From the course: Programming Foundations: Fundamentals

Using an IDE - Python Tutorial

From the course: Programming Foundations: Fundamentals

Using an IDE

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- You can write entire programs in simple text editors, but in practice few programmers do. They use enhanced text editors called integrated development environments, or IDEs. IDEs provide features that speed up code development. When you want to write a letter, an essay, or a resume what tool would you use? You'd probably use a word processor such as Microsoft Word, or Google Docs. They have special tools that help you check grammar, spelling, and add nice formatting. For programming we use an IDE in the same way. An IDE is an application that provides the special tools needed to write, debug, and compile code. Let's take a look at two popular IDEs to see what they have to offer. Don't worry about downloading anything right now, we're just going to check them out together. We'll start with Xcode. Xcode is used to develop applications for Apple products, like the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Right away you can see a difference between our simple text editor and a more sophisticated IDE. We have line numbers on the left side of our source code editor. This allows us to more quickly reference individual statements in our code. There's also the use of color, known as syntax highlighting, to aid in pointing out important keywords and improve the readability of our code. And finally, notice how you can even preview what your code will look like when compiled and run on a real device. Definitely a great tool to improve your coding process. Now although Xcode is really nice, let's look at one more example, Visual Studio Code. Visual Studio Code, or VS Code for short, is a more lightweight editor than Xcode and it was initially designed for scripting languages, such as JavaScript and TypeScript. However, it gradually came to support many more languages through powerful extensions. You'll find developers using it to develop apps in dozens of languages. One of its unique features is called IntelliSense. This allows you to get code suggestions while you're typing. It works a lot like auto-complete, when you're sending a text or when you search in Google and it guesses the rest of the phrase you're typing. And unlike a simple text editor, we can actually run our Python code from within the IDE. It's really cool. And there are many more IDEs out there. My favorite is Android Studio, as I spend a lots of time creating Android applications. But when I'm working on an application written in Ruby I turn to RubyMine, as it's tailored for the Ruby language. Programmers love to argue, I mean talk, about which IDE is their favorite. If you have an hour or two to spare, just ask any programmer what IDE they think is best. Then get ready to pull up a chair. IDEs can ease the burden of software development by providing tools to help you write, debug, and run your source code more easily. Ultimately, it's up to you to find one that meets your needs, and you don't mind using it for hours a day.

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