Input and Output

Firstly you will set up the tools you will need and learn how to write your very first programs!

Getting Started

Tools and setup

You will need the following:Visual Studio Code - The application you'll use to write your programs.

Python 3 - The application you'll use to run your programs.

Once you have those in place, you will be ready to write your first programs.

Preparation Material

One of the great things about programming in this day and age is that there is a wealth of information available on the internet. In fact, professional programmers spend a good part of their days looking for answers on the internet and then piecing them together and modifying them to fit the specific problem at hand.

This means that to be a successful programmer you need the following:

A strong understanding of the fundamentals of programming (what you'll study in this and subsequent courses).

The ability to learn and apply new things.

The ability to use information from various online sources.

This article and subsequent articles are designed to help you grow in all three of these areas.

STEP 1: Install Python and Visual Studio Code

One of the resources we will use throughout this article is a series of videos created by Microsoft to help new programmers learn to write Python programs. To begin this lesson, please watch the videos below.

As shown in these videos, you will need to download and install both Python and Visual Studio Code on your computer. Please note in the video where they walk through installing Visual Studio Code, they mention it is a good idea to also get the Python extension for Visual Studio Code, but don't really walk through it. Then, in the next video, they show how to install the extension in more detail.

Also, please note that your Visual Studio Code preferences may be set up slightly differently than those in the video, so don't be alarmed if your extensions bar is on the left side and theirs is on the right.

1. Introducing python

2. Getting started

3. Configuring visual studio code

4. Last config

Great job! If you successfully install all the necessary tools needed to write your first program. Kindly follow up the next article on how to write your first program! The Basics of Writing a Program.

Happy coding.