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Development Environment

This guide will help you set up your development environment by installing required tools: Python programming language, GitHub for version control, and PyCharm IDE.

Python​

  • Install Python version 3.14.x or higher. Earlier versions may not be compatible with this course.
  • Take some time to familiarize yourself with Python's new features.

GitHub​

  1. Create a GitHub account (if you do not already have one). As a student, you can get GitHub Pro features for free through the GitHub Student Developer Pack.

  2. Login to GitHub.

  3. Create a new repository named "nlp-essentials" and set its visibility to Private.

  4. Go to [Settings] in your repository, and select [Collaborators].

  5. Click [Add people], and add each instructor using their GitHub usernames:

    1. Find their GitHub IDs in the "Instructors" section of the Syllabus.
    2. Enter each username and send the collaboration invitation.

  6. Verify that all instructors have been added as collaborators.

PyCharm​

  1. Install PyCharm on your local machine:

    1. As a student, you can get PyCharm Pro for free by applying for a JetBrains Educational License.
    2. The following instructions are based on PyCharm 2025.3.x.

  2. Configure your GitHub account:

    1. Go to [Settings] > [Version Control] > [GitHub].

    2. Press [+], select [Log in via GitHub], and follow the browser prompts to authorize PyCharm with your GitHub account.

    3. Once connected, you will be able to access GitHub directly from PyCharm for version control operations.

  3. Create a new PyCharm project from GitHub:

    1. On the initial screen, click [Clone Repository].
    2. In the new window, select [GitHub] from the left menu, choose your nlp-essentials repository, and click [Clone] (verify the directory name is "nlp-essentials").

  4. Set Up a Python virtual environment:

    1. Go to [Settings] > [Python] > [Interpreter].
    2. Click [Add Interpreter] and choose [Add Local Interpreter].

  5. In the prompted menu, choose [Add Local Environment], configure as follows, then click [OK]:

    • Environment: Generate new
    • Type: `Virtualenv
    • Base python: the Python version you installed above
    • Location: YOUR_LOCAL_PATH/nlp-essentials/.venv

References​

  1. Git: a version control system for tracking changes in files.
  2. Virtualenv: a tool to create isolated Python environment.