Getting started

Class ressources

• Overview of the class: slides in html, in pdf
• Jupyter notebook: Introduction to Python

Access class ressources

• Website for structure and slides
• Github repository of the course: Code, data and Slides
  • Download the repository:
• Lola for homeworks

Getting started with python

Python install

• Python install with anaconda
  • Cf. installing python with Anaconda page
• Open (& read & run) the getting started jupyter notebook

Getting started with the environment

Objective: make sure that everybody has Python, Jupyter Notebook and the virtual environment installed on their laptop. The main aim of these steps is to reveal possible OS mismatches or other problems.

• Setting up the environment
  • Work with conda environement
• Basic terminology
• Using Jupyter notebook
  • Notebook: getting started
• Using VScode
  • Getting started page
  • Useful extensions:
    • Python
    • GitHub Copilot

Main python principles

• If you get stuck
  • Knowing how to Google is one of the most important skills of any coder.
• Indentation
• Counting start at $0$
• print("hello world")
• Comments
• If time allows: introduce the concepts that will be subject to the exercises for the next practice session
  • Using the Introduction to Python jupyter notebook

After class: Testing yourself

Elementary python

• Python concept + coding exercises (in an online environment):
  • Hello, World! [10 minutes]
  • Variables and Types [10 minutes]
  • Lists [10 minutes]

Intermediary python

• Read the following book chapter: coding basics
• Python concept + coding exercises (in an online environment):
  • Basic Operators [5 minutes]
  • Conditions [10 minutes]
  • Loops [10 minutes]
  • Functions [10 minutes]
  • Dictionaries [10 minutes]

Learning objectives

• Getting familiarized with the python environment (Jupyter notebook, python script)
• Discovering & implementing the central notions for coding python
• python notions:
  • variable types
  • list
  • Operations
  • Loops
  • Functions

Resources

• Video on using a Jupyter Notebook
• Coding Basics’s chapter from Coding for Economists by Arthur Turrell
• Using git slides