Set up your project

github-learning-lab[bot]

Welcome to this (mildly) advanced Python tutorial! Today we'll be writing a script to mimic a common real-world action. If you've ever played a tabletop game, you know there are many dice rolls to make. This tutorial will show how to harness a combination of Python skills to make an automatic dice roller. But first, before we do that, we'll need to get a few things set up on your system. ## Having Python First, in order to do anything in Python, you need to *have* Python on your computer! Let's make sure it's installed. Open up a terminal and type `python -V. There are a few possible things it can output here: If the output begins with `Python 3`, you're good to go! This tutorial was tested on a system running Python 3.7.4, but it should be compatible with any version of Python 3. If the output begins with `Python 2`, you have Python, but it's an outdated version. You'll need to download Python 3 to follow this tutorial. Go to the [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) website to download it. If you get a command that reads something similar to `command not found`, no version of Python is on your system. You'll need to go to the [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) website to download it. ## Having Git We also need to make sure Git is installed on your system. Check that by typing `git --version` in a terminal. If it outputs a `git version` you're good to go! If not, go to the [Git](https://git-scm.com/downloads) website to download it. ## Cloning this Repository Now that we have Git, we can clone the repository containing the building block of the code you'll be writing. In the terminal type `git clone https://github.com/ocawa/intermediate-python-course` Inside the repo you'll see two files: - `README.md`: a markdown file that details some info about the project - `dice-roller.py`: a Python file containing the code you'll be building off of Now that we have everything we need, we can actually begin writing our dice roller! Let's begin! Leave a comment with *your favorite dice-rolling game* to continue.

OscarDev

Abc

github-learning-lab[bot]

Abc! Wow that's a classic! You might be able to make a version of Abc when we are done! ## Running a Python file Let's look at our Python file. Inside we see a function `main` that will contain all of your commands as you create the dice roller: ```python def main(): #print('You rolled a die') ``` Below that, you'll see an `if` statement calling that function: ```python if __name__== "__main__": main() ``` By doing this, the function `main` will run whenever you run the Python script. As you develop the dice roller, be sure to only manipulate the code within the `main` function; nothing else will need to be changed. Right now the only line in our `main` function is a `print()` function:`#print('You rolled a die')`. This will print whatever is inside the parenthesis. There's a `#` in front of it right now, which means it's a comment. Uncomment it by removing the `#` to let Python read it, and save the file. You can run the Python script by typing `python dice_roller.py` in a terminal, provided you're in the correct directory. If not, run the script by typing `python /path/to/directory/dice_roller.py`, where `/path/to/directory` is replaced with the path to the file on your own system. You'll see the following nifty, albeit not very useful line printed out in your terminal: "You've rolled a die". We'll make it more informative in a bit, but first, let's push those changes to GitHub. ## Pushing your changes Whenever you change files in your repository, you'll want to `add` and `commit` the file, which allows you to add a message detailing what you changed. Then you can `push` the updated version, along with your comments, to GitHub. Let's do those three steps: 1. Git Add: `git add dice_roller.py` 2. Git Commit: `git commit -m "I uncommented line 2"` 3. Git Push: `git push`