Develop Reference

Difference 'run python file' & 'run lines in terminal' in Microsoft Visual Code

I just started a python bootcamp and am using Microsoft Visual Studio Code (latest version with Python 3.10.5) but have a couple of questions. (apologies for the long post)
I have the following code:
def weather_condition(temperature):
if temperature > 7:
return "Warm"
else:
return "Cold"
input("What temperature: ")
To my knowledge there are three options to run the code
Right mouse click and 'run python file in terminal
Select lines and press SHIFT + ENTER
RUN (with or without debugging)
However even though the script is the same, each choice shows a complete different result in the terminal.
If I choose to run the python file, it shows the following error in the terminal:
terminal error message
>>> & C:/Users/..../AppData/Local/Microsoft/WindowsApps/python3.10.exe d:/..../_SCRIPTING_/Python/Python001/user_input2.py
File "<stdin>", line 1
& C:/Users/fine/AppData/Local/Microsoft/WindowsApps/python3.10.exe d:/..../_SCRIPTING_/Python/Python001/user_input2.py
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
If I choose select lines (same lines used as #1),
selected lines
it runs the script but it displays the entire script run process in the terminal (which doesnt happen on the teacher's visual code:
mine:
>>> def weather_condition(temperature):
... if temperature > 7:
... return "Warm"
... else:
... return "Cold"
...
>>> input("What temperature: ")
What temperature:
teachers:
teacher's screen
And last but not least is the Run script (with or without debug).
debug run
Which opens a completely new Python 'debug' terminal. Here the script runs normally (it seems) and looks more like the teacher's version although his screen doesn't show 'debug' or the small toolbar
small toolbar
anywhere in his visual code.
A. So what is the difference between each of the choices?
B. Which of the 3 should I be using?
C. Why does the first option give an error even though the script is written correctly?

The three options you mention are all specific to VSCode, but you're right that they are intended to give you different ways to run a script.
To answer your questions:
A. So what is the difference between each of the choices?
The first option attempts to start Python in your terminal in VSCode, running a command like:
& "C:/Program Files/Python310/python.exe" c:/project/hello.py
The error message you are seeing is because in your terminal, Python was already running and VSCode just copies and pastes the above into the terminal, expecting it to land on a waiting terminal prompt, not on the Python interactive prompt. If you ran exit() first, to close Python and return to the terminal prompt, and then tried again, it would work.
What the command means is to start that version of Python, running your script, in the current working directory of the terminal, in the current environment of the terminal. (in the background, returning control to you, hence the &)
The second option does something similar, but instead of issuing the command above, just puts everything you selected on the clipboard and pastes it into the terminal. If that happens to be running Python on the interactive prompt, and the text selected is actually Python code, your script may work (depending on the code, and what was run before). If it was sitting on the terminal prompt, it won't because Windows, Linux or Mac OS doesn't understand Python without an interpreter.
The third option is very similar to the first, but instead of just dumping the simple run command in the terminal, it instead adds a few more commands, changing drive and directory and then trying to start the script. It still tries to use the active terminal for it though and it will fail (just as the first option) if Python happened to be running there already.
So, the 1st and 3rd are very similar, but completely different from the 2nd, which is trying to paste Python code instead of terminal commands.
B. Which of the 3 should I be using?
Depends on what you need. If you have a few lines of code you just want to see the effect of, you can use the 2nd method, assuming the lines of code will work in context of what you may have run before.
If you just want to run a script, it depends on where it needs to be run. VSCode gives you some more options to set up your environment for the script to run successfully, but it doesn't give you as much control as something like PyCharm (then again, it's also a lot smaller and quicker to start up than PyCharm and has fewer confusing complicated controls - it's a matter of taste and need).
C. Why does the first option give an error even though the script is written correctly?
As indicated above, it only generates that error when the terminal has an interactive Python session running (you can tell from the >>> prompt). The third one would give you a similar error if you tried it in that setting.
Similarly, the second option will cause problems if you don't have an interactive session started (i.e. running some python.exe).

Have to type exit() every time in visual studio code terminal before running python program again?

I am using visual studio code to run a simple program, but every time I run the program in terminal, once it is finished it gets stuck as if I am still in python in the terminal. I say this because it leaves me with the three arrows after I finish the program.
">>>"
(i.e. I need to go down to the integrated terminal window in VSC and type exit() before I run the program again or it will throw invalid syntax errors because VSC is trying to use bash command line commands while I am still in python.
Terminal

You can select Run Python File in Terminal instead of Run Selection/Line in Python Terminal, equals click the run button on the top-left of the VSCode.
And if you want to get out of python, you can take the shortcut of Ctrl+Z too.

How to get Pygame script to run on macOS

I have a rather small Pygame based python script and I just bought a Mac so I'm trying to run my script on here. Everything has been installed correctly (Checking by typing 'import Pygame') into python terminal as-well as running a basic hello world program. However, when I try running this script, IDLE gets brought to the front but nothing happens from there. (The script is supposed to pop-up a new window). Is this a problem with my installations or my code? (Code works on windows setup).

You could try to run the script again on a windows computer to see if you forgot to save some changes or if the file got corrupted somehow. You could also use bootcamp to install Windows on your mac since you could have one windows version on your mac for coding purposes and the regular mac OS for other stuff if you like.

you can execute it by left clicking in your script and select open with python launcher

Running Python code from an IDLE editor window

I've programmed a bit in Python for the last few days and everything has worked fine up until yesterday. Whenever I try to run a script now the shell only responds with the message RESTART and a path to where my script is stored. Here's an image:
I don't know how to fix this and can't find any solutions to it. When I'm writing the code directly into the shell everything works fine but this error only appears when I try to run a script from another file.
Thanks in advance

Except for the RESTART line, the behavior you see has nothing to do with IDLE. Run any program (without IDLE) that does not print anything with the '-i' option and you will see the same thing -- a '>>> ' prompt.
C:\Users\Terry>type testprog.py
5+5
C:\Users\Terry>python -i testprog.py
>>> quit()
C:\Users\Terry>
IDLE runs a editor window code the same as if it were run in a console (Command Prompt on Windows) with 'python -i'.

That's because your testprog.py doesn't actually output anything. Try changing it to print(5 + 5) or something similar, currently it only computes 5+5 and then it exits.

A python 3.5 script not printing results in windows command shell or powershell, only in the interpreter

I'm trying out some data science tutorials with python and can't get print to, well, print! when I run a .py in windows command shell or powershell. Print does work when I use the interpreter, but I have to type it in line by line (I'm not seeing how to run a .py as a file in the interpreter). I'm attaching snips of the file, and a snip of me running in the interpreter. I tried to attach snips of what happens when I run in command shell and powershell, but apparently I need at least 10 reputation points before I can post more than 2 links. Admittedly, those snips weren't interesting; there is no error and nothing printed. It just runs and returns to the prompt.
Also, as a test, I saved a .py file that simply does print ("Hello") and it does print correctly in windows command prompt and powershell.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Casie
PY script
Snip From Python Shell

Is that image from the IDLE console? To run the script you are editing, use menu Run > Run Module, or F5. Every python GUIs has an equivalent feature.
To run an arbitrary script from inside the commandline interpreter, say mywork.py: As long as it's in the working directory that you were in when you started the interpreter, you run it (once) by typing import mywork. (As you can see, its name must be a python identifier.)
Edit: You'd get to the bottom of this a lot quicker if you'd put print("Hello, world") in a script by itself and run it. From over here it looks like it would print just fine, proving there's nothing wrong with your python interpreter.
Your script has a bug, though: As soon as you enter the function random_kid(), you leave it again since you return a value on the first line. All those print statements are never executed. Why you think it works differently with %run I can't say, but for sure this function cannot print any output.