Automatically execute commands on launching python shell

Question

I was wondering if there is a way to automatically run commands on entering the python shell as you would with the .bash_profile or .profile scripts with bash. I would like

Answer 1

Also consider using ipython if you're doing a lot of interactive work. Your options for this kind of automation expand significantly.

Answer 2

Yup you can use the PYTHONSTARTUP environment variable to do this as outlined here