Python and TypeScript are two popular programming languages, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Python is known for its simplicity and ease of use, while TypeScript is known for its strong typing and scalability. Combining the two can provide developers with the best of both worlds, enabling them to create powerful, scalable applications.

In this tutorial, we will walk through the steps needed to set up Python with TypeScript, and demonstrate how to use them together in a simple example.


Step 1: Installing Python and TypeScript

Before we can start using Python with TypeScript, we need to ensure that both languages are installed on our system.

Python can be downloaded and installed from the official Python website: https://www.python.org/downloads/. Make sure to select the appropriate version of Python for your system and follow the installation instructions.

TypeScript can be installed using Node.js, a popular JavaScript runtime environment. To install Node.js, visit the official website: https://nodejs.org/en/download/ and download the appropriate version for your system. Once Node.js is installed, you can use the following command to install TypeScript globally:

npm install -g typescript

Step 2: Setting up a TypeScript Project

To start using TypeScript, we need to set up a TypeScript project. In your terminal, navigate to the directory where you want to create the project and run the following command:

tsc --init

This command generates a tsconfig.json file in the current directory, which contains the TypeScript compiler options for our project.


Step 3: Creating a Python Script

Next, let's create a simple Python script that we will use in our TypeScript code. Create a new file called hello.py and add the following code:

def say_hello(name: str):
    print(f"Hello, {name}!")

This script defines a function called say_hello that takes a single argument name and prints a message to the console.

Step 4: Writing TypeScript Code

Now that we have our Python script, let's write some TypeScript code to use it. Create a new file called app.ts and add the following code:

import { spawnSync } from 'child_process';

const result = spawnSync('python', ['hello.py', 'world']);

if (result.stdout) {
  console.log(result.stdout.toString());
}

This code imports the spawnSync function from the built-in Node.js child_process module, which allows us to execute a Python script. We then use spawnSync to run the hello.py script with the argument "world". Finally, we check if the result contains any output and print it to the console if it does.


Step 5: Compiling and Running the TypeScript Code

Before we can run our TypeScript code, we need to compile it to JavaScript. In your terminal, navigate to the directory containing app.ts and run the following command:

tsc

This command compiles the app.ts file to app.js.

Now, we can run the JavaScript code using Node.js:

node app.js

This should output the following message to the console: 

Hello, world!


Conclusion

In this tutorial, we learned how to set up Python with TypeScript and use them together in a simple example. By combining the simplicity of Python with the strong typing and scalability of TypeScript, we can create powerful and scalable applications.