Tools
The success and popularity of a programming language result to some extent from the
tools that are available to work with the language. It has long been the case that Python
was considered a nice, easy-to-learn and easy-to-use language, but without a compelling
set of tools for interactive analytics or development. This has changed. There are now a
large number of tools available that help analysts and developers to be as productive as
possible with Python. It is not possible to give even a somewhat exhaustive overview.
However, it is possible to highlight two of the most popular tools in use today: IPython
and Spyder.
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Python
For completeness, let us first consider using the standard Python interpreter itself. From
the system shell/command-line interface, Python is invoked by simply typing python:
$ python
Python 2.7.6 |Anaconda 1.9.2 (x86_64)| (default, Feb 10 2014, 17:56:29)
[GCC 4.0.1 (Apple Inc. build 5493)] on darwin
Type “help”, “copyright”, “credits” or “license” for more information.
>>> print “Hello Python for Finance World.”
Hello Python for Finance World.
>>> exit()
$
Although you can do quite a bit of Python with the standard prompt, most people prefer to
use IPython by default since this environment provides everything that the standard
interpreter prompt offers, and much more on top of that.
IPython
IPython was used in Chapter 1 to present the first examples of Python code. This section
gives an overview of the capabilities of IPython through specific examples. A complete
ecosystem has evolved around IPython that is so successful and appealing that users of
other languages make use of the basic approach and architecture it provides. For example,
there is a version of IPython for the Julia language.
From shell to browser
IPython comes in three flavors:
Shell
The shell version is based on the system and Python shell, as the name suggests;
there are no graphical capabilities included (apart from displaying plots in a separate
window).
QT console
This version is based on the QT graphical user interface framework (cf. http://qt-
project.org), is more feature-rich, and allows, for example, for inline graphics.
Notebook
This is a JavaScript-based web browser version that has become the community
favorite for interactive analytics and also for teaching, presenting, etc.
The shell version is invoked by simply typing ipython in the shell:
