Raspberry Pi Python: Interactive Mode

Did you know Python has an interactive mode? It is also known as REPL - which stands for Read, Eval, Print and Loop.

Here's why it's a great place to start coding with Python:
   • you can be coding in seconds
   • type any Python statement and see the results immediately
   • Python tells you if there's something it doesn't understand
   • it's an interactive way to experiment and gain coding confidence

So, boot up your Raspberry Pi and let's get started.

Python's interactive mode runs in a Linux terminal window. Two simple steps are all that's required:

Open a new terminal window

From the LXDE Desktop menu on your Raspberry Pi and select the 'Other->Terminal' option.

This will open a new terminal window.

Start the Python interpreter

Next to the '$' command prompt type 'python3' and press the 'Enter' key, as below:

$ python3

You'll see a short message about the version of Python 3 (note just type the command 'python' for version 2), and the interactive mode cursor '>>>' will appear.

Now you can type any Python statement and press the 'Enter' key to see the results.

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