My First Steps Integrating OpenAI in Python Script using PyCharm

Posted 3 days ago by Mr. Dummy

 

🚀 My First Steps Integrating OpenAI in Python Script with PyCharm

Learning how to integrate AI into Python has been an exciting journey for me. As a beginner, I wanted to start simple by connecting my Python environment in PyCharm to OpenAI’s API. Along the way, I learned a lot about how the setup actually works and what’s needed to make real API calls.

🖥️ Installing PyCharm

To start coding in Python, I first installed PyCharm, a popular IDE (Integrated Development Environment) made by JetBrains.

  1. Go to the official website: https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download

  2. Choose the Community Edition (free) or Professional Edition (paid, with extra web tools).

  3. Download the installer for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).

  4. Run the installer and follow the setup wizard — it will guide you through installation and create a desktop shortcut.

  5. When you open PyCharm for the first time, it will prompt you to set up a Python interpreter — just select your existing Python installation or let PyCharm download one automatically.

Once PyCharm is installed, you’re ready to create a new Python project and start writing code!

⚙️ Setting Up PyCharm for OpenAI

The first step was installing the OpenAI SDK inside PyCharm. I created a new project, then opened the terminal inside PyCharm — not the global Command Prompt or system terminal. It’s important to run commands within the project folder’s virtual environment, so the package installs only for that specific project. Inside the PyCharm terminal, I ran:

pip install openai

That installed the official OpenAI Python package, which lets you send prompts and get responses directly from your Python code. After the installation finished, I tested if it worked correctly by running the following simple command in the same PyCharm terminal:

python -m pip show openai
If the installation was successful, it displays information like the version number and install location. You can also verify it inside a Python file by writing:
import openai
print(openai.__version__)

If no errors appear, that means the OpenAI SDK is installed correctly and ready to use in your project.

I then created a simple Python file (test.py) and added:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(api_key="your_api_key_here")

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4o-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, AI!"}]
)

print(response.choices[0].message.content)

At this point, the code was ready, but it wouldn’t run yet without one important piece.

🔑 Getting My Secret API Key

To connect to OpenAI’s models, you need an API key, which acts as your personal access token.

I went to https://platform.openai.com/api-keys, clicked “Create new secret key,” and copied it into my code. It’s important not to share this key publicly, since it’s tied to your account and billing.

đź’° Understanding Quotas and Credits

When I first ran the script, I got this error:

openai.RateLimitError: You exceeded your current quota...

At first, I thought something was wrong with my code but it turned out my API credits had expired. OpenAI gives limited free credits to new users, and once they’re used or expired, you need to add a payment method or buy credits to continue testing.

The good news is that even small amounts go a long way. A $5 credit can last weeks of practice if you use smaller models like gpt-4o-mini.

đź”’ Using a .env File to Protect Your API Key

A good security practice when working with APIs is to never store your secret key directly in your Python code. Instead, it’s safer to keep it in a .env file, which stores environment variables privately.

Inside your project folder, create a file named .env and add your key like this:

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Then, install the python-dotenv package:

pip install python-dotenv

And load the key securely in your Python code:

from openai importOpenAI
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

load_dotenv()

# loads variablesfrom .env
client = OpenAI(api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"))

 

This way, your key stays hidden from your main script and version control (like GitHub). It’s a small step that helps protect your account from unauthorized access and keeps your projects professional and secure.

🧠 What I Learned

Here are my key takeaways so far:

  • PyCharm makes it very easy to manage Python environments and packages.
  • Installing the OpenAI SDK is just one line of code with pip install openai.
  • You must generate and securely store your OpenAI API key to connect.
  • To run code successfully, you’ll need active credits or a valid billing setup.
  • Even with minimal credits, you can experiment with AI models affordably.