Workspace Repository Setup

Overview

Before beginning these instructions you should have first updated your operating system and then installed the required software (Python 3.8, Visual Studio Code).

0. Create Workspace

Before you can write your first program you will need to set up a comp110 workspace (folder) to put your files in.

  1. Open up Visual Studio Code
  2. Click Add workspace folder…. This will open up the file explorer on your computer. Navigate to where you would like create your new folder.
  3. Click New Folder and make sure to name it comp110-workspace.
  4. Now click Open Folder and select your comp110-workspace. It will ask you if you want to save your workspace settings, change untitled to comp110 and click ok. This should open up the comp110-workspace folder. You may see a pop-up in the lower right of Visual Studio Code asking if you want to open workspace. Select Ok.

1. Set-Up Directories

Open the Explorer pane (click the icon with two sheets of paper or to to View > Explorer) and expand the Workspace directory. You are now going to set up some folders, which we refer to more technically as directories.

  • Right click on the comp110-workspace directory and select “New Folder”. Name this exercises.
  • Right click on the comp110-workspace directory and select “New Folder”. Name this lessons.
  • Right click on the comp110-workspace directory and select “New Folder”. Name this projects.

8. Confirm Everything is Good to Go

From the View Menu, select Explorer. You should see a left-hand sidebar with comp110-WORKSPACE at the top and if you expand it you should see exercises, lessons, and projects.

Let’s be sure you are able to exit out of VSCode and find your work again. Go ahead and close VSCode. Then open new window. If you see the same files in the left-hand sidebar: great! Keep reading, though, so you know what to do in the future if you do not see your workspace. If you do not see your workspace files in the Explorer sidebar, go to File, select Open Recent, and look for the topmost entry that is comp110-workspace and select it. This is how you can get back to your workspace most easily in the future.

Your software is now ready for Exercise 0! Great work!