Installing python

Installing python is quite simple (the difficult part comes later). Go to python.org/downloads and choose the latest version.It's close to the top of the page.

Then you run the installer. Remember to check the checkbox to make installer set your path.

For the following: I am using a Norwegian version of Windows 11. The screenshots will show that, but I will translate all needed Norwegian text so you will be able to understand it.

Now you have installed python and it's in there somewhere. To confirm enter the following in Command shell (cmd.exe): python -V Note, there is a capital «V» in the statement.

As you can see at the picture at the left, I run version 3.10.8.

Then you need to check your path, so you know that «pip» is in path. Under you can se the settings:

To get there, Right click on the Windows start flag, choose «System» then «Advanced system settings» so «Environment variables» and then choose the line starting with «Path» in the lower of the two windows You need to have both «...\Python310\» «...Python310\Scripts\». «pip», the plugin installer for python is to be found in the Script-directory.

We will start by installing «tkinter», «PYSimpleGUI» «auto-py-to-exe» (we'll use that later) and «mariadb».

«mariadb» is the connector to MariaDB a fork of MySQL, that has become better and freer (like in speech). You can get it here.
Again you need to run through a setup. Just use the defaults. The root user will not get any password then, but this is on a local machine and for testing, so that does not matter right now. We'll fix that later, when the need arises.

You will also need an application to control the database, and in this course we use HeidiSQL and the link takes you to the download. Just install that too with default options.

Once you've done this, it's fully installed. But you do not have an IDE (integrated development environment), but do not worry. That comes now:

For my use (and this course) Eclipse with extension PyDev is used (click names to fetch). PyDev Install Instructions. The plugin is not (too) hard to install, but I think the explanations on their page is far better than what I could write.

After that's done you are ready to code.

During this process, you might have to Google a bit and fix some problems that might occur. I have said that before, and I will probably say it again. Do not be afraid of that. You will have to do it much more before you know how to code in python.

Have a great day!

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