Question

I want to able to open a command prompt at the folder which contains a python script and just type in the script name without the .py and watch it run.

Following the various tips on google to do this, I do:

1. Add the python.exe to my path
2. Add .py to PATHEXT
3. Try to open the .py file in windows explored. When prompted with: What program do you want to open this? I navigate to my python.exe

What should happen is the python.exe should be added to the ‘Open With’ pop up, but it is not? I re try with the python.exe off my path. Same problem.

Note every time I set a path it is in the control panel. Version of python is 2.7. And to make things stranger, I can associate .py programs with pythonw – but this is no use, as I want the console.

Any help appreciated.

Answer 1

Add .PY to PATHEXT as noted before

Then do:

assoc .py=Python.File
ftype Python.File=c:\Python27\python.exe "%1" %*

Adding python to the path isn’t necessary to execute the script in a command prompt or double clicking in Explorer, only if you want to start an interactive python session or running the script with python yourscript.py

See http://docs.python.org/2/using/windows.html for more details.