getting_started_w_plotting.md

Plotting in Python: first steps (Index)

A tutorial for migrating from Prism, Excel, or other graphical user interface plotting to programmatic plotting using Python.

• this tutorial assumes running on a Mac
  • make sure you have Xcode installed if on Mac
• windows instructions are slightly different, I'll note where.

0. Preliminaries

1. Setting up a programming environment

• If you have already set up an environment you can pick back up where you left off by doing the following. Recall that your environment contains specific verisions of python and packages specific to your project.

  1. Navigate back to your project folder
     • e.g. cd Desktop/myproject if "myproject" is located on your desktop
  2. re-activate your environment: . myproject_env/bin/activate
  3. restart a jupyter server: jupyter-lab

2. your first plots in python

• This section assumes you have an active virtual environment with jupyter-lab installed. Please see section 1 for more details

3. plotting from spread sheet data (csv or excel)

4. Using Python to programmatically work with Excel

• Excel demo notebook

• Excel demo script

5. Wrap it all up in a Graphical User Interface

• cytokine GUI demo