What is '$' in python? [duplicate]

Question

As a beginner in Python, I'm reading a book written by Bill Lubanovic

I found something weird.

In that book, After saving simple code in test1.py, which is

print("This standalone program works!")

it says python can run it by typing in

$ python test1.py

However, whenever I try to use that, syntax error happens.

Although I know there are other methods like using exec() which I found in this website, I wanna know why book uses that method which doesn't work at least for me.

Answer 1

It means you need to type everything but the $ in the terminal.

python test1.py

It's just a convention though. Authors also use > python test1.py and other notations.

I don't know which version of his book you're reading, but he mentions it in this version.

In the example that follows, $ is a sample system prompt for you to type a command like python in the terminal window. We’ll use it for the code examples in this book, although your prompt might be different.