Setup — Google Colab¶
Try Codespaces first. It also needs no installation, and it keeps the terminal, the files and the virtual environment, so every command in the course works as written. Use Colab if you cannot have a GitHub account, or if you already know Colab and prefer it.
Colab is a free service that runs Python in your web browser, on Google's computers. You install nothing.
Everything in this course can be done in Colab. A few things work differently. They are listed at the end.
You need a Google account. If you cannot have one, use Codespaces, which needs a GitHub account instead.
Colab does not work from mainland China. If you will work from China during
the course, install locally. See
chinese-services.md.
1. Open Colab¶
Go to colab.research.google.com and sign in. Choose New notebook.
A notebook is a page of cells. Type a command into a cell and press Shift-Enter to run it.
Terminal commands work here too. Put an exclamation mark in front. So
python check_setup.py becomes !python check_setup.py.
2. Put the course files in Google Drive¶
Colab deletes its own files when a session ends. Google Drive keeps them.
- Upload the course folder to your Google Drive. Put it at the top level.
Keep the name
python_learning. - In your notebook, run this in a cell to connect Drive:
A window asks for permission. Allow it. 3. Move into the course folder:
Check it worked. Run !ls. You should see check_setup.py.
3. Run the setup check¶
Read what it prints.
The check will say that no virtual environment is active. On Colab this is normal. Colab manages the environment for you. Everything else should pass, because Colab already has the packages this course uses.
4. Working in Colab¶
- Run a course script. Move to the folder, then run the script:
- Edit a course file. Click the folder icon on the left edge. Find the
file under
drive/MyDrive/python_learning. Double-click it. It opens in an editor and saves automatically. - Save your own work. Keep your files inside the course folder on Drive.
What is different¶
| Local setup | Colab |
|---|---|
| A terminal | Notebook cells, with ! before commands |
| Files on your disk | Files on Google Drive |
| A virtual environment you manage | An environment Google manages |
| Sessions last as long as you like | Sessions stop when idle. Reconnect and run the mount cell again |
Parts of week 1 cover terminals, folders and virtual environments. You cannot run those commands in Colab. Read those sections anyway. You will need them on any machine that is not Colab.
Getting your files out¶
Your atlas is yours to keep, so take a copy at the end. Right-click a file or folder in the file browser and choose Download. For notebooks you can also use File → Save a copy in GitHub.