Summary and Setup

This lesson build on the Plotting and Programming in Python lesson developed by Software Carpentry. It also requires knowledge of the Unix Shell and version control with Git. This lesosn works with both Jupyter Notebooks and writing scripts with a text editor to be run in the shell. Please note that this lesson uses Python 3 rather than Python 2.

Prerequisites

  1. Learners are expected to have been introduced to the material from the Unix Shell lesson, the Plotting and Programming in Python lesson, and the Version control with Git lesson.

  2. Learners must install Python before the workshop starts.

  3. Learners must get the gapminder data before class starts: please download and unzip the file python-novice-gapminder-data.zip.

Please see the setup instructions for details.

Installing Python Using Anaconda

Python is a popular language for scientific computing, and great for general-purpose programming as well. Installing all of its scientific packages individually can be a bit difficult, however, so we recommend the all-in-one installer Anaconda.

Regardless of how you choose to install it, please make sure you install Python version 3.x (e.g., 3.4 is fine). Also, please set up your python environment at least a day in advance of the workshop. If you encounter problems with the installation procedure, ask your workshop organizers via e-mail for assistance so you are ready to go as soon as the workshop begins.

Windows - Video tutorial

  1. Open http://continuum.io/downloads with your web browser.

  2. Download the Python 3 installer for Windows.

  3. Double-click the executable and install Python 3 using MOST of the default settings. The only exception is to check the Make Anaconda the default Python option.

Mac OS X - Video tutorial

  1. Open http://continuum.io/downloads with your web browser.

  2. Download the Python 3 installer for OS X.

  3. Install Python 3 using all of the defaults for installation.

Linux

Note that the following installation steps require you to work from the shell. If you run into any difficulties, please request help before the workshop begins.

  1. Open http://continuum.io/downloads with your web browser.

  2. Download the Python 3 installer for Linux.

  3. Install Python 3 using all of the defaults for installation.

  1. Open a terminal window.

  2. Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the installer

  3. Type

BASH 

$ bash Anaconda3-

and press tab. The name of the file you just downloaded should appear.

  1. Press enter.

  2. Follow the text-only prompts. When the license agreement appears (a colon will be present at the bottom of the screen) hold the down arrow until the bottom of the text. Type yes and press enter to approve the license. Press enter again to approve the default location for the files. Type yes and press enter to prepend Anaconda to your PATH (this makes the Anaconda distribution the default Python).

Getting the Data

The data we will be using is taken from the gapminder dataset. To obtain it, download and unzip the file python-novice-gapminder-data.zip. In order to follow the presented material, you should launch a Jupyter notebook in the root directory (see Starting Python).

Starting Python

We will teach Python using the Jupyter lab, a programming environment that runs in a web browser. Jupyter requires a reasonably up-to-date browser, preferably a current version of Chrome, Safari, or Firefox (note that Internet Explorer version 9 and below are not supported). If you installed Python using Anaconda, Jupyter should already be on your system. If you did not use Anaconda, use the Python package manager pip (see the Jupyter website for details.)

To start the notebook, open a terminal or git bash and type the command:

BASH 

$ jupyter lab

To start the Python interpreter without the notebook, open a terminal or Git Bash and type the command:

BASH 

$ python