Software Carpentry- Introduction to Python
G40_4.114 Gold Coast, Griffith University

23rd -24th November

9am to 5pm

Instructors: Amanda Miotto

Helpers: Kim Keogh

General Information

Software Carpentry aims to help researchers get their work done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic research computing skills. This hands-on workshop will cover basic concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation. Participants will be encouraged to help one another and to apply what they have learned to their own research problems.

For more information on what we teach and why, please see our paper "Best Practices for Scientific Computing".

Who: The course is aimed at graduate students and other researchers. You don't need to have any previous knowledge of the tools that will be presented at the workshop.

Where: Parklands Drive, Southport, Qld. Get directions with OpenStreetMap or Google Maps.

When: 23rd -24th November. Add to your Google Calendar.

Requirements: Participants must bring a laptop with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they have administrative privileges on. They should have a few specific software packages installed (listed below). They are also required to abide by Software Carpentry's Code of Conduct.

Accessibility: We are committed to making this workshop accessible to everybody. The workshop organisers have checked that:

Materials will be provided in advance of the workshop and large-print handouts are available if needed by notifying the organizers in advance. If we can help making learning easier for you (e.g. sign-language interpreters, lactation facilities) please get in touch (using contact details below) and we will attempt to provide them.

Contact: Please email hackyhour@griffith.edu.au for more information.

Links for classes

Below are all the links to the lessons and the data used in them

First lesson: The Unix Shell (Bash)

Lessons online : http://swcarpentry.github.io/shell-novice/

Data to download: http://swcarpentry.github.io/shell-novice/shell-novice-data.zip

Please unzip after downloading. If you are in Mac or Linux, you can use the following commands:

Windows: you can download it and move it to the folder you plan on working in, then unzip it by right clicking

Mac:

curl -O http://swcarpentry.github.io/shell-novice/data/shell-novice-data.zip

unzip shell-novice-data.zip

Linux:

wget http://swcarpentry.github.io/shell-novice/data/shell-novice-data.zip

unzip shell-novice-data.zip


Second lesson: Python

Lessons online : https://swcarpentry.github.io/python-novice-gapminder/

Data to download: https://swcarpentry.github.io/python-novice-gapminder/files/python-novice-gapminder-data.zip

You need to download to your computer, use the following...


Please unzip after downloading. If you are in Mac or Linux, you can use the following commands:

Windows: you can download it and move it to the folder you plan on working in, then unzip it by right clicking

Mac:

curl -O https://swcarpentry.github.io/python-novice-gapminder/files/python-novice-gapminder-data.zip/p>

unzip python-novice-gapminder-data.zip

Linux:

wget https://swcarpentry.github.io/python-novice-gapminder/files/python-novice-gapminder-data.zip

unzip python-novice-gapminder-data.zip


Schedule

Surveys

Please be sure to complete these surveys before and after the workshop.

Pre-workshop Survey

Post-workshop Survey

Day 1

08:30 Automating tasks with the Unix shell
10:30 Coffee
12:30 Lunch break
13:00 Building programs with Python
14:30 Coffee
16:00 End Class- Hacky Hour starts (Welcome to stay and practice)
17:00 Hacky Hour ends

Day 2

08:30 Building programs with Python Continued
10:30 Coffee
12:30 Lunch break
13:00 Building programs with Python Continued
14:30 Coffee
16:00 Wrap-up
16:30 END

Syllabus

The Unix Shell

  • Files and directories
  • History and tab completion
  • Pipes and redirection
  • Looping over files
  • Creating and running shell scripts
  • Finding things
  • Reference...

Programming in Python

  • Using libraries
  • Working with arrays
  • Reading and plotting data
  • Creating and using functions
  • Loops and conditionals
  • Defensive programming
  • Using Python from the command line
  • Reference...

Setup

To participate in a Software Carpentry workshop, you will need access to the software described below. In addition, you will need an up-to-date web browser.

We maintain a list of common issues that occur during installation as a reference for instructors that may be useful on the Configuration Problems and Solutions wiki page.

The Bash Shell

Bash is a commonly-used shell that gives you the power to do simple tasks more quickly.

Windows

Video Tutorial
  1. Download the Git for Windows installer.
  2. Run the installer and follow the steps bellow:
    1. Click on "Next".
    2. Click on "Next".
    3. Keep "Use Git from the Windows Command Prompt" selected and click on "Next". If you forgot to do this programs that you need for the workshop will not work properly. If this happens rerun the installer and select the appropriate option.
    4. Click on "Next".
    5. Keep "Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style line endings" selected and click on "Next".
    6. Keep "Use Windows' default console window" selected and click on "Next".
    7. Click on "Install".
    8. Click on "Finish".
  3. If your "HOME" environment variable is not set (or you don't know what this is):
    1. Open command prompt (Open Start Menu then type cmd and press [Enter])
    2. Type the following line into the command prompt window exactly as shown:

      setx HOME "%USERPROFILE%"

    3. Press [Enter], you should see SUCCESS: Specified value was saved.
    4. Quit command prompt by typing exit then pressing [Enter]

This will provide you with both Git and Bash in the Git Bash program.

Mac OS X

The default shell in all versions of Mac OS X is Bash, so no need to install anything. You access Bash from the Terminal (found in /Applications/Utilities). See the Git installation video tutorial for an example on how to open the Terminal. You may want to keep Terminal in your dock for this workshop.

Linux

The default shell is usually Bash, but if your machine is set up differently you can run it by opening a terminal and typing bash. There is no need to install anything.

Text Editor

If you already have a plain text editor set up (gEdit, Vim, Emacs) then you are welcome to use this. Otherwise (and especially for windows users) we recommend Sublime.

Windows

Sublime is the editor we will be using Sublime Text.

Mac OS X

Sublime is the editor we will be using Sublime Text.

Linux

Sublime is the editor we will be using Sublime Text.

Python

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

Regardless of how you choose to install it, please make sure you install Python version 3.x (e.g., 3.6 is fine).

We will teach Python using the Jupyter notebook, a programming environment that runs in a web browser. For this to work you will need a reasonably up-to-date browser. The current versions of the Chrome, Safari and Firefox browsers are all supported (some older browsers, including Internet Explorer version 9 and below, are not).

Windows

Video Tutorial
  1. Open http://continuum.io/downloads with your web browser.
  2. Download the Python 3 installer for Windows.
  3. Install Python 3 using all of the defaults for installation except make sure to check Make Anaconda the default Python.

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

  1. Open http://continuum.io/downloads with your web browser.
  2. Download the Python 3 installer for Linux.
    (The installation requires using the shell. If you aren't comfortable doing the installation yourself stop here and request help at the workshop.)
  3. Open a terminal window.
  4. Type 
    bash Anaconda3-
    and then press tab. The name of the file you just downloaded should appear. If it does not, navigate to the folder where you downloaded the file, for example with: 
    cd Downloads
    Then, try again.
  5. Press enter. You will follow the text-only prompts. To move through the text, press the space key. Type yes and press enter to approve the license. Press enter 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).
  6. Close the terminal window.