This tutorial introduces you to Python, the computer language used to write scripts in Vizard.
To do this tutorial, be sure to having Vizard running side-by-side so that you can try every one of the examples as you go along. This is the best way to learn!
When you write a script, you are writing a list of directions for Vizard to execute. Vizard will go through your script and do everything you tell it to do. The trick is that you need to give your orders in a language that Vizard understands. That language is Python, a common language in the programming world.
Let's write a short script using Python. Make a new script by selecting “New Vizard File” from the FILE menu. Select “Empty file” and press “OK”. Now write the following lines:
cows = 4
pigs = 10
beasts = cows + pigs
chickens = "chickens"
roosters = "roosters"
print cows
print pigs
print beasts
print chickens
print roosters
These statements create new variables and then print those variables. Now run the script and save it. Give it a simple name and save it anywhere convenient. Be sure to avoid using anything other than letters and numbers in your script names.
Look at the bottom of your screen and you should see your printout in the input/output window.
A variable can also be an array of other variables. For example, add the following lines to your script and run it again.
barn = [cows, pigs, beasts]
henhouse = [chickens,roosters]
print "The
array barn contains:", barn
print "The
array henhouse contains:", henhouse
Notice that all three values pop up together in an array surrounded by brackets. In the Python language, each element of an array is identified by its position within that array, starting with position 0. So, for example, our array “barn” has three elements inside of it. The variable “cows” is the 0th element, “pigs” is the 1st element, and “beasts” is the 2nd element. To refer to an element in the array, type the name of that array and then type the element's position in the array between brackets (for example, barn[0] refers to cows).
Add the following lines:
print cows, "=", barn[0]
print roosters, "=", henhouse[1]
Now run the program again and check out the interactive window.
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Speaking Vizard's language
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