Python Development Environments

Choose the best development tool for you

You can write Python code in NotePad (on Windows), or TextEdit (on macOS), however its better to use a Python editor, also known as a development environment, to create code.

The development environment will enable you to create faster, more accurate code, with features such as autocomplete, code hinting and line numbering. Most development environments also have code highlighting where the words you type change colour based on their meaning within the code.

Here are a list of development environment¹:

• IDLE (Integrated Development and Learning Environment) - this comes with the Python Install
• VS Code - Microsoft Visual Studio Code (My personal favourite)
• Atom
• PyCharm
• MU
• Thonny