A tradition
People have been writing 'Hello, World!' programs since about 1972. The object was to get a potentially complicated setup to do something simple.
When you see 'Hello, World!' on the screen, you can be reassured that you've figured out the correct compiler flags and now you can go and have some lunch.
Fast forward to 2023. In Python the equivalent is literally print("Hello, World!"). But it is worth starting here. After this quick exercise, you'll have achieved these important steps:
- Install Python on your computer
- Create a virtual environment for packages
- Install Balladeer
- Write your very first line of dialogue
- Execute your code
Install Python
On Linux
Use the software manager to install the following packages:
- python3
- python3-pip
On Windows
- Download the latest installer for Windows.
- Double-click the file to start the installation.
- Follow the online installation instructions.
Create a Virtual Environment
Use the App menu to open a terminal. If necessary, cd to your home directory.
Run this command:
python3 -m venv py3
Install Balladeer
On Linux:
py3/bin/python -m pip install balladeer
On Windows:
py3\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install balladeer
First line of dialogue
Use the App menu to launch a Text Editor. Type in the following code.
from balladeer import Dialogue
d = Dialogue("Hello, World!")
print(*d.words)
Save the file as main.py in your home directory.
Execute your code
Go back to your terminal window.
On Linux:
py3/bin/python -m main
On Windows:
py3\Scripts\python.exe -m main
Here's what you should see:
Hello, World!
And after Lunch
It's fun to play at adding extra dialogue. But don't hang around here too long. Your next step is on the Balladeer blog.