ICS 33 Spring 2024, Project 0: History of Modern, Installation and Configuration on Windows

Step 1: Show file name extensions

The first step is not to install a software package at all, but to reconfigure a Windows default that is fine for everyday users, but very troublesome for those of us who write programs or do other serious work. By default, when Windows displays a list of filenames (e.g., in File Explorer, Windows Explorer, or on the desktop), it hides the "file name extension" (i.e., the part of the filename that follows the last dot), so that a file named alex.txt will simply have its name displayed as alex instead, with an icon used to visually differentiate one "type" of file from another.

This default is fine for casual users, but is certain to cause us problems in this course — and routinely causes problems for students in courses where there is programming involved — so everyone needs to turn this off, which is easy to do:

Windows 11: From the desktop, start File Explorer by holding down the Windows key and pressing E. In the toolbar at the top of the window, click View, which will reveal a menu. In that menu, select Show, then, if File name extensions doesn't have a checkmark next to it, select it (to turn that feature on).
Windows 10: From the desktop, start File Explorer by holding down the Windows key and pressing E. In the ribbon at the top of the window, click View. In the ribbon, you'll then find a checkbox titled File name extensions; check that box, then close File Explorer.

Seriously! Do this! You'll be very glad you did; as a programmer, filenames and their extensions are often relevant to the work you're doing, so it's important to see filenames as they are.

Step 2: Downloading and installing Python

If you've taken previous coursework in Python, you may already have a version of Python installed on your machine, but it will be important that you use the right version in this course. As of this writing, the latest release of Python 3.12 is Python 3.12.2 64-bit for Windows, which is available at the following link.

Python 3.12.2 64-bit for Windows

Note, too, that the Microsoft Store has a version of Python available, but you'll generally want to avoid this installation and stick with the one available from python.org linked above.

Before you run this, it's not a bad idea to uninstall any other version you already have installed. While different versions of Python can safely coexist on a system in some cases, they do cause some confusion, so if you don't have a specific reason to maintain multiple versions, it's easiest to keep just one. You can uninstall Python just as you would any other Windows application (e.g., Add/Remove Programs, Programs and Features, etc., depending on your Windows version).

When you run this, there are a few settings worth tweaking in the installer's defaults.

When you launch the installer, it will pop up a window titled Install Python 3.12.2 (64-bit).
In that window, make sure that the box next to Add python.exe to PATH is checked (i.e., you want this to be on rather than off).
Then, click Customize installation, rather than the default Install Now. This will ask you to customize some settings, but you won't need to worry about too many of them.
- The first group of settings is titled Optional Features. You'll want all of these to be checked (i.e., you want all of these to be installed). Then, click Next.
- The next group of settings is titled Advanced Options.
  - Make sure the box next to Install for all users is checked (i.e., you want this).
  - Make sure the box next to Add Python to environment variables is checked (i.e., you want this, too).
  - Where you can Customize install location, click the Browse button. Select This PC, then C:. Then click Make New Folder, name it Python3.12, and click OK. (This will install Python in C:\Python3.12 instead of the default location.)
  - Click Install.

The installation will proceed from there and will probably take a little time to run. When you're done, you can feel free to delete the Python installer you downloaded; you won't need it again.

Step 3: Downloading and installing Git

The next thing you'll need to install is a version control system called Git, which we'll be using throughout the quarter, which is available at the following link.

Git - Download for Windows

That page contains a few different links, but your best bet is the one titled 64-bit Git for Windows Setup. Click that link to download the installer.

When you run this, you'll want to tweak the settings a bit, similar to what you did when you installed Python. Being a tool that's used in a lot of heavy-duty and heavily customized development environments, Git's installer asks you to make a lot of choices, but the defaults will mostly be okay. Still, follow along with what's written below and you should be in good shape this quarter.

When you launch the installer, it'll begin by displaying the open source license under which Git is released. Click Next to accept it.
Next, you'll be asked where to install Git. The default location is the best choice here, so click Next. (If you decide to install it somewhere else, make a note of where it is, because you'll need to be able to find it again later.)
Next, you'll be asked what you'd like to have installed and configured. Unless you feel like you want something other than these, my suggestions are the following.
- Uncheck Additional icons. (You won't want these.)
- Uncheck Windows Explorer integration. (You won't need this, since you'll be using PyCharm.)
- Check Git LFS (Large File Support), though it's unlikely to make a difference for us in this course.
- Uncheck Associate .git* configuration files with the default text editor. (Again, we'll be using PyCharm to manage these, anyway.)
- Check Associate .sh files to be run with Bash. We won't need this setting in this course, but it's better set than not.
- Uncheck Check daily for Git for Windows updates.
- Uncheck Add a Git Bash Profile to Windows Terminal.
Next, you'll be asked to choose a folder in your Start menu for Git. The default name of Git is fine, so click Next.
Next, you'll be asked to choose a text editor to use. Since we'll be using PyCharm, the default selection of Use Vim (the ubiquitous text editor) as Git's default editor is fine. Click Next.
Next, you'll be asked to adjust the "name of the initial branch". Click Override the default branch name for new repositories and specify the name main, so we're all on the same page in this course. Click Next.
Next, you'll be asked whether want Git in your PATH environment variable. Click Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software, then click Next.
Next, you'll be asked to choose an "SSH executable". The default setting is fine here; click Next.
Next, you'll choose an "HTTPS transport backend". The default setting is fine here, too. Click Next.
Next, you'll specify how line endings are to be stored in your repository. Click Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style line endings, then click Next.
Next, you'll need to make some choices about a tool named Git Bash that we won't be using in this course. The default setting is fine here. Click Next.
Next, you'll be asked to decide on "the default behavior of git pull". The default setting is fine here. Click Next.
Next, you'll specify a "credential helper". We won't need one of these in this course, but the default setting of Git Credential Manager is a good choice nonetheless. Click Next.
Next, you'll be asked to "configure extra options". The defaults — Enable file system caching checked, Enable symbolic links unchecked — are fine here. Click Next.
Finally, you'll be asked to "configure experimental options". The defaults (with both of the choices unchecked) are fine. Click Install.

The installation will proceed from there and will probably take a little time to run. When you're done, you can feel free to delete the Git installer you downloaded; you won't need it again.

Step 4: Downloading, installing, and licensing PyCharm Professional

The only remaining thing you'll need to install is an integrated development environment called PyCharm, which we'll be using for our work this quarter. Specifically, we'll be using PyCharm Professional, which is the full-fledged version of PyCharm; some of its fancy "professional" features will be important in this course.

PyCharm Professional is available at the following link.

Download PyCharm Professional

Choose Windows as your operating system and click the Download button underneath Professional (and not Community). (Don't worry about cost, though; UCI students can obtain PyCharm Professional and license it for use in a course like this one, free of charge.) This will download the PyCharm Professional installer.

When you run this, you'll again have some choices to make, but I've found that the defaults are entirely fine for our uses, so click Next repeatedly until the installation process starts. The installation will proceed from there and will probably take a little time to run. When you're done, you can feel free to delete the PyCharm Professional installer you downloaded; you won't need it again.

Licensing your PyCharm Professional installation

After you've installed PyCharm Professional, launch it (e.g., by selecting it from your Start menu). The first time you start it up, you'll be asked to accept a user agreement, and to decide whether you're willing to share data with JetBrains (the company that builds and sells PyCharm). At that point, you'll have one more hurdle to clear: PyCharm Professional needs a license. Fortunately, UCI students can obtain a license free of charge, but that'll require completing a couple of administrative tasks.

First, visit the link below, which is a form you'll need to fill out to apply for a JetBrains Educational Pack, which is essentially a license to use PyCharm Professional (and all other JetBrains development environments, if you'd like) for non-commercial purposes.

Note that you'll need to give them a valid university email address — your @uci.edu email address is almost certainly going to be the right choice. You may be told that your request will not be processed immediately (i.e., that it will require human review), so you can expect there to be some delay in receiving a response. We've had students report that this can take as long as a week, though there's no need to panic; you'll have installed a 30-day trial version, so you won't need to get the license settled immediately, though you'll need to remember to finish this process, as we will not be offering due date extensions to students who claim to have had their trial version expire.

Ultimately, you should receive an email at that address, asking you to confirm your request and create a JetBrains Account. Follow those instructions and get your JetBrains Account created.

Once you've got your JetBrains Account set up, you can now proceed with licensing your PyCharm Professional installation.

On the window titled Licenses, select Activate PyCharm.
Under Get license from, select JB Account.
Then, click the button titled Log in to JetBrains Account.
A browser window will pop up. Log into your JetBrains Account with your username and password.
After that's successful, you'll be directed to close your browser. Returning to PyCharm, you should now see an Activate button. Click that.

That's it. You're in business. PyCharm Professional is now licensed.