How to run Python script in ipython?

Question

I'm just getting my feet wet with Python v3.5.2. I've installed IPython via Anaconda and am now attempting to run a simple program.

I wrote a simple print("Hello World!") script in a text editor and saved it as "C:\Python code\python_practice_code.py".

I've attempted various ways to execute python_practice_code.py, with and without quotes, and I get one of two errors:

In [34]: %run C:\Python code\python_practice_code.py 
ERROR: File `'C:\Python/py'` not found.

or

In [35]: ipython 'C:\Python code\python_practice_code.py' 
 File "<ipython-input-35-30b39bc825d7>", line 1
 ipython 'C:\Python code\python_practice_code.py'
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

What am I doing wrong?

• Jean-François Fabre: can you post your python_practice_code.py file too? BTW first error is because of space. Don't create directories with spaces in it! Windows has enough like those
• Mad Physicist: @Jean-FrançoisFabre. Spaces should be OK if you handle them correctly. It is better to learn to handle them than to avoid them entirely because you don't always have control over the directories you work with. Also, OP did post his script.
• Jean-François Fabre: I'd like to see the full script, with indentation, comments, and all.
• RobertF: @Jean-FrançoisFabre Thank you! I changed the "C:\Python code" directory to "C:\Python_code" and the print("Hello world!") script successfully ran.

Answer 1

You don't need to change the spaces in your path - as @MadPhysicist said, sometimes you don't have control over that. Instead, you can surround your path in quotes:

In [42]: %run "C:\Python code\python_practice_code.py"

• RobertF: Thanks - I'm seeing an ERROR: File ''r"C:\\Python.py'' not found. message when I execute the %run r"C:\Python code\python_practice_code.py" command.
• MattDMo: @RobertF that's because you're using double backslashes \\ in the raw string literal. If you want to use a regular string (I didn't include this in my answer), use double backslashes \\ or a single forward slash /. If you use a raw string, use a single backslash \.
• MattDMo: @RobertF nope, never mind, I'm getting the same error too. Hang on a bit...
• MattDMo: @RobertF OK, I updated my answer. Apparently, the %run magic command interprets strings differently than regular Python does. So, in your case, just enclosing a space-containing path in regular quotes (no r needed) does the trick. However, when programming in Python, you should take my earlier advice and either use double-backslashes or single forward slashes in regular strings, or single backslashes in raw strings. Sorry about the confusion!

Answer 2

It seems backslash or double backslash will not work in windows, similarly when used double or single quotes, shows error like

File '\'\'"\'"\'C:/Users/xxx.yyy/.ipython/profile_default/startup/50-middle.py\'"\'"\'\'.py' not found

. Forward slash no quote path works, for example:

%run -i C:/Users/xxx.yyy/.ipython/profile_default/startup/50-middle.py

But need to change all magic command to function call first such as %matplotlib inline to get_ipython().run_line_magic('matplotlib', 'inline'), %load_ext autoreload to get_ipython().run_line_magic('load_ext', 'autoreload') and etc.