---
author: einar
categories:
- Linux
- Science
comments: true
date: "2006-10-11T20:59:34Z"
header:
  image_fullwidth: banner_other.jpg
slug: my-first-real-world-python-program
title: My first real Python program
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wordpress_id: 120
---

Although I'm still studying the language, finally I managed to create a program that actually does _something I need_. The need arose from a gene list I was given, made up by [Entrez Gene](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=gene) IDs. I need to annotate it, but in a form that wasn't able to be produced by the usual functional annotation tools I have. Actually it could have been done, but what I needed was to make something that I could _automate_.

Part of the job could have done by simply using [DAVID](http://niaid.abcc.ncifcrf.gov/) to fetch Entrez Gene ID, Gene name and symbol, chromsome and cytoband, plus some[ Gene Ontology](http://www.geneontology.org) terms  I needed. However, I took the chance to start using the language, and also to add other fields that I couldn't obtain in other ways. It's been a painful experience, but it worked. Right now it's tremendously hackish but I think I'll probably improve it in the next days. I'll post the source once it has a reasonable level of decency.
