So I am just starting a data science/stats class and I am trying to setup a R notebook within Dataspell I am able to create a Jupyter notbook but it only wants a python interpreter and I can't seem to change the interpreter to R
I only allows me to set a python interpreter. I am able to run R files just fine but I am trying to do it in a notebook. (Whether that be Jupyter or some other notebook I couldn't care less)
I would like to stick to Jetbrains IDE's either Dataspell or Pycharm. I tried our Datalore and got an R notebook working but its really slow for me.
Actually, there's an (currently - as of May 2022) undocumented feature in Dataspell 2022.1 which they have been developing which supports R kernels in Dataspell as an IDE.
If you have an Conda environment which has R and the irkernel installed and configured (for instance, if you set up your Anaconda environment to run Jupyter notebooks with the R kernel), you can open existing R notebooks in Dataspell and run them just like Python notebooks. The only thing you can't do is create new ones, sadly.
Basically, just use Anaconda or Miniconda to create an environment which can run Jupyter notebooks with the irkernel, create your notebooks in Jupyter, then point your Dataspell directory at it and it should work.
They do mention that it's a developing feature - so if you encounter bugs, you can flag them in the Dataspell issue tracker. I tried it and it worked pretty well so far.
You can see an example of my R kernel running in Dataspell here:
DataSpell can be a little difficult to navigate. In any case, File>New... pops up a menu:
Pick "RMarkdown File", which your purposes will work the same as a notebook. RStudio has both markdown and notebook options, but they still have an Rmd extension.
You should also see a R Console button at the bottom of the screen.
I installed Anaconda as it's a recommended way to start with Jupyter notebooks.
I was surprised at the end of the Anaconda windows install to be invited to install Microsoft VS Code as a code editor. Reading about VS Code it seems a well respected editor but does that not take away the idea of using using Jupyter notebooks? Or am I missing something?
Anaconda also installs IDLE and Spyder, which are IDEs (Integrated Development Environments). Anaconda simply gives you a choice. Each of those choices has its advantages and disadvantages. Using one does not prohibit you from also using another.
Jupyter might recommend using Anaconda, but this doesn't imply that Anaconda would recommend using Jupyter.
You are right that if you are going to focus on Jupyter notebooks you won't need to use VS Code.
But most people that use Anaconda are not using Jupyter notebooks - they write python scripts not notebooks - and for that vscode is a respected choice.
I was experimenting in the Spyder IDE and learned, that it is possible to define cells using the #%% separator. Now I couldn't find it, but is it possible to use markdown, like in a Jupyter notebook?
No. As far as I know Spyder IDE has no markdown implemented as Jypter notebook even if it is connecting to a Jupyer notebook instance locally.
I would suggest you to use Jupyter notebook for coding and annotation if you need such a thing. Spyder is just a IDE. But if you want to edit Jupyter notebook in a IDE just take a look at PyCharm IDE.
If you want to comment/uncomment you could use CTRL +1 to change a single line, and with CTRL+4 you could change an entire block.
I need to open a ipython notebook (.ipynb extension file) to look for some work done by a previous colleague. However, I do not have a knowledge of how the python structure works. Can someone guide me on what should be the easiest way to look at the file?
You'll need to install iPython, either on its own or as part of a prepackaged distribution such as Anaconda. You can then open iPython Notebook with your browser and find the notebook of your interest on your drive.
What exactly is the difference between Python and IPython?
If I write code in Python, will it run in IPython as is or does it need to be modified?
I know IPython is supposed to be an interactive shell for Python, but is that all? Or is there a language called IPython? If I write something under IPython, will it run in Python, and vice-versa? If there are differences, how do I know what they are? Will all packages used by Python work as is in IPython?
ipython is an interactive shell built with python.
From the project website:
IPython provides a rich toolkit to help you make the most out of using Python, with:
Powerful Python shells (terminal and Qt-based).
A web-based notebook with the same core features but support for code, text, mathematical expressions, inline plots and other rich media.
Support for interactive data visualization and use of GUI toolkits.
Flexible, embeddable interpreters to load into your own projects.
Easy to use, high performance tools for parallel computing.
Note that the first 2 lines tell you it helps you make the most of using Python. Thus, you don't need to alter your code, the IPython shell runs your python code just like the normal python shell does, only with more features.
I recommend reading the IPython tutorial to get a sense of what features you gain when using IPython.
IPython is a powerful interactive Python interpreter that is more interactive comparing to the standard interpreter.
To get the standard Python interpreter you type python and you will get the >>> prompt from where you can work.
To get IPython interpreter, you need to install it first. pip install ipython.
You type ipython and you get In [1]: as a prompt and you get In [2]: for the next command. You can call history to check the list of previous commands, and write %recall 1 to recall the command.
Even you are in Python you can run shell commands directly like !ping www.google.com.
Looks like a command line Jupiter notebook if you used that before.
You can use [Tab] to autocomplete as shown in the image.
IPython is basically the "recommended" Python shell, which provides extra features. There is no language called IPython.
Even after viewing this thread, I had thought that ipython was a synonym for the python shell, in other words that typing python at the command line put one into ipython mode.
It is in fact, as referenced above, a very cool interactive shell (command line program) that can be installed from iPython.org or simply by running
pip install ipython
or the more extensive:
pip install ipython[notebook]
from the command line.
There are few differences between Python and IPython but they are only the interpretation of few syntax like the few mentioned by #Ryan Chase but deep inside the true flavor of Python is maintained even in the Ipython.
The best part of the IPython is the IPython notebook. You can put all your work into a notebook like script, image files, etc. But with base Python, you can only make the script in a file and execute it.
At start, you need to understand that the IPython is developed with the intention of supporting rich media and Python script in a single integrated container.
Compared to Python, IPython (created by Fernando Perez in 2001) can do every thing what python can do. Ipython provides even extra features like tab-completion, testing, debugging, system calls and many other features. You can think IPython as a powerful interface to the Python language.
You can install Ipython using pip - pip install ipython
You can run Ipython by typing ipython in your terminal window.
From my experience I've found that some commands which run in IPython do not run in base Python. For example, pwd and ls don't work alone in base Python. However they will work if prefaced with a % such as: %pwd and %ls.
Also, in IPython, you can run the cd command like: cd C:\Users\... This doesn't seem to work in base python, even when prefaced with a % however.