Quick Start

An easy way to get started with Python without installing anything locally on your computer is through Gitpod, a service for running development environments in the cloud, together with GitLab, a place to store and share git repositories.

Importantly, these services are not needed for using Python, but they allow us to quickly get up and running without having to spend much time configuring the development environment. To install Python locally, see the official documentation or Anaconda. If you have work computer, contact your IT department.

Create GitLab Account

  1. Got to https://gitlab.com/users/sign_up
  2. Follow the instructions

Create Gitpod Account

  1. Go to https://gitpod.io/workspaces/
  2. Choose Continue with GitLab
  3. Follow the instructions

Fork/Copy the Starter Template

Click this button Fork Template and follow the instructions, or:

  1. Sign in to GitLab (https://gitlab.com/users/sign_in)
  2. Go to the template repository python-for-data-science-template
  3. Click the Fork button
  4. Follow the instructions

Fork Template

Create/Start the Workspace

The workspace can be created/started either directly from the GitLab repository page or through Gitpod.

From GitLab

  1. Go to the page for your newly forked repository
  2. Click on the arrow next to Web IDE button
  3. Click on the button that now says Gitpod

Open with Gitpod

From Gitpod

  1. Go to your Gitpod workspaces (https://gitpod.io/workspaces)
  2. Click the green button New Workspace or press CTRL-O
  3. As Context URL, choose your newly forked GitLab repository
  4. Click the button New Workspace

Gitpod New Workspace

Initial Setup

  1. Wait while the workspace is configured, this can take some time the first time the workspace is created
  2. The VSCode IDE will open in the web browser
  3. Wait for the Python environment to be installed
  4. Close any popups and tabs that opened automatically
  5. Reload the window in your browser to get the workspace to detect the newly installed Python interpreter

Start Coding

What you are seeing in the browser now is the VSCode Integrated Development Environment (IDE). This is where we will do our Python coding. You can read more about it in the next section.

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