Coding environment (and the shell)

Module 1

Clinicians-who-code

The coding environment

Today’s hands-on sessions

  • We will be using the GitHub Codespace development environment.
  • This is a browser version of the well known desktop VS Code development environment.
  • In the context of this course, a development environment is synonymous with the teaching environment.

Codespace light theme

Codespace dark theme

Codespace layout

Useful terminal (shell) commands

Commands

  • A command is a piece of code that carries out a specific task.
  • These tasks can be as simple as showing you what folder you are in, to printing, changing settings, and updating the operating system.

Using the terminal

  • Also called the command line interface (CLI) or the shell.

Steps:

  • Select the terminal (aka click on it).
  • Type in your command (this needs to be typed out exactly).
  • Press enter to run the command.

Pro tip:

  • If you want to run a previously run command, you can select it with the ↑ and ↓ arrow keys on the keyboard.

List files and folders command

  • The ls command.

Change directory command

  • The cd command.
  • cd .. takes you back to the previous (parent) folder.

Where am I?

  • pwd is the print working directory command.

Time to try it out for yourself

LiveShare

  • We will be using liveshare for the hands-on learning sessions. This is an extension of Codespace (and VS Code) that allows others to work (and learn) in the same development environment.

Codespace view

Lession 1

  • Join your tutor group in the Zoom break out rooms.
  • Follow the link to the online learning environment (Codespace).
  • Change the directory (don’t type the $. This is just how we show this is the command line):
    $ cd users/{your_name}/module-1/hands-on
  • Replace {your_name} with your own name in the format firstname underscore lastname, eg john_doe.
  • Run the following command in the new directory
    $ python lession_1.py
  • Did it work? If so, open up the lession_1.py file.
  • Any problems, just ask your tutor for help.
  • There is no such thing as a stupid question, only the question left unanswered.
  • We will give you 20 minutes for lession 1.