EGR 103 Startup

This page will eventually be a guide to how to get working on things for EGR 103.

Resources

The main resources for EGR 103 are listed on the bottom of that page. There is also Pratt Pundit's Category:EGR 103, which collects pages of special interest to EGR 103 students.

Tools

The following will be a comprehensive list of the tools we will be using for the class, how to access or install them, and how to configure them.

File Storage - Box

You will be working with files on your own computer but you will be backing them up with a system called Box. Duke students have 50 GB of free storage for academic purposes on the box system. Furthermore, you can have box sync up with your local files (as long as you put them in the right place)! If you need to work offline, you can, and when you are back on the Duke network, Box will automatically back up your files. You will also be able to share files with TAs if necessary.

Box Setup

• Go to https://box.duke.edu/.
• Click the LOG IN button.
• If asked if you are Part of Duke? Click Continue.
• Log In using your Duke credentials.
• You should now see your Duke Box - it may be entirely empty.

Local Folder Setup

Note: If you have a new Mac with an M1 chip, Box Drive will not currently work for you. I am looking at potential workarounds for lab next week. If you go to the Apple menu, then "About This Mac" and the processor is an M1, skip the steps below regarding Box Drive.

Next you will create a folder on your local computer to synchronize with your Box folder.

• Go to https://duke.app.box.com/services/browse/newest/box_drive for information about Box Drive and for the download links for Windows and Mac.
• Download the appropriate file and install it. For macOS, if it asks you to allow the extensions, you need to open System Preferences; click the General field and then there should be an "Allow" button at the bottom right. You may need to unlock system preferences by clicking the lock icon at lower left and entering your password first.
• Keep track of where the Box folder is placed on your drive.
  • For Windows it is likely a spur off the main File Explorer window and located specifically at C:\Users\USER\Box where USER is your Windows user name.
  • For Mac, a Box drive will be mounted.
• To see it work, on your computer go into your Box folder on your computer, create a new folder within it, and call it EGR103S21 in all caps with no spaces. After you have created it, refresh the browser that is looking at your Box account and the folder should show up in your list!
• Box Drive generally works when you are online and thus keeps things in the cloud and only pulls them down when you need them. To make sure that you have access when you are offline, and to mitigate any internet connectivity issues, you will want to tell Drive to make your folders available offline:
  • In the File Explorer or Finder, open your Box folder. Right-click EGR103S21 and in the context box find "Make Available Offline"
  • Once things have synchronized, there should be a green check by the folder - that is the sign that the folder will be available offline.
• You will never need to set this up again for the computer you are currently working on, but if you end up working on a different computer you will need to install Drive. This also means you can work from public or other computers as your files will always be on Box.

Document Preparation - Overleaf

This semester, we will be using a freemium tool called Overleaf for making lab documents. We will only need the free features for work this semester. Overleaf is a LaTeX editing and processing program. One drawback is that it cannot access files directly on your drive but rather needs you to upload them. As you go through the course, you will get a better and better idea of which files need to be uploaded.

Starting Up

• If you do not already have an Overleaf account, go to https://www.overleaf.com/ and register. Duke does not have an account, but you can still use your duke.edu address. If you already have an Overleaf account with a different login, you can certainly continue to use that.
• Once you have logged in, you will have the option to look at some templates or the Help Guide. We will look at those in lab on my computer, so go ahead and progress straight to creating your first LaTeX project. Make it a blank project, and call it EGR103LAB01. Overleaf will create a main document with some boilerplate information in it.

Connecting Box and Overleaf - GIT

This semester, we will be using a version control program called git (pronounced with a hard g, as in "get") to bridge the gap between the Box drive and the Overleaf projects.

Starting Up

You will need to install git if you do not already have it -- there are instructions at https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-Installing-Git. For Windows, use https://git-scm.com/download/win. For macOS, you probably already have it installed - as recommended, just open a Terminal and type git --version.

You may also want to familiarize yourself with the basics of git with the Pro Git Book. I recommend reading through the "Getting Started" chapter and also I will mention that there will likely be many, many terms that do not make sense. Don't worry about that! Also, I would recommend not trying to configure things or even using git until we have talked about it more in lab 1.

Accessing (some) Assignments and (some) Readings - Connect

The book for this semester is an electronic book hosted on McGraw-Hill's Connect system. You should have received an e-mail from the Sakai page about where to find it.

Turning (some) Things in - Gradescope

Some of the assignments for this semester will be graded using a system called Gradescope. Gradescope has many powerful features, including the ability to automatically grade some programming assignments!

Starting up

To access Gradescope, go to https://www.gradescope.com/. On the opening page, choose "School Credentials" and then "Duke NetID". If you are enrolled in the course (and if Sakai has had a chance to update the roster) EGR 103 should be one of the classes you see.

Writing and Running Code - Anaconda

Finally (!) we will be using the Anaconda distribution of Python for this semester. The Anaconda package comes with several development environments and other features that are useful to us.

Starting up

See Installing Anaconda and Spyder for information.

Web Pages Of Interest

• Most course information is at http://classes.pratt.duke.edu/EGR103S21/.
• The discussion board is at https://campuswire.com/.
• Grades will mainly be published at https://sakai.duke.edu and you will also occasionally turn labs in there.
• You will also turn work in on https://www.gradescope.com/ as noted above.
• Planning on coming to class or lab? Learn more about Zoom at https://oit.duke.edu/what-we-do/applications/zoom-meetings
• Want free stuff? Take a tour of the things you can download for free by virtue of being a Duke student at https://oit.duke.edu/category/software

Getting Work Done

See the page How To Get Work Done

Troubleshooting

Python Errors

If you encounter problems in Python, or you are new to programming, you may find it useful to check Python:Common Mistakes for help.

Questions

Post your questions by editing the discussion page of this article. Edit the page, then scroll to the bottom and add a question by putting in the characters *{{Q}}, followed by your question and finally your signature (with four tildes, i.e. ~~~~). Using the {{Q}} will automatically put the page in the category of pages with questions - other editors hoping to help out can then go to that category page to see where the questions are. See the page for Template:Q for details and examples.