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Top-level components</a><ul> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#complete-python-programs">9.1. Complete Python programs</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#file-input">9.2. File input</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#interactive-input">9.3. Interactive input</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#expression-input">9.4. Expression input</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h4>Previous topic</h4> <p class="topless"><a href="compound_stmts.html" title="previous chapter"><span class="section-number">8. </span>Compound statements</a></p> <h4>Next topic</h4> <p class="topless"><a href="grammar.html" title="next chapter"><span class="section-number">10. </span>Full Grammar specification</a></p> <div role="note" aria-label="source link"> <h3>This Page</h3> <ul class="this-page-menu"> <li><a href="../bugs.html">Report a Bug</a></li> <li> <a href="https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/3.10/Doc/reference/toplevel_components.rst" rel="nofollow">Show Source </a> </li> </ul> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation"> <h3>Navigation</h3> <ul> <li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px"> <a href="../genindex.html" title="General Index" accesskey="I">index</a></li> <li class="right" > <a href="../py-modindex.html" title="Python Module Index" >modules</a> |</li> <li class="right" > <a href="grammar.html" title="10. 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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 <a class="reference internal" href="../library/sys.html#module-sys" title="sys: Access system-specific parameters and functions."><code class="xref py py-mod docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">sys</span></code></a> (various system services), <a class="reference internal" href="../library/builtins.html#module-builtins" title="builtins: The module that provides the built-in namespace."><code class="xref py py-mod docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">builtins</span></code></a> (built-in functions, exceptions and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">None</span></code>) and <a class="reference internal" href="../library/__main__.html#module-__main__" title="__main__: The environment where top-level code is run. Covers command-line interfaces, import-time behavior, and ``__name__ == '__main__'``."><code class="xref py py-mod docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">__main__</span></code></a>. The latter is used to provide the local and global namespace for execution of the complete program.</p> <p>The syntax for a complete Python program is that for file input, described in the next section.</p> <p id="index-3">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 <a class="reference internal" href="../library/__main__.html#module-__main__" title="__main__: The environment where top-level code is run. Covers command-line interfaces, import-time behavior, and ``__name__ == '__main__'``."><code class="xref py py-mod docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">__main__</span></code></a>.</p> <p id="index-4">A complete program can be passed to the interpreter in three forms: with the <a class="reference internal" href="../using/cmdline.html#cmdoption-c"><code class="xref std std-option docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">-c</span></code></a> <em>string</em> 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.</p> </section> <section id="file-input"> <span id="id1"></span><h2><span class="section-number">9.2. </span>File input<a class="headerlink" href="#file-input" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2> <p>All input read from non-interactive files has the same form:</p> <pre> <strong id="grammar-token-python-grammar-file_input"><span id="grammar-token-file-input"></span>file_input</strong> ::= (NEWLINE | <a class="reference internal" href="compound_stmts.html#grammar-token-python-grammar-statement"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">statement</span></code></a>)* </pre> <p>This syntax is used in the following situations:</p> <ul class="simple"> <li><p>when parsing a complete Python program (from a file or from a string);</p></li> <li><p>when parsing a module;</p></li> <li><p>when parsing a string passed to the <a class="reference internal" href="../library/functions.html#exec" title="exec"><code class="xref py py-func docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">exec()</span></code></a> function;</p></li> </ul> </section> <section id="interactive-input"> <span id="interactive"></span><h2><span class="section-number">9.3. </span>Interactive input<a class="headerlink" href="#interactive-input" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2> <p>Input in interactive mode is parsed using the following grammar:</p> <pre> <strong id="grammar-token-python-grammar-interactive_input"><span id="grammar-token-interactive-input"></span>interactive_input</strong> ::= [<a class="reference internal" href="compound_stmts.html#grammar-token-python-grammar-stmt_list"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">stmt_list</span></code></a>] NEWLINE | <a class="reference internal" href="compound_stmts.html#grammar-token-python-grammar-compound_stmt"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">compound_stmt</span></code></a> NEWLINE </pre> <p>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.</p> </section> <section id="expression-input"> <span id="id2"></span><h2><span class="section-number">9.4. </span>Expression input<a class="headerlink" href="#expression-input" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2> <span class="target" id="index-5"></span><p id="index-6"><a class="reference internal" href="../library/functions.html#eval" title="eval"><code class="xref py py-func docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">eval()</span></code></a> is used for expression input. It ignores leading whitespace. The string argument to <a class="reference internal" href="../library/functions.html#eval" title="eval"><code class="xref py py-func docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">eval()</span></code></a> must have the following form:</p> <pre> <strong id="grammar-token-python-grammar-eval_input"><span id="grammar-token-eval-input"></span>eval_input</strong> ::= <a class="reference internal" href="expressions.html#grammar-token-python-grammar-expression_list"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">expression_list</span></code></a> NEWLINE* </pre> </section> </section> <div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sphinxsidebar" role="navigation" aria-label="main navigation"> <div class="sphinxsidebarwrapper"> <h3><a href="../contents.html">Table of Contents</a></h3> <ul> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#">9. Top-level components</a><ul> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#complete-python-programs">9.1. Complete Python programs</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#file-input">9.2. File input</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#interactive-input">9.3. Interactive input</a></li> <li><a class="reference internal" href="#expression-input">9.4. Expression input</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h4>Previous topic</h4> <p class="topless"><a href="compound_stmts.html" title="previous chapter"><span class="section-number">8. </span>Compound statements</a></p> <h4>Next topic</h4> <p class="topless"><a href="grammar.html" title="next chapter"><span class="section-number">10. </span>Full Grammar specification</a></p> <div role="note" aria-label="source link"> <h3>This Page</h3> <ul class="this-page-menu"> <li><a href="../bugs.html">Report a Bug</a></li> <li> <a href="https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/3.10/Doc/reference/toplevel_components.rst" rel="nofollow">Show Source </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearer"></div> </div> <div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation"> <h3>Navigation</h3> <ul> <li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px"> <a href="../genindex.html" title="General Index" >index</a></li> <li class="right" > <a href="../py-modindex.html" title="Python Module Index" >modules</a> |</li> <li class="right" > <a href="grammar.html" title="10. 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