CSC111 Lab 5

This lab deals with functions and graphics.

Installing the Graphics Package on your laptop (to be performed before the lab)

Directions for Windows laptops

(These directions were inspired by directions posted at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology)

Python

First, Install Python 2.6 on your machine, if you haven't already done so.

• Logon as an adminstrator if you have a regular user account and an administrator account for your laptop (most people use the same for both).
• Download Python (it's free!). Visit http://www.python.org/download/ and select the Python 2.6.2 Windows installer.
• Run the installer, installing it in C:\Program Files\Python26\ (vs. the default, which is C:\Python26 ). The other defaults are fine to use.
• Change the directory that the Python development environment, IDLE, starts in when loading and saving files. (By default it looks for and saves files in the program directory.)
  • Log into your regular user account if it is different from your administrator account.
  • Click on Start → All Programs → Python 2.6
  • Right-click on IDLE (Python GUI) and choose Properties
  • Change the Start in: field to point to the place where you want to keep Python program files. A good choice might be C:\Documents and Settings\yourname\My Documents\PythonFiles. (An easy way to get that path name: Open My Documents and browse to the folder. Select the pathname in the Address bar; Copy. Go back to the Idle Properties Window, and Paste into the Start In field.) Whatever folder you decide to use, you will need to use Windows Explorer to create it if it does not exist.

Then load the Zelle Graphics library

• Open Notepad and copy/paste this this Python file into it.
• Save the file as graphics.py in the directory C:\Program Files\Python26\Lib\site-packages

Potential “gotchas”: (1) That is Lib, not libs, in the path. (2) if you installed Python in a different location than C:\Program Files\Python26, you’ll need to find your Python26\Lib\site-packages folder.

To verify your installation

• Launch IDLE by clicking Start → All Programs → Python 2.6 → IDLE (Python GUI)
• At the prompt type:

 from graphics import *

if you do not get an error message, then the installation was successful.