No matter if you’re just writing your first lines of code or you’re a seasoned developer who knows every nook and cranny of your framework, you will always look out for ways to improve your workflow. When it comes to improving the most basic part of that workflow — writing code — how can we do better? What’s the perfect IDE for Python, and what…
Python is a widely used general-purpose high-level programming language. It is a language having simple and easy to learn syntax. In the basics, Python is termed as an interpreted high-level programming language. Python has been implemented in a wide variety of software for computer hardware platforms including PCs, servers, workstations, and handheld devices.
Spyder
If you have the Anaconda distribution installed on your computer, you probably already know Spyder. It’s an open source cross-platform IDE for data science. If you have never worked with an IDE, Spyder could perfectly be your first approach. It integrates the essentials libraries for data science, such as NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib and IPython, besides that, it can be extended with plugins.
You should try it out because… Different of most of IDEs around the web, Spyder was built specifically for data science. It may not be as charming as another IDEs such as Visual Studio or Atom, but give it a try! The learning curve is so smooth that you will master it in a blink of an eye. If you are a beginner, you’ll like to use features like the online help, which allows you to search for specific information about libraries.
Note also how this interface is quite similar to RStudio; That’s why, if you’re switching between Matlab or R to Python, this is the way to go.
Features Spyder contains features like a text editor with syntax highlighting, code completion and variable exploring, which you can edit its values using a Graphical User Interface (GUI).
Data science enthusiasts say…
“If you are switching from Matlab or Rstudio to Python; Spyder is the way to go, It very intuitive for scientific computing.”
Download Spyder is free and it’s available for Windows, MacOS and major Linux distributions, like Debian, Fedora, and Ubuntu. You can install Spyder by downloading Anaconda on Continuum’s website.
Kite
Kite is IDE for Python that automatically completes multiple line codes. This editor supports more than 16 languages. It helps you to code faster with no hassle.
Price: Free
Features:
- It offers Python documentation.
- This editor provides a function signature as you type.
- You will get a tooltip on mouse hover.
- Provides support in email.
- Uses machine learning models for Python language.
Sublime Text
Category: Code Editor
Website: http://www.sublimetext.com
Written by a Google engineer with a dream for a better text editor, Sublime Text is an extremely popular code editor. Supported on all platforms, Sublime Text has built-in support for Python code editing and a rich set of extensions (called packages) that extend the syntax and editing features.
Installing additional Python packages can be tricky: all Sublime Text packages are written in Python itself, and installing community packages often requires you to execute Python scripts directly in Sublime Text.
Pros: Sublime Text has a great following in the community. As a code editor, alone, Sublime Text is fast, small, and well supported.
Cons: Sublime Text is not free, although you can use the evaluation version for an indefinite period of time. Installing extensions can be tricky, and there’s no direct support for executing or debugging code from within the editor.
To make the most of your Sublime Text setup, read our Python + Sublime Text setup guide and consider our in-depth video course that shows you how to craft an effective Python development setup with Sublime Text 3.
Eric Python IDE
Designed for everyday application and professional projects alike, Eric Python IDE is a full-scale IDE.
- It offers significant features such as highlighting array, auto-correct and integrated web browser.
- All kinds of easy and complicated Python projects can be managed with the help of the advanced integrated tools provided by Eric Python IDE.
- It comprises of extensions and a drug-in system that is capable of being downloaded directly from the IDE.
- Eric Python IDE provides real-time collaboration support for Python codes. It offers the best tools for code completion, code folding and brace matching.
- It has a built-in SQL browser, hex editor and icon designer.
- The IDE supports unit tests. It can debug multi-threaded / multiprocessing codes alike.
Pros: It is a useful IDE of severe coders and offers bench-marked support for Ruby and many other languages as well.
Cons: The interface of Eric Python IDE is slightly busy.
IDLE
IDLE tops the list of primitive IDEs for Python. This IDE was created to serve as a primary tool for running simple and easy programs. Because it presents a basket of primitive functions and options, IDLE is unsuitable for complex programming.
- IDLE is quite minimal in its features and functions when compared to others; however, it is easy-to-use and provides all necessary functionality and tools.
Coded in Python, IDLE provides a lightweight Tkinter toolkit for the sake of drawing its GUI. - Users can play with code snippets with IDLE wherein the output and keywords are colored distinctly for easy recognition.
- A new window is a provider to users for program coding purposes. The code can be automatically indented and appropriately highlighted in this window. The IDE supports spaces or tabs for the cause of indentation and can indent more than one line at any given time.
- IDLE provides a powerful debugger for single-stepping via the code, or for over-stepping across all high-level functions.
Pros: Lightweight and compact with a powerful debugger.
Cons: IDLE does not have project management capabilities.
5. Visual Studio Code
Microsoft’s code editor, the Visual Studio Code, has become the preferred choice for developers of late. It is a good option for Python projects once the Python extension has been installed.
- Visual Studio Code supports linting and offers its own debugger.
- It can be integrated with various types of source control tools.
- Complete with a built-in terminal as well as a well-stocked marketplace for extensions, it can be used for running and debugging all types of projects.
- Visual Studio Code can be used for debugging unit tests with the help of the unit test, nose frameworks and pytest.
- It has a minimalist ‘zen mode’ that showcases the file that’s being worked upon – the Code’s interface and the remaining desktop gets hidden.
- The IDE is highly configurable. It possesses a settings panel wherein every section unfolds to show the corresponding section settings.json file in a highlighted fashion.
- For Python, Code provides popups that show the documented information for classes and methods.
Pros: Powerful features and impressive extensions. Minimalist features for its ‘zen mode’.
Cons: Code is an Electron app like Atom; it is a little bulky as a cross-platform.
- Vim
Vim is the best Python code editor, letting manipulation of the text files. The program code of Vim was first printed in 1991 by Bram Moolenaar, its chief developer. Ever since then, the software has progressed and been upgraded by its developers and also has received contributions from the developers’ community. Vim varies from most of the text editors for Python framework in its modal mode of procedure. Vim has three rudimentary modes – normal or command, command line, and insert mode.Vim can be customized fundamentally by modifying its configuration file or adding extensions. This means that you can certainly adapt the text editor for web app development in Python. This is free software and includes an assembly of characteristics such as automatic indentation adapted to the language and multi-buffers that support simultaneous file editing.Some advanced features that make Vim stand out as an exceptional IDE for Python developers are –- Extremely persistent and also has a multi-level undo tree
- Contains a wide-ranging system of plugins
- Provides an extensive variety of support for numerous programming files and languages
- Has an influential integration, examination and interchange functionality
- Provides two modes – editing mode and normal mode
- Comes with its scripting language
- Allows to alter behavior and customize functionality
- Supports non-programming applications
- Command sequences like Strings can save and reuse again
- Does not have a dissimilar colour for the pop up presented
- No easy learning curve
Atom
Category: Code Editor
Website: https://atom.io/
Available on all platforms, Atom is billed as the “hackable text editor for the 21st Century.” With a sleek interface, file system browser, and marketplace for extensions, open-source Atom is built using Electron, a framework for creating desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Python language support is provided by an extension that can be installed when Atom is running.
Pros: It has broad support on all platforms, thanks to Electron. Atom is small, so it downloads and loads fast.
Cons: Build and debugging support aren’t built-in but are community provided add-ons. Because Atom is built on Electron, it’s always running in a JavaScript process and not as a native application.
GNU Emacs
Category: Code Editor
Website: https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/
Back before the iPhone vs Android war, before the Linux vs Windows war, even before the PC vs Mac war, there was the Editor War, with GNU Emacs as one of the combatants. Billed as “the extensible, customizable, self-documenting, real-time display editor,” GNU Emacs has been around almost as long as UNIX and has a fervent following.
Always free and available on every platform (in one form or another), GNU Emacs uses a form of the powerful Lisp programming language for customization, and various customization scripts exist for Python development.
Pros: You know Emacs, you use Emacs, you love Emacs. Lisp is a second language, and you know the power it gives you means you can do anything.
Cons: Customization means writing (or copy/pasting) Lisp code into various script files. If it’s not already provided, you may have to learn Lisp to figure out how to do it.
Plus, you know that Emacs would be a great operating system, if it only had a good text editor…
Be sure to consult our Python + Emacs setup guide to make the most of this setup.
Conclusion
When you are coding using Python, you might come across times when you need an IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Python IDEs include the necessary components to be able to write codes for programs. As soon as an editor is attached to them, they can become very useful.