ResBaz Hobart, Python Stream

31 Jan - 1 Feb, 2017

9:00 am - 5:00pm

Instructors: Damien Irving

Helpers: Pearse Buchanan, Peter Love, Paola Petrelli

General Information

Software Carpentry's mission is to help researchers get more done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic lab skills for scientific computing. This hands-on workshop will cover basic concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation. Participants will be encouraged to help one another and to apply what they have learned to their own research problems.

For more information on what we teach and why, please see our paper "Best Practices for Scientific Computing".

Who: The course is aimed at graduate students and other researchers. You don't need to have any previous knowledge of the tools that will be presented at the workshop.

Where: Aurora Lecture Theatre, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point. Get directions with OpenStreetMap or Google Maps.

Requirements: Participants must bring a laptop with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they have administrative privileges on. The workshop will be conducted on the cloud (see below for details), so it is not necessary to install any software prior to attending. Participants are also required to abide by Software Carpentry's Code of Conduct.

Accessibility: We are committed to making this workshop accessible to everybody. The workshop organisers have checked that:

Materials will be provided in advance of the workshop and large-print handouts are available if needed by notifying the organizers in advance. If we can help making learning easier for you (e.g. sign-language interpreters, lactation facilities) please get in touch and we will attempt to provide them.

Contact: Please email datasciencehobart@gmail.com for more information.


Schedule

Surveys

Please be sure to complete these surveys before and after the workshop.

Pre-workshop Survey

Post-workshop Survey

Day 1

08:45 - 09:00 Welcome to ResBaz
09:00 - 10:30 Unix shell: navigation, files and directories
10:30 - 11:00 Morning tea (provided)
11:00 - 12:30 Unix shell: pipes, loops, shell scripts, finding things
12:30 - 01:30 Lunch (not provided)
01:30 - 03:00 Python: an introductory data analysis example
03:00 - 03:30 Afternoon tea (provided)
03:30 - 05:00 Python: loops, lists, conditionals and functions

Day 2

09:00 - 10:30 Python: testing and defensive programming
10:30 - 11:00 Morning tea (provided)
11:00 - 12:30 Python: command line programs and debugging
12:30 - 01:30 Lunch (not provided)
01:30 - 03:00 Git: Version control
03:00 - 03:30 Afternoon tea (provided)
03:30 - 05:00 TBA

Etherpad: http://pad.software-carpentry.org/DaSH-Python.
We will use this Etherpad for chatting, taking notes, and sharing URLs and bits of code.


Syllabus

The Unix Shell

  • Files and directories
  • History and tab completion
  • Pipes and redirection
  • Looping over files
  • Creating and running shell scripts
  • Finding things
  • Reference...

Programming in Python

  • Using libraries
  • Working with arrays
  • Reading and plotting data
  • Creating and using functions
  • Loops and conditionals
  • Defensive programming
  • Using Python from the command line
  • Reference...

Version Control with Git

  • Creating a repository
  • Recording changes to files: add, commit, ...
  • Viewing changes: status, diff, ...
  • Ignoring files
  • Working on the web: clone, pull, push, ...
  • Resolving conflicts
  • Open licenses
  • Where to host work, and why
  • Reference...

Setup

The ResBaz Cloud will be used during the workshop, which means no software needs to be installed proir to attending. Participants will need a GitHub account in order to login to the ResBaz Cloud and to participate in the lessons on version control, so please sign up to GitHub if you haven't already.