Coding environment (and the shell)

Module 1

Let’s Do Digital Team

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.

Altering the command to run

• Use the ← and → arrows to move the cursor on the terminal line (the mouse does not allow you to move the cursor). Then make any corrections with backspace and keystrokes as needed.
• For example to change

$ streamlit run exercise_1.py

to

$ streamlit run exercise_2.py

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

Codespace view

Lesson 1

• Make sure you have a GitHub account.
• Join your tutor group in the named Zoom break out rooms.
• Go to the page at https://github.com/letsdodigital/coding-hands-on
• Click on the <> Code button and then the Codespaces tab.
• Click on Create codespace on main

Codespace load

Codespace load

Ignore the extensions

• Ignore when a small window in the bottom right that pops up. Just close these.

Get to your first lesson

• Change the directory (don’t type the $. This is just how we show this is the command line):

    $ cd programming_in_healthcare/module_1

• And then

    $ python lesson_1.py

• Did it work? If so, open up the lesson_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 30 minutes for lesson 1.