I always wanted to learn to code but was unable to give ample time because of my schedule. Thanks to Covid19, I started my python journey started recently in the lockdown.
As we all know Python is a widely used high-level, interpreted, dynamic programming language.
It is open-source and is used for web development and other applications that include AI and Machine Learning.
Well, I was looking for a good IDE as I hated the command prompt.
For those who don't know, IDE is an application that helps programmers and developers with tools to write and test software.
It has an editor, an interpreter, and a debugger that is accessed through a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
My friend recommended me PyCharm and I was good to go.
Personally, I think it isn’t good - it is just great.
Pycharm does everything a Python developer needs it to do with only a few exceptions.
It is capable of supporting both single files and multi-file projects with the same ease.
You can step through the Python implemented standard library too if you wish.
It supports virtual environments with ease - and a whole range of optional code verifiers including PEP8.
It works well with unittest, Pytest, and much more -For example, right-click on your test case and choose ‘debug me’ feature. You can also get an RST inspection for your documentation.
Their community edition is the best, especially if you just started to code in Python.
It helps to learn Python much faster by providing you an immediate feedback on what's right and wrong.
There's hardly any tool that provides such a good typing assistance, syntax analysis with a debugger.
Pycharm operates across multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. I tried to build up some Python plugins with the help of various APIs available in Pycharm.It helped me to directly work with multiple databases from the IDE itself without getting it integrated with some other tool.
Earlier I was learning Python 2, later I moved to Python 3. The good thing is that Pycharm is compatible with both the versions of Python.
It has a beautiful User Interface (UI), but if you want you can customize your PyCharm according to your specific needs and preference.
Also as per your project requirement, you can install 50+ plugins that you get.
Although PyCharm is specially designed for Python, you can use it to create HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files using. It supports these programming languages as Python is also used for building web-applications.
Here are some cool features I found about PyCharm
Smooth Code Completion
It enables smoother code completion for both packages built-in or external.
Git Visualization in Editor
Developers like me face a lot of queries while coding in Python.
Checking the last commit in PyCharm is easy as it has the blue sections that can define the difference between the last commit and the current one.
Code Coverage in Editor
I was able to run .py files outside PyCharm Editor as well marking it as code coverage details elsewhere in the project tree, in the summary section etc.
Proper Package Management
I found it easy to select any package as all the installed packages are displayed with proper visual representation.
Well maintained Local History
Local History keeps track of the changes. It gives complete details of what is needed to rollback and what is to be added.
Smooth Refactoring Process
Pycharm helps smooth renaming one or more files at a time with various shortcuts to do so.
So in a nutshell, my experience of learning Python in Pycharm was awesome. I was learning python from Udacity and Codecademy with their free courses.
I mostly used Pycharm while learning form the book 'Learn Python the Hard way' and I highly recommend this book for any beginner.
Now I am planning to learn Data Science from Udacity's nanodegree as I have read some positive reviews about the course.
I will continue to code in Pycharm until I get any better IDE or maybe I'll switch to their paid version