Jupyter Notebooks (.ipynb)

Jupyter Notebooks (.ipynb)#

Video Tutorial

A .ipynb file is a notebook file that contains Python code intermixed with Markdown text.

It works similar to other cell-based execution models. For example, individual segments of the notebook can be executed in arbitrary order.

In this tutorial you will learn how to do all of these using Visual Studio Code:

Creating a new Jupyter Notebook File#

  1. Access the command palette by pressing Command+Shift+P (MacOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows) or by clicking Help in the menu bar at the top, and then all the commands are shown

  2. Search for create new Jupyter Notebook and click that option.

    ../../_images/VSC-create-new-notebook.png

  3. You can select a kernel by going to the upper right corner, clicking Select Kernel, and then choosing the version of Python you want to use.

    ../../_images/VSC-select-kernel.png

    Note

    You may have different versions of Python installed on your computer, so it is very important to choose the version with the packages you want to use for this project.

Tip

If you accidentally choose the wrong kernel, don’t worry, you can always go back by clicking the Python version you’re currently using and then changing it.

Importing packages#

  1. Start by clicking on the first cell at the top of the notebook

  2. Copy and paste the following code:

    import numpy as np

  3. Press Shift+Enter to execute the code from the cell. A tick shows that the code from the specific cell is executed and the time next to it shows how long it took. Alternatively, you can press the play button next to the cell to execute the code.

    In the rest of the document you will have to write np. to use numpy functions. Your screen should look like the following image:

    ../../_images/VSC-numpy-import.png

Creating a new code cell and running it#

  1. Create a new code cell by hovering your mouse over an existing block (near the border) and pressing the + Code option.

    ../../_images/VSC-codecell.png

    To delete a code cell, first ensure it is activated, then you can hover your mouse over the right corner of the cell and click on the trash shaped icon.

    ../../_images/VSC-deletecell.png

  2. Copy and paste the following code which will multiply the square root of 2 and pi:

    print(np.sqrt(2) * np.pi)

  3. Press Shift+Enter in order to execute the code from the cell (or press the play button). Below the code box you should see the following result.

    ../../_images/VSC-numpyprint.png

Writing text using Markdown#

  1. Create a new markdown cell by hovering your mouse over an existing block (near the border) and pressing the + Markdown option.

    ../../_images/VSC-markdownadd.png

    You can use this option to write some text inside of your Jupyter Notebook using LaTeX. This is especially useful when you need to write complex mathematical equations.

  2. Copy and paste the following code as an example in the Markdown cell:

    $$ 5/10 = \frac{5}{10} $$

This is my solution!
    ../../_images/VSC-markdowntyping.png

  3. Press Shift+Enter. This should give you the following output:

    ../../_images/VSC-markdownfinish.png

    Tip

    To run your code inside a Jupyter Notebook, you can also use the Execute Cell, Execute Above Cells, or Execute Cell and Below buttons.

Saving a File#

  1. Press the File button in the top left corner of VS Code.

  2. Select Save or Save As… from the dropdown menu.

    Save File in VS Code

  3. Please choose a location and name for your file, then save it.

Tip

You can save a file by pressing Ctrl+S.

  1. Press the File button in the top left corner of your screen.

  2. Select Save or Save As… from the dropdown menu.

  3. Please choose a location and name for your file, then save it.

    Save File in VS Code

Tip

You can save a file by pressing Command+S.

Tip

You can enable auto save by pressing the File ‣ Auto Save button in the top left corner of VS Code.