2  Setting-up Python Computing Environment

2.1 Use Google Colab

All you need is a Google account. Sign in your Google account in a browser, and navigate to Google Colab. Google Colab supports both Python and R. Python is the default engine. Change the engine to R in Connect->change runtime type. Then you are all set. Your file will be saved to your Google Drive or you can choose to send it to your GitHub account (recommended).

2.1.1 How to run a project file from your Google Drive?

Many times, when you run a python file in Colab, it needs to access other files, such as data files in a subdirectory. In this case, it would be convenient to have the same file structure in the Google Colab user home directory. To do this, you can use Google Drive to store your project folder, and then mount the Google Drive in Colab.

Let’s assume the project folder name, pydata-book/.Here are the steps:

  1. git clone the project folder (example: git clone https://github.com/wesm/pydata-book.git) to your local folder. This step is only needed when you want to clone some remote repo from GitHub.
  2. Upload the folder (ex: pydata-book) to Google Drive.
  3. Open the file using Colab. In Google Drive, double click on the ipynb file, example, ch06.ipynb (or click on the three dots on the right end, and choose open with, then Google Colaborotary), the file will be opened by Google Colab.
  4. Mount the Google Drive. In Google Colab, with the specific file (example, ch06.ipynb) being opened, move your cursor to the first code cell, and then click on the folder icon (this should be the fourth icon) on the upper left border in the Colab browser. This will open the file explorer pane. Typically you would see a folder named sample_data shown. On the top of the pane, click on the Google Drive icon to mount the Google Drive. Google Colab will insert the following code below the cursor in your opened ipynb file:
from google.colab import drive
drive.mount('/content/drive')

Run this code cell by pressing SHIFT+ENTER, and follow the prompts to complete the authentication. Wait for ~10 seconds, your Google Drive will be mounted in Colab, and it will be displayed as a folder named drive in the file explorer pane. You might need to click on the Refresh folder icon to see the folder drive.

5. Open a new code cell below the above code cell, and type the code

%cd /content/drive/MyDrive/pydata-book/

This is to change the directory to the project directory on the Google Drive. Run this code cell, and you are ready to run the file ch06.ipynb from the folder pydata-book on your personal Google Drive, just like it’s on your local computer.

2.2 On your own computer

  1. Anaconda: Download anaconda and install using default installation options

  2. VSC: Download VSC and install

  3. start VSC and install VSC extensions in VSC: Python, Jupyter, intellicode

  4. (optional) Quarto for authoring: Download Quarto and install

  5. Start an anaconda terminal. Navigate to the file directory.

  6. Setup a conda virtual environment: stat1010 and install python and ipykernel engines

    conda create -n stat1010 python ipykernel

  7. Activate the venv: conda activate stat1010

  8. start VSC by typing code . in the anaconda terminal.

  9. open/create a .ipynb or .py file.

  10. Select the kernel stat1010

  11. Run a code cell by pressing Shift+Enter or click the triangular play button.

  12. Continue to run other cells.

  13. After finishing using VSC, close the VSC, and deactivate the virtual environment in a conda terminal: conda deactivate