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Introduction

Welcome, term 1 CST students! This guide will show you how to set up PyCharm and GitHub. By linking them together, you'll be able to easily track changes to your code, collaborate with others, and revert to previous versions if needed.

PyCharm: An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Python (your first programming language learned in CST) used in your COMP 1510 Procedural Programming course. It enhances developer productivity through automation, offering intelligent code assistance and tools for error checking, project navigation, and refactoring. For more information about PyCharm's features, see its official website.

GitHub: A platform for version control and collaboration, GitHub, will be used in all your Programming courses. It allows multiple people to work together on projects from anywhere in the world. Learn more about GitHub's features on their official website.

Version Control: A system that records changes to a file or set of files over time so that you can recall specific versions later.

Intended Users

This documentation is for first term CST students using a Mac operating system.

Prerequisite Knowledge

This document assumes the following:

  • Basic Computing Skills: User should be comfortable with general computer operations such as downloading, installing and managing applications.
  • Internet Navigation: User should have the ability to use a web browser to perform navigation, search, sign up and other operations.
  • Email Management: User should know how to access and manage an email account.

Hardware Requirements

Requirement Minimum Recommended
RAM 4 GB free RAM 8 GB free RAM
CPU Any CPU Multi-Core CPU
Disk Space 3.5 GB SSD Drive
Operating System 64 bit macOS 12.0 or later Latest 64 bit macOS

Software Requirements

This document assumes the following softwares are installed:

  • Git: The Git version control system should be installed and accessible via Terminal.
  • Python: The Python programming language (Python 3) should be installed with the correct path set up in your system's environment.

Procedure Overview

Documentation Conventions

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  • Quotations: Text enclosed in "quotations" signifies an embedded link.

  • Admonitions: Color-coded message containers provide important information.

Danger

Highlights critical security risks if not followed.

Warning

Outlines information to be understood before moving forward.

Info

Provides extra details or advice for ease of understanding or improvement.

Success

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