.. _top-level:

********************
Top-level components
********************

.. index:: single: interpreter

The Python interpreter can get its input from a number of sources: from a script
passed to it as standard input or as program argument, typed in interactively,
from a module source file, etc.  This chapter gives the syntax used in these
cases.


.. _programs:

Complete Python programs
========================

.. index:: single: program

.. index::
   module: sys
   module: __main__
   module: __builtin__

While a language specification need not prescribe how the language interpreter
is invoked, it is useful to have a notion of a complete Python program.  A
complete Python program is executed in a minimally initialized environment: all
built-in and standard modules are available, but none have been initialized,
except for :mod:`sys` (various system services), :mod:`__builtin__` (built-in
functions, exceptions and ``None``) and :mod:`__main__`.  The latter is used to
provide the local and global namespace for execution of the complete program.

The syntax for a complete Python program is that for file input, described in
the next section.

.. index::
   single: interactive mode
   module: __main__

The interpreter may also be invoked in interactive mode; in this case, it does
not read and execute a complete program but reads and executes one statement
(possibly compound) at a time.  The initial environment is identical to that of
a complete program; each statement is executed in the namespace of
:mod:`__main__`.

.. index::
   single: UNIX
   single: command line
   single: standard input

Under Unix, a complete program can be passed to the interpreter in three forms:
with the :option:`-c` *string* command line option, as a file passed as the
first command line argument, or as standard input.  If the file or standard
input is a tty device, the interpreter enters interactive mode; otherwise, it
executes the file as a complete program.


.. _file-input:

File input
==========

All input read from non-interactive files has the same form:

.. productionlist::
   file_input: (NEWLINE | `statement`)*

This syntax is used in the following situations:

* when parsing a complete Python program (from a file or from a string);

* when parsing a module;

* when parsing a string passed to the :func:`exec` function;


.. _interactive:

Interactive input
=================

Input in interactive mode is parsed using the following grammar:

.. productionlist::
   interactive_input: [`stmt_list`] NEWLINE | `compound_stmt` NEWLINE

Note that a (top-level) compound statement must be followed by a blank line in
interactive mode; this is needed to help the parser detect the end of the input.


.. _expression-input:

Expression input
================

.. index:: single: input

.. index:: builtin: eval

There are two forms of expression input.  Both ignore leading whitespace. The
string argument to :func:`eval` must have the following form:

.. productionlist::
   eval_input: `expression_list` NEWLINE*

.. index::
   object: file
   single: input; raw
   single: readline() (file method)

Note: to read 'raw' input line without interpretation, you can use the the
:meth:`readline` method of file objects, including ``sys.stdin``.