Python, VS Code, Git, and ChatGPT

Installing python

• Install from python.org or anaconda.com. I use python.org but either will work.
• Important: add python to your path.
• If installing from python.org, the first installation screen (for choosing Install or Custom Install) has in small text at the bottom a check box for adding to path. CHECK THE BOX!

Installing VS Code

• VS Code is an IDE (integrated development environment)
• VS Code is short for Visual Studio Code.
  • Visual Studio is for .NET and C++ developers. We don’t need it.
    
  • Visual Studio Code is a stand-alone and much smaller product.
• There are alternatives, but I like VS Code.

VS Code Extensions

After installing VS Code, google in a browser to find the VS Code Marketplace (or click the Extensions icon on the left panel in VS Code) and install these extensions:

• Python
• ChatGpt4 (by bito)
• Latex Workshop (if desired - I recommend)

Display Theme

File/Preferences/Theme/Color Theme

to change the display theme. Play around and see what you like.

Command Palette

• CTRL-SHFT-P opens the command palette.
• Find “Select Python Interpreter” and make sure that your installation of python has been detected.

File/Open Folder

• File/Open Folder and browse to find a folder in which you want to work.
• Click File Explorer icon on left if necessary.

Terminal/New Terminal

• Terminal/New Terminal to get a terminal (command prompt).
• Command Palette and “Terminal: Select Default Profile” if you want a different type of terminal window (e.g., PowerShell instead of Command Prompt).
• As a test, execute one of the following (you only need one to work).

  pip install wrds
  python -m pip install wrds
  python3 -m pip install wrds

File/New File

• Open a text file. Save as test.txt
• Open another text file. Save as test.md
• Open another text file. Save as test.tex
• Open a python file. Save as test.py
• Open a Jupyter notebook. Save as test.ipynb

Text and Markdown Files

• In the .txt file, type some text and save.
• In the .md file, type the following

  # A Header
  Some text


  $$\int_0^2 x^2 \,dx$$

• Then try Render HTML (or PDF or DOCX). Some versions of VS Code render automatically. Click the split screen icon at top right to see the rendered document.

LaTex

In the .tex file, you can type the following and render. It compiles to a pdf if you have TeX Live or tinytex installed. I recommend uninstalling miktex and installing tinytex. But that is outside the scope of our course.

  \documentclass{article}
  \begin{document}
  Some text
  \begin{equation}
    \int_0^2 x^2 \,dx
  \end{equation}
  \end{document}

Python Scripts

• In the .py file, type

  import os
  dir_list = os.listdir()
  print(dir_list)

• Save the .py file (File/Save or CTRL-S).
• In the terminal, execute

  python test.py

Jupyter Notebooks

• Jupyter notebooks consist of cells. They can be executed in any order.
  
• Cells are markdown, code, or raw.
• Cells can be added from the toolbar or by popups below cells. They can be changed from one type to another from the cell menu.
  
• Cells can be executed by point-and-click or by CTRL-SHFT.
  
• Create a markdown cell like the .md file and execute.

Jupyter Code Cells

• Create a code cell like the .py file and execute.
• If you get an error message about nbformat, you probably need to install jupyter. Use ‘pip install’ or one of the other versions.

ChatGPT

• Click the ChatGPT (Bito) icon in the left toolbar.
• Submit the message ‘write python code to list all of the files in a directory’
• Also, I recommend getting a Plus subscription at openai.com.
  • At chat.openai.com, start a conversation with ChatGPT-4. - Activate the Code Interpreter icon.
  • Submit a message like “use code interpreter to sum the integers from 1 through 25.” Click “Show Work”

GIT

• Install the git CLI (command line interface) from https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-Installing-Git
• Basic commands:

  git clone <repo url>
  git pull origin main
  git add . 
  git commit -m "<some message>"
  git push origin main

Cloning Repos

• In a browser, visit https://github.com/QuantEcon
• Click on a rep name, then Code, then the copy icon
• In your terminal window, use git to clone the repo (use CTRL-V to past the copied url).
• As another test, visit https://github.com/kerryback. Find the BUSI-520-Notebooks repo and clone it.
• And another: visit https://github.com/wesm/pydata-book and clone the code for the book Python for Data Analysis.

Google Colab

• In a browser, visit https://colab.research.google.com/.
• To use colab, you need to sign in from a google account. Colab is not necessary for this course, so this is optional.
• Once signed in, you should automatically be prompted to open a notebook. If not, use File/Open Notebook.
• Select github and enter wesm/pydata-book. You can open any of the notebooks from the repo in colab and execute them there. You can also create and save your own notebooks to your google drive.

Noteable

• This is not required, but I recommend it. Go to noteable.io. Open a free account.
• The account gives you a free JupyterLab environment. You can create and save notebooks.
• Go to ChatGPT-4 at chat.openai.com. Find the plugin store. Select and activate the noteable plugin.
• Enter a prompt like “use noteable to sum the integers from 1 through 25.” You’ll have a new notebook at your noteable account that contains the code and the result.