# Getting started with PyScript
This page will guide you through getting started with PyScript.
## Development setup
PyScript does not require any development environment other
than a web browser. We recommend using [Chrome](https://www.google.com/chrome/).
If you're using [VSCode](https://code.visualstudio.com/), the
[Live Server extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ritwickdey.LiveServer)
can be used to reload the page as you edit the HTML file.
## Installation
There is no installation required. In this document, we'll use
the PyScript assets served on https://pyscript.net.
If you want to download the source and build it yourself, follow
the instructions in the README.md file.
## Your first PyScript HTML file
Here's a "Hello, world!" example using PyScript.
Using your favorite editor, create a new file called `hello.html` in
the same directory as your PyScript, JavaScript, and CSS files with the
following content, and open the file in your web browser. You can typically
open an HTML by double-clicking it in your file explorer.
```html
print('Hello, World!')
```
Notice the use of the `` tag in the HTML body. This
is where you'll write your Python code. In the following sections, we'll
introduce the eight tags provided by PyScript.
## The py-script tag
The `` tag lets you execute multi-line Python scripts and
print back onto the page. For example, we can compute π.
```html
print("Let's compute π:")
def compute_pi(n):
pi = 2
for i in range(1,n):
pi *= 4 * i ** 2 / (4 * i ** 2 - 1)
return pi
pi = compute_pi(100000)
s = f"π is approximately {pi:.3f}"
print(s)
```
### Writing into labeled elements
In the example above, we had a single `` tag printing
one or more lines onto the page in order. Within the ``, you
have access to the `pyscript` module, which provides a `.write()` method
to send strings into labeled elements on the page.
For example, we'll add some style elements and provide placeholders for
the `` tag to write to.
```html
Today is
import datetime as dt
pyscript.write('today', dt.date.today().strftime('%A %B %d, %Y'))
def compute_pi(n):
pi = 2
for i in range(1,n):
pi *= 4 * i ** 2 / (4 * i ** 2 - 1)
return pi
pi = compute_pi(100000)
pyscript.write('pi', f'π is approximately {pi:.3f}')
```
## The py-env tag
In addition to the [Python Standard Library](https://docs.python.org/3/library/) and
the `pyscript` module, many 3rd-party OSS packages will work out-of-the-box with PyScript.
In order to use them, you will need to declare the dependencies using the `` tag in the
HTML head. You can also link to `.whl` files directly on disk like in our [toga example](https://github.com/pyscript/pyscript/blob/main/examples/toga/freedom.html).
```
- './static/wheels/travertino-0.1.3-py3-none-any.whl'
```
If your `.whl` is not a pure Python wheel, then open a PR or issue with [pyodide](https://github.com/pyodide/pyodide) to get it added [here](https://github.com/pyodide/pyodide/tree/main/packages).
If there's enough popular demand, the pyodide team will likely work on supporting your package. Regardless, things will likely move faster if you make the PR and consult with the team to get unblocked.
For example, NumPy and Matplotlib are available. Notice here we're using ``
as a shortcut, which takes the expression on the last line of the script and runs `pyscript.write('plot', fig)`.
```html
- numpy
- matplotlib
Let's plot random numbers
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
x = np.random.randn(1000)
y = np.random.randn(1000)
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.scatter(x, y)
fig
```
### Local modules
In addition to packages, you can declare local Python modules that will
be imported in the `` tag. For example, we can place the random
number generation steps in a function in the file `data.py`.
```python
# data.py
import numpy as np
def make_x_and_y(n):
x = np.random.randn(n)
y = np.random.randn(n)
return x, y
```
In the HTML tag ``, paths to local modules are provided in the
`paths:` key.
```html
- numpy
- matplotlib
- paths:
- ./data.py
Let's plot random numbers
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from data import make_x_and_y
x, y = make_x_and_y(n=1000)
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.scatter(x, y)
fig
```
## The py-repl tag
The `` tag creates a REPL component that is rendered to the page as a code editor, allowing you to write executable code inline.
## The py-config tag
Use the `` tag to set and configure general metadata about your PyScript application in YAML format. If you are unfamiliar with YAML, consider reading [Red Hat's YAML for beginners](https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/yaml-beginners) guide for more information.
The `` tag can be used as follows:
```
- autoclose_loader: false
- runtimes:
-
src: "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/pyodide/v0.20.0/full/pyodide.js"
name: pyodide-0.20
lang: python
```
The following optional values are supported by ``:
* autoclose_loader (boolean): If false, PyScript will not close the loading splash screen when the startup operations finish.
* name (string): Name of the user application. This field can be any string and is to be used by the application author for their own customization purposes.
* version (string): Version of the user application. This field can be any string and is to be used by the application author for their own customization purposes. It is not related to the PyScript version.
* runtimes (List of Runtimes): List of runtime configurations. Each Runtime expects the following fields:
* src (string, Required): URL to the runtime source.
* name (string): Name of the runtime. This field can be any string and is to be used by the application author for their own customization purposes.
* lang (string): Programming language supported by the runtime. This field can be used by the application author to provide clarification. It currently has no implications on how PyScript behaves.
## Visual component tags
The following tags can be used to add visual attributes to your HTML page.
| Tag | Description |
| --- | ----------- |
| `` | Adds an input box that can be used to prompt users to enter input values. |
| `` | Creates a container object that can be used to host one or more visual components that define how elements of `` should align and show on the page. |
| `` | Adds a button to which authors can add labels and event handlers for actions on the button, such as `on_focus` or `on_click`. |
| `` | Adds a static text title component that styles the text inside the tag as a page title. |
```{note}
All the elements above are experimental and not implemented at their full functionality. Use them with the understanding that the APIs or full support might change or be removed until the visual components are more mature.
```