SETUP.md

Setup Guide

Installing Python 3.12+

Windows

1. Go to python.org/downloads
2. Download Python 3.12+ for Windows
3. Run the installer — check "Add Python to PATH" at the bottom of the first screen
4. Click "Install Now"
5. Verify: open Command Prompt and run python --version

macOS

1. Install Homebrew if you don't have it: /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
2. Run: brew install python@3.12
3. Verify: python3 --version

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3.12 python3.12-venv python3-pip
python3.12 --version

Linux (Fedora)

sudo dnf install python3.12
python3.12 --version

Creating a Virtual Environment

A virtual environment keeps your project dependencies isolated.

Windows (Command Prompt)

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate

Windows (PowerShell)

python -m venv venv
.\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

macOS / Linux

python3.12 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

After activation, your terminal prompt will show (venv).

Install Dependencies

With the virtual environment activated:

pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

Launching Jupyter Notebook

Option 1: Terminal

jupyter notebook

This opens the Jupyter dashboard in your browser. Navigate to any module's notebook.ipynb file.

Option 2: VS Code

1. Install the Python and Jupyter extensions
2. Open any .ipynb file
3. Select your kernel (the venv you created)

Recommended VS Code Extensions

• Python (ms-python.python) — IntelliSense, debugging, linting
• Jupyter (ms-toolsai.jupyter) — notebook support
• Pylance (ms-python.vscode-pylance) — fast, feature-rich language support
• Ruff (charliermarsh.ruff) — fast Python linter
• Black Formatter (ms-python.black-formatter) — automatic code formatting

Verifying Everything Works

# With venv activated
python -c "import jupyter, pytest, requests; print('All good!')"