• PythonQuickstart

Python Quick Start

Starting the IPython shell

module load python/2.7-ve2

ipython -pylab

loads matplotlib module and enables interactive plotting

module load is a ZMAW specific environment setting! Version 2.7-ve2 is needed for the notebook version (see below).

Quit with CTRL-D

Getting help

help()
help modules

list available modules

Features of IPython:

• Command history (up, down)
• Word completion by typing TAB
• System commands through magic functions cd, ls, env, pwd

• Access to Unix shell by prefix !, e.g. !ls -s | sort -g

• Debugging and profiling

• Program control: run

• Print interactive variables who, whos

Are you a Matlab user?

The exercise is to plot a sine wave:

Matlab/Octave:

>> x=linspace(0,2*pi,100)
>> y=sin(x)
>> plot(x,y)

Python

In [1]: x=linspace(0,2*pi,100)
In [2]: y=sin(x)
In [3]: plot(x,y)

So, it works pretty much the same way!

Of course there are some differences but many similarities.