Supplemental Resources

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Example

• functions1.py

Links

• Tutoring Hours in the Department for Fall 2012
• Jython Environment for Students
• JESHelp

Instructions

Novell Drive Access from Mac laptops/desktops

Students connect to their Personal drive on the laptops by manually mounting it.

1. From the finder Window
2. On the menu bar use: Go --> Connect to Server...

       server name = cifs://proteus.cc.denison.edu
       Username & Password = novell username & password
   

3. Choose Personal from the list
4. This should mount their Personal drive on the desktop

NOTE:

• Failure to use the "cifs://" prefix will end in a failed attempt, as it attempts to connected by default using afp.
• To connect to the Shared drives it's: cifs://neso.cc.denison.edu | Shared

Installing Python Software on Your Own Machine

For the basic ability to write and execute Python programs on your own machine, there is a relatively simple 3 step process, regardless of platform:

1. Download and install a Python distribution.
2. Install the graphics.py Python package into the Python distribution.
3. Download and install the Integrated Development Environment (IDE), making sure the IDE is running your chosen Python distribution.

These same basic steps hold regardless of your Operating System Platform (MacOSX, Windows, Linux), although the specifics may differ. Also note that, while this will establish the basic ability to write and execute Python programs, setting up for more advanced libraries, such as the myro robotics library, require a more involved process and will not be covered here.

1. Python Distribution

In general, your machine may either already have a Python distribution, or it may not, and even if it does have Python, it may not be the version of Python used by CS110 and CS111. Our lab machines, and our supported platform version, is Python 2.7.3. Although you can obtain a basic Python2.7.3 distribution by visiting www.python.org/download, we recommend obtaining a more complete Python distribtion that includes many scientific, support, and imaging libraries and is provided by a company called Enthought, specializing in Scientific software.

To get the Enthought distribution free of charge under their academic license, simply visit the web site:

http://www.enthought.com/products/edudownload.php
and enter your Denison email address. This conveys your acceptance of the academic license terms and an automated system will send you, via email, a link to the installers download page.

When you get the email and navigate to the academic installers download page, you will see 10 different installers, and should download exactly one, approriate to your platform. If you are on MacOSX, download the epd-7.3-2-macosx-i386.dmg. If you are on Windows, download epd-7.3-2-win-x86.msi.

Once downloaded, double click the downloaded file to unpack the installer. For Windows, this will launch you into the package installer. On MacOSX, this will mount the disk image and you will need to double click the .mpkg file to run the installer. For any options encountered in the install process, just accept the defaults. You may need Administrator privilege on your machine for this process to be successful.

2. Graphics Library

The graphics library used by CS110 is an open source Python module written and generously provided by John Zelle, a professor of computer science and author of his own textbook on Introductory Python. I recommend his book highly as an additional resource on learning Python.

Download the library from his web site, visiting http://mcsp.wartburg.edu/zelle/python/ and right-clicking on the graphics.py link, and selecting the "Save File/Link As ..." option (the exact wording will vary by operating system). Save the file to your Desktop, as you will need to move it into the "right place" for your Python distribution in the next step.

To copy the file into the "right place" for your OS and Python distribution, start by opening up two Finder/File Explorer windows. We will use one for the source and the other for the destination. For both platforms, navigate to your desktop in one of the windows. You should see the graphics.py file. For the destination, you will navigate to a folder/directory called 'site-packages' within the set of files installed in the Python distribution.

For MacOSX, the "Path" within the MacintoshHD to this folder is:

/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/7.3/lib/python2.7/site-packages/

For Windows 7, the "Path" within the C drive to this folder is:

\Python27\Lib\site-packages\

You should be able to drag and drop the graphics.py file from your Desktop to the appropriate destination folder, authenticating as an Administrator user if necessary.

3. Wing 101 Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

The IDE employed by the CS110 class is provided by a company called WingWare, who offers a free environment for academic use in introductory computer science classes. Navigate to the following site for the available downloads:

http://wingware.com/downloads/wingide-101/

You will see a large number of different installers, but there is only one for the Windows platform and one for the MacOS X platform. Download and then run the appropriate installer for your platform. Again, accept all the default options through the install process.

On the Mac, the install simply provides a disk image, so you will want to copy the WingIDE to your Applications folder. I would also suggest adding the WingIDE (represented by the feather icon) into your Dock for easy access.

On Windows, the install will add the WingIDE to 'All Programs' under the Windows/Start menu. For ease of access, I would suggest navigating to the application and right-clicking and selecting 'Pin to Taskbar'.

If you have not previously installed a Python distribution, then on both the Mac and on Windows, the newly installed Python distribution should be the default, and will automatically be detected by WingIDE when the application is launched. Launch Wing and verify this by looking at the Python Shell frame in the lower right of the application window and see if the shell reports:

Python 2.7.3 |EPD 7.3-2 (32-bit)

If it does not, then you may need to perform an "Edit->Configure Python..." operation to point Wing at the appropriate Python distribution. See the CS tutors or your instructor for help with this.

If on the Mac (particularly on the most recent version of the OS, Mountain Lion), you get a message about needing an "X Server", then you should google for XQuartz and download and install XQuartz-2.7.3. A subsequent logout/login and launch of Wing should resolve the problem.

 All rights reserved, Thomas C. Bressoud and Denison University
For problems or questions regarding this web, contact bressoud@denison.edu.
Last updated: Fri, September 28, 2012 10:16 AM .