CS5nm, Fall 2008

lab01: Orientation to Python
and submitting assignments on GauchoSpace

Goals for this lab

By the time you have completed this lab, you should be able to

• Bring up IDLE, the program you use to interact with Python, on either the computer in the Mesa lab, or your own laptop (or both)
• Find a file on the web with some function defintions, and load that code into IDLE
• Load that code in Python (by pressing F5, or selecting "Run Module" from the "Run" menu)
  • This requires you to save your file
• Type some things at the Python shell prompt (">>>") to test whether your function definitions are working properly
• Save a transcript of your Python session into a file like "lab01.transcript.txt".
• Most importantly: submit those two files using GauchoSpace as evidence that you completed the assignment.

This week's lab is about mechanics, not concepts.

Note: this assignment is not particularly intellectually challenging. I hope that will not be the case in future weeks! This assignment is designed to make sure you are comfortble working in the Python environment and know how to submit your work. The thinking part will come between this lab, and next week's lab.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: (Mesa Lab only) Log in to your workstation

Find a box like this at the upper right hand corner of your screen. Use your UCSBNetID and password (same one you use for email) to log in.

Step 2: (Mesa Lab only) Connect your N: drive

Find the icon that says "MyStorage"---at the left hand side of the screen, about five down from the top. Double click on that, and you should see:

Next to the line that says U-Storage, enter your UCSBNetID and password (the same one you use for UMail), and click the box that says Connected.

This will give you an extra "hard drive" on your computer called the N:\ drive. This is storage that you can access from any of the computing labs in Phelps. When we store files, we'll typically want to store them here.

• By the way... you can also access this storage from anywhere that you can access the web, by accessing your UMail. Log into UMail, and go to "Account Tools" (its on the left hand tool bar.) Then, U-Storage should be the top button. Click that, and you should be able to figure it out from there. (If not ask your TA or instructor for help.)
• Another option is to bring in a "flash key", "thumb drive", "usb drive" (all names for the same thing). You can put one of these in on the left hand side of the monitor (where it says "USB Here" with the shiny red arrows.)

Step 3: Bring up the program called IDLE

IDLE is a piece of software that you use to interact with the Python programming language.

Where you find it on your computer depends on whether

• you are in an IC Lab, like Mesa (or Miramar, Gaviota, Leadbetter), OR
• you installed the software yourself.

If you are in the Mesa Lab:

From the Windows Start Menu (lower left), navigate to:

• All Programs
  
• => Programming and CAD
• => => Python
• => => => IDLE (Python GUI)

Double click on the IDLE icon. This should bring up IDLE

If you are at your own laptop (Windows)

From the Windows Start Menu (lower left), navigate like this. The names may be slightly different—if so, don't worry about it too much, it's probably fine.

• All Programs
  
• => Python (or it may say Python 2.5, or Python 2.5.2)
• => => => IDLE (Python GUI)

If you are at your own laptop (Mac)

In the Applications folder, you should have a folder called MacPython 2.5. Inside that folder is an icon called IDLE. Double click on that.

You may want to drag this icon to the "Dock" for easy launching.

Step 4: Loading a file of functions into IDLE

Once you are inside of IDLE, you need to select "File=>New Window" to open a new "untitled" window for Python code.

Then, open a web broswer to the link below.

• Hint: if you right click (control-click on Mac), you can open this link in a new window.

http://www.cs.ucsb.edu/~pconrad/cs5nm/08F/labs/lab01

At this link, you should find a file called someFunctions.py. Click that link.

The contents of that file are Python code for some function defintions. You should be able to copy and paste that code into the new "untitled" window.

Now, to load those function defintions into Python, select "Run=>Run Module" (or hit F5).

You'll have to save the file.

• If you are in Mesa Lab, make a new folder on your N drive called "cs5nm", and a new folder under that called "lab01". Save it in there under the name "someFunctions.py".
• If you are on your own computer, make a folder anywhere on your computer that you choose called cs5nm. Inside that make a folder called lab01. Save it in there under the name "someFunctions.py".

Now, those functions are loaded into Python.

Step 5. Testing the functions

To test these functions, you can type in lines like this in the IDLE window with the Python prompt (>>>). (We'll review this in lecture)

>>> square(5)
25
>>> CtoF(100)
212.0
>>> CtoF(0)
32.0
>>> CtoF(68)
154.39999999999998
>>> CtoF(20)
68.0
>>> distance(0,0,3,4)
5.0
>>> distance(0,0,10,10)
14.142135623730951
>>> 

Then, while you are in the IDLE window, not the window with your function defintions:

• Save this transcript to a file called lab01.transcript.txt by going to the File menu, and doing "Save As". Save this in the same spot (inside cs5nm/lab01) that you used above to save someFunctions.py

You should now have two files inside your lab01 directory. You are ready to load these into the assignment "Ex2" in GauchoSpace.

Step 6. Upload your assignment.

The goal in this step is to find "Ex2" on GauchoSpace, follow the instructions for uploading the two files "someFunctions.py" and "lab01.transcript.txt", and then submitting these for grading.

Since your TA and instructor don't have access to this course as a "studnet" on GauchoSpace, we don't have detailed instructions for this yet. We hope it will be self-explanatory. We'll ask for a volunteer in lecture to try it out, and we hope that will be a good demo for everyone else of how to do it.

Evaluation and Grading (50 pts total)

• someFunctions.py is uploaded, and correct (25 pts)
• lab01.transcript.txt is uploaded, and correct (25 pts)

Due Date: 10/08/2008 (5pm)

Copyright 2008, Phillip T. Conrad, CS Dept, UC Santa Barbara. Permission to copy for non-commercial, non-profit, educational purposes granted, provided appropriate credit is given; all other rights reserved.