Data Carpentry Workshop for SIEPR Fellows: Setup

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.

If you chose to use another environment other than Anaconda, make sure to install the following libraries, which will be required for this workshop:

Windows - Video tutorial

  1. Open https://www.anaconda.com/download 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 https://www.anaconda.com/download 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 https://www.anaconda.com/download with your web browser.

  2. Download the Python 3 installer for Linux.

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

    a. Open a terminal window.

    b. Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the installer

    c. Type

    $ bash Anaconda3-

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

    d. Press enter.

    e. 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

Data for this lesson is taken from the Gapminder Foundation and the SAFI Teaching Database.

  1. Download these files to your computer by clicking this link, which will give you everything in a single compressed archive.
  2. Create a folder named swc-python on your Desktop and move the downloaded files into this newly created folder.
  3. Unzip the file.

You should now see one folder named python-data in your swc-python folder on your Desktop.

If you’re using a Unix shell application, such as Terminal app in macOS, Console or Terminal in Linux, or Git Bash on Windows, execute the following command:

$ cd ~/Desktop/swc-python/python-data

On Windows, you can also use the native Command Prompt program. The easiest way to start it up is by pressing Windows Logo Key+R, entering cmd, and hitting Enter. In the Command Prompt, use the following command to navigate to the data folder:

$ cd /D %userprofile%\Desktop\swc-python\data

Launch a Jupyter notebook

Jupyter notebooks provide a browser-based interface for working with Python. After downloading and decompressing the workshop materials and navigating to the python-data folder, launch a Jupyter notebook by typing this command from the terminal:

jupyter notebook

The notebook should open automatically in your browser. If it does not or you wish to use a different browser, open this link: http://localhost:8888.

Finally, create a new notebook by clicking “New” button on the right and selecting “Python 3” from the drop-down menu.