CP104 uses the Eclipse IDE (Integrated Development Environment) to create programs in Python. Eclipse is not dedicated to one language but supports plug-ins that allow projects in a wide range of languages to be developed. The plug-ins for Eclipse include: Java, C, C++, Python, PHP, SQL, and COBOL. Eclipse is written in Java, so it works across multiple platforms. You can even modify existing plug-ins or write your own. Best of all, it's free! The current version of Eclipse as of this writing is 4.8 (Photon). The Department of Physics & Computer Science uses Eclipse in its labs for developing Python, Java, and C language projects. Should you wish to use Eclipse on your own computer, the following is a guide to installing Eclipse at home.
Eclipse is an open source community whose projects are focused on
providing an extensible development platform and application frameworks
for building software.
(http://www.eclipse.org/)
These documents refer to the most current versions of Java, Python, and Eclipse as of this writing. Note that different computer set ups and themes means that the appearance of the screen shots in these documents may not match exactly your computer system.
Please follow the instructions on the Installing Java page.
Please follow the instructions on the Installing Python page.
Please follow the instructions on the Installing Eclipse for CP104 page.
Please follow the instructions on the Configuring PyDev page.
If you have difficulties with the install process, please bring your laptop to any scheduled CP104 lab where the Lab Instructor or an IA can help you with your set up. If you cannot bring your computer on campus, please speak to or email the Lab Instructor, David Brown, at dbrown@wlu.ca.