Python for ecologists: Setup Instructions for Learners

Python

Python is a popular language for scientific computing, and great for general-purpose programming as well. Installing all of its scientific packages individually can be a bit difficult, so we recommend an all-in-one installer.

For this workshop we use Python version 3.x

Python Packages we will use

How to install these Packages

For installing these packages we will use Anaconda or Miniconda. They both use Conda, the main difference is that Anaconda comes with a lot of packages installed by default. With Miniconda you need to install the packages that you need.

Using Anaconda

If you use Anaconda all the packages you need will be installed with Anaconda.

Download and install Anaconda

Download and install Anaconda. Remember to download and install the installer for Python 3.x

Using Miniconda

Miniconda is a “light” version of Anaconda, after you installed Miniconda you need to install the additional packages.

Download and install Miniconda

Download and install Minicoda following the instructions. Remember to download and install the installer for Python 3.x

Check the installation of Miniconda

From the terminal type:

conda list

Install the additional packages required with Miniconda

From the terminal type:

conda install -y numpy pandas matplotlib jupyter

Launch a Jupyter notebook

After you installed Anaconda or Miniconda (plus the additional packages) to launch a jupyter notebook you need to type this command from the terminal:

jupyter notebook

You can then open this link in your browser: http://localhost:8888