Requirements

You’ll need a few mandatory prerequisites for successfully participating in the course.

  • A Linux, Mac OS, a Windows 10 Machine
  • Python3.7
  • Visual Studio Code
  • The Python Extension for Visual Studio Code

Additional Instructions For Windows Users

  • Note: Always select “Allow this app to make changes to your device” during the installation process.
  • On the last page of the Python 3 installer, select “Disable Path Limit” before hitting close.
  • In the start menu, right click on “Windows PowerShell”. Select “Run as an administrator”
  • In the PowerShell terminal window, that opens, type:

(> means prompt, don’t type that in)

> Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Then, type Y for Yes.

Keep this window open for the following steps to create a virtual environment!

Downloads

Download Python3 Download Visual Studio Code Python Extension for Visual Studio Code

Making sure you’re ready

To make sure you have all the prerequisites properly installed:

Checking for Python 3.7

For Windows

Using the same PowerShell window from earlier, type:

> py -3.7

This should open a REPL window with a prompt.

Press Ctrl + Z followed by Enter to exit this screen and go back to your prompt.

For Mac / Linux

Type the following on your terminal.

$ python3 --version

You should see

Python 3.7.2

If you don’t see a Python version greater than 3.7, please follow the instructions for installing Python3 again.

Creating a Virtual Environment and The Project Folder

A Virtual Environment in Python is a self-contained directory that contains a Python installation for a particular version of the language.

It’s a very useful way to make sure that we’re using the right Python version when we’re working on a particular project.

Let’s create a project directory and a Python 3.7 Virtual Environment.

For Windows

Using the same PowerShell terminal from earlier, type the following commands in one by one:

> cd $home
> mkdir pyworkshop
> cd pyworkshop
> py -3 -m venv env
> env\scripts\activate

Your prompt should now look like this, but with your own username.

(env) PS C:\Users\nina\pyworkshop>

env\scripts\activate is how you activate your virtual environment in Windows. You’ll want to do that each time you enter this Python project directory from a new shell.

For Mac / Linux

Open a terminal window. Type the following.

(Do not type the $ character, that signifies a prompt.)

$ cd
$ mkdir pyworkshop
$ cd pyworkshop
$ python3.7 -m venv env
$ source env/bin/activate

source env/bin/activate is how you activate your virtual environment on Mac or Linux. You’ll want to do that each time you enter this Python project directory from a new shell.

Your prompt will look like this to indicate that the virtual environment is active.

(env) $

You are expected to work from this project folder for the duration of the class, with an activated virtual environment.

Checking VS Code

Look for VS Code in your Applications, or type the following in your Mac/Linux or Powershell terminal.

$ code --version

You should see something like:

1.32.3
a3db5be9b5c6ba46bb7555ec5d60178ecc2eaae4
x64

If you don’t see VS Code, please follow the instructions for installing VS Code again.

Note that after the course you can use the IDE of your choice to continue on your Python adventure.