDLE?
IDLE is a Python IDE packaged with vanilla CPython from python.org. It allows:
- Python code editing/saving
- Running Python code (via a Python interpreter)
- Debugging Python code
One would likely choose IDLE when they wanted to use an IDE for Python program development, but not an alternative IDE that supports Python, such as:
Choosing between IDEs is often a matter of preference, but unique features of an IDE might also play a role in decision making.
One thing that IDLE has that other IDEs may not is its "Shell" window (that is, a completely separate windows with an interactive Python interpreter session).
When do we use an interpreter?
In the strictest sense, any time you run Python code. On Windows, python.exe is the Python interpreter. On *Nix based operating systems, the interpreter may simply be called python or may include a version number (e.g. python3.8) .
If you mean an interactive interpreter session, then whenever you want Python to execute Python commands immediately (i.e. you aren't developing program code for later use). This can be used to quickly test code or for demonstration purposes (i.e. to an audience).
answered Dec 22, 2019 at 18:09
