I'm working with an online tutor who wants me to learn by breaking a project into small, manageable steps and reporting or demonstrating each milestone. My current assignment is to build a Tic-Tac-Toe game in Python.
I understand how to track my progress with Git, but I'm not sure how to let my tutor actually run each version. I created the game board, pushed the code to my repository, and my tutor pointed out that it isn't very useful if they can't run it on their own computer. They said I need to deliver the application in a form that someone else can use.
What's the simplest way to package and demonstrate my progress?
3 Answers
First, ask your tutor exactly what environment they expect you to support: operating system, Python version, and whether they already have Git and Python installed. If your setups are compatible, provide clear run instructions or a small setup script. For example, they could clone the project, move into its folder, install any dependencies, and run the program. A README with these steps is just as important as the code itself.
As the project grows, learn about packaging with files such as `pyproject.toml`. Also use `pathlib` instead of hard-coded paths so the program is less likely to break on another operating system. Later, tools such as PyInstaller can package a Python program into an executable, but that may be more complexity than you need for an early milestone.
The key idea is that each milestone should be usable, not just a collection of files. For example, your first demo could include a board that displays correctly and instructions like `python main.py` to launch it. Later demos can add player input, move validation, win detection, and a restart option. Ask your tutor whether they want to run the code themselves, watch you share your screen, or receive a packaged executable—those are different requirements.
Your tutor should clarify how they want submissions delivered. For a small learning project, you probably don’t need a full standalone application immediately. A repository containing the current code, a short README, sample commands, and a description of what works at that stage may be enough. You can also record a brief screen capture showing the program running if live execution on their machine isn’t required.
That makes sense. I’ll ask which method he prefers and include simple instructions with each milestone instead of only pushing the files.