[Python] What does "sys.argv[1]" mean? (What is sys.argv, and where does it come from?)

I'm currently teaching myself Python and was just wondering (In reference to my example below) in simplified terms what the sys.argv[1] represents. Is it simply asking for an input?


#!/usr/bin/python3.1

# import modules used here -- sys is a very standard one
import sys

# Gather our code in a main() function
def main():
print ('Hello there', sys.argv[1])
# Command line args are in sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2] ..
# sys.argv[0] is the script name itself and can be ignored

# Standard boilerplate to call the main() function to begin
# the program.
if __name__ == '__main__':
main()


You may have been directed here because you were asking about an IndexError in your code that uses sys.argv. The problem is not in your code; the problem is that you need to run the program in a way that makes sys.argv contain the right values. Please read the answers to understand how sys.argv works.

If you have read and understood the answers, and are still having problems on Windows, check if Python Script does not take sys.argv in Windows fixes the issue. If you are trying to run the program from inside an IDE, you may need IDE-specific help - please search, but first check if you can run the program successfully from the command line.

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