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Paths/AI Engineer/Python / Your First Python Script

Guided Taskbeginnerubuntu:24.04Ask AI

Write Your First Script

Create the ~/ai-lab directory, write a tiny Python script and pin a dependency in a requirements.txt. In a real terminal you would run these files with the python command — here the focus is on the files themselves.

Validator

⏱ 0:00

IDLE — checks run live as you type commands; submit when done

01Requirements

live checks
  • File ~/ai-lab/app.py exists and prints a greeting○
  • File ~/ai-lab/requirements.txt exists and pins httpx○

02Walkthrough

7 steps
  1. 01

    Check where you are

    pwd prints your working directory. You should be in /home/learner — the ~ character is shell shorthand for your home directory, so ~/ai-lab means /home/learner/ai-lab.

    pwd
  2. 02

    Create the ai-lab directory

    mkdir makes a new directory. Everything for this first project will live inside it.

    mkdir ~/ai-lab
  3. 03

    Write the Python script

    echo prints text and the > redirect writes it into a file, creating it if needed. This one line is a complete Python program: print outputs whatever is between the quotes when the script runs.

    echo 'print("hello from ai-lab")' > ~/ai-lab/app.py
  4. 04

    Read the script back

    cat prints a file's contents. You should see exactly the one line you just wrote.

    cat ~/ai-lab/app.py
  5. 05

    Pin a dependency

    Python projects list their external libraries in requirements.txt, one per line, usually pinned to an exact version with ==. httpx is the HTTP client most AI code uses to call model APIs — pinning 0.27.0 means a teammate installs exactly what you tested with.

    echo httpx==0.27.0 > ~/ai-lab/requirements.txt
  6. 06

    List the project

    ls lists the contents of a directory. Both app.py and requirements.txt should be there.

    ls ~/ai-lab
  7. 07

    Submit for validation

    The validator checks that app.py exists and contains the print line, and that requirements.txt exists and pins httpx==0.27.0.

03Stuck?

0 of 3 revealed

Take a hint without losing the lab — each one points at the thing to look at, not at the answer.

04AI Tutor

guides, never solves

Tell me what you're stuck on — I'll nudge, not solve. Which requirement are you looking at?

04Notebook

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learner@lab — ubuntu:24.04

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