An Essential Guide On PyCharm

Python has quickly acquired appeal among competitive coders and software developers all around the world, thanks to its ease of use and abundance of libraries. 

 

PyCharm is a popular Python IDE for a variety of reasons, which we shall discuss in this post.

 

 

What is PyCharm?

 

As we have already mentioned, Pycharm is an IDE of python and is available as a cross-platform application. It is popular due to its compatibility with Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms, and for supporting most of the versions of python. It's a popular tool for creating Python applications. 

 

Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and Pinterest are just a few of the unicorn companies that utilize PyCharm as their Python IDE! Before continuing further, let us briefly understand the concept of IDEs for a better understanding of Pycharm.

 

What is an IDE?

 

A code editor and a compiler are included in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for developing and compiling programs in one or more programming languages. An integrated development environment (IDE) has a plethora of capabilities that make software development easier.

 

As an IDE assigns different colors to distinct programming entities, commonly known as syntax highlighting, it becomes more accessible to:

 

• Differentiate between various programming entities, such as a class and a function, and detect them.

• Search for the incorrect terms.

• Read the code and make sure you understand it.

 

Now that we understand what an IDE is, let us get to know the process of installing PyCharm.

 

Watch this video on PyCharm:

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How to install PyCharm?

 

PyCharm is available for all major operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and comes in two editions: Professional and Community. 

 

PyCharm's community edition is excellent for beginners, whereas the Professional edition requires payment. PyCharm does not take any effort to set up. All we have to do now is go to the Jetbrains website and click on the link.

 

The system requirements are mentioned below:

 

• 2 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB RAM recommended

• 5 GB hard disk space, SSD recommended

• 1024×768 minimum screen resolution

• Python 2.7, or Python 3.5 or newer

Now that we know the process of installing PyCharm, let us move forward with the features of PyCharm that make it one of the best Python IDEs.

 

(Related reading: A Beginner’s Tutorial on PyTorch)

 

Features of PyCharm:

 

Here are some of the features of PyCharm, according to an article written by hackr,  that makes it stand out:

 

1. PyCharm has a smart code editor:

 

PyCharm has a clever code editor that makes developing high-quality Python code much easier. It uses unique color schemes for keywords, classes, and functions, as well as syntax and error highlighting, to improve code understanding and readability.

 

The code editor produces directions for completing the current code in addition to the smart code completion capability. Identifying problems and bugs, as well as linter integration and rapid solutions, is considerably easier.

 

2. PyCharm has many integration tools available:

 

PyCharm allows us to integrate a variety of tools. These tools may help with everything from improving coding efficiency to coping with data science projects. 

 

The following are some of the most important integration tools for PyCharm:

 

• Anaconda is a free and open-source Python distribution aimed for scientific computing, with package management and deployment made simple.

• IPython is a powerful interactive computing command shell.

• Kite is artificial intelligence (AI)-powered autocomplete plugin.

• Pylint is a code quality, bug, and source code checker.

• pytest is a Python testing framework for developing tiny tests.

• WakaTime is a developer dashboard featuring time tracking and productivity data.

 

3. PyCharm supports data science and machine learning:

 

For professional users, PyCharm supports scientific libraries like Matplotlib and SciPy, making it easier for Python developers to complete data science and machine learning projects.

 

4. PyCharm is compatible with Google App Engine:

 

Google App Engine, or simply App Engine, is a platform as a service (PaaS) and cloud computing platform for building and hosting web applications. It allows web applications to scale automatically. PyCharm's professional edition has Google App Engine compatibility.

 

5. PyCharm is integrated with debuggers and testers:

 

Debugging and testing programs are supported by an IDE. PyCharm has an integrated Python debugger and integrated unit testing with line-by-line code coverage to do this.

 

6. PyCharm allows multi-technology development:

 

PyCharm may also be used to create web apps by Python developers. As a result, the Python IDE supports widely used web technologies such as CoffeeScript, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and TypeScript. Support for Cython, template languages, and SQL is included as well.

 

PyCharm also supports live editing, which means that developers may create/modify a web page while concurrently pushing it online. As a result, updates may be tracked using a web browser. It's also possible to create web apps with AngularJS or NodeJS.

 

7. PyCharm has a code navigation feature:

 

The code navigation tool makes finding a class, method, or file much easier for developers. It also aids in greatly reducing the time and effort necessary to alter and improve Python code. Views of the file structure and customized project views are both provided.

 

The lens mode allows a developer to extensively study and troubleshoot the Python source code. Finding an element, variable, or another object in code takes nearly no time. Developers can navigate between classes, files, and methods with ease.

 

8. PyCharm has a refactoring feature:

 

PyCharm's refactoring tool aids in the improvement of a Python program's internal structure without impacting its exterior performance. It is simple and quick to make changes to both local and global variables. Extensive classes and functions can easily be divided up using the extract technique.

 

9. PyCharm allows remote development:

 

PyCharm enables remote hosts or virtual machines to execute, debug, test, and deploy programs. The Python IDE provides the following features for this purpose:

 

• A built-in SSH terminal

• Integration of Docker and Vagrant

• Interpreters working from afar

 

10.  PyCharm has Version Control Systems (VCSs) Integration:

 

A version control system (VCS) is a simple program that maintains track of changes made to files, programs, and other sources of data. It may be thought of as a change database. CVS, Git, Mercurial, Perforce, and Subversion all have a single user interface in PyCharm.

 

(Related blog: Best Python Libraries For Machine Learning)

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of PyCharm:

 

PyCharm is an excellent integrated development environment (IDE) for Python programmers and application developers. Though it offers a number of benefits, the popular Python IDE is not without flaws. 

 

Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of this IDE (sourced from Intellipaat) so that we can get the most out of it.

 

Pros of PyCharm:

 

• PyCharm is simple to set up and is a user-friendly integrated development environment.

• PyCharm comes with a wealth of helpful plugins and time-saving shortcuts.

• It combines functionality from the library with the IDE, including auto-complete and coloring.

• It allows us to access the source code with a single click.

• PyCharm makes software development significantly faster.

• The ability to highlight errors in the code improves the development process even further.

• We can quickly address our queries/doubts because the Python Developer community is incredibly broad.

 

Cons of PyCharm:

 

• PyCharm isn't free, and the Professional edition is very pricey.

• Because of its auto-complete function, it is not recommended for beginners.

• It might cause problems while setting up tools like venv.

 

(Also read: Deep Learning Project)

 

Conclusion

 

PyCharm is without a doubt one of the most effective and capable IDEs for Python programming. The Python IDE will continue to be improved over time as Python's popularity grows, attracting more Python developers.

 

Many well-known companies, including Amazon, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Lyft, and others, have adopted PyCharm as their IDE. PyCharm is clearly not the only effective Python IDE. There are a number of others. 

 

Each of them is favored over the others due to their unique powers and characteristics. Cloud9 IDE, The Jupyter Notebook, and Eclipse are just a few of them.

 

In this article, we have discussed PyCharm and IDEs, learned how to install PyCharm in our system, and discovered the features, advantages, and disadvantages of the IDE.