environment-setup.md

Environment Setup

Setting up environments for Sauder LS, Canvas API Projects

⚠️ Before reading on, ensure you've covered computer setup and github project management

⚠️ All references to the-project should be the name of the tool you are running.

After downloading one of our projects for the first time, you'll want to start by getting your environment set up. Think of the files you download from GitHub as disassembled furniture, and environments as a way of putting the furniture together. Like assembling furniture, this is done once and isn't repeated every time you want to use it.

In this section we'll discuss setting up environments. Each project comes with their own environment.yml file (like instructions for how to assemble the furniture). You can create environments for each project, or you can utilize a universal environment that can be used to run any of our tools - we discuss how to get this setup below.

Configuring Environments

✅ Follow all of the steps below in "Configuring Environments" and then move on to Running Instructions (linked at the end). You will come back to "Universal Environment Setup" a bit later if you are following the checklist.

1. Make sure your computer is setup to run our projects

   If you have been following along, this should be done!

2. Clone the project you need (i.e. make a local copy) from our GitHub. See here for detailed instructions on getting and managing projects.

   💡 We recommend cloning all of our projects into a single location like .../Documents/GitHub/Sauder-Learning-Services. It is important to recall where you are cloning to, as this is where you will find the environment.yml file (discussed below) If you are working through setup-test👷 and our docs, then this should be done!

3. Open Anaconda Navigator:

   1. Open Anaconda Navigator application
   2. Click on Environments (left panel)
   3. Click on Import (bottom)
   

4. Import Environment

   1. A small window will open, navigate to the the-project folder on your computer and select the containing file: environment.yml

      ⚠️ Do not manually enter the project name. This will automatically be filled in when you select the environment.yml and will be the same name as the project foler (i.e. the-project)

      💡 Note that every project has their own environment.yml file so it's important to make sure you select the right one. You can always ensure you have the right script by checking the name field matches your tool name after importing the yml file

      👷 Working through the setup test? Import the environment.yml contained in your local setup-test folder.

   2. Select Import and wait for installation to complete

      💡 This may take some time (upwards of 20 minutes). Note that this process can be sped up by working in Terminal instead of Anaconda-Navigator, if comfortable.

   

Once this completes, you will have successfully set up your environment! Now you are ready to run the tool. The following section goes through how to setup a single environment for all projects. We recommend this method over creating individual environments for each tool, as it requires the least amount of maintanace.

➡️ Next: Running Instructions

Universal Environment Setup

While each of our projects comes with thier own environment.yml file for setting a project-specific environment, we also offer a universal environment, called canvas-universal-env, that can be used to run any of our projects that work with Canvas.

If you setup your universal environment correctly, you can use and update only that environment instead of managing one independently for each project.

• ⚠️ Every project that supports the universal environment will say supports universal environment 🌎 at the top of its GitHub page.
• 💡 Recommended for Operations team

Installation

1. Clone this project to your computer (Not sure how? Revisit Managing Projects with Github).

• clone it to the same place you're keeping all of the projects: 💡 Documents/GitHub/Sauder-Learning-Services/

3. In Anaconda Navigator, import the universal-environment.yml file in the instructions-and-other-templates folder (cloned from GitHub in Step 1)
4. You should now see a new environment called canvas-universal-env in your environments list.

Testing

1. Select the ▶ button next to canvas-universal-env, then Open with Jupyter Notebook. Your browser should open automatically.
2. Navigate to a project that supports the universal environment (👷 like setup-test for example) and select the jupyter notebook (.ipynb file)
3. Read the instructions in the notebook to see if any additional steps are needed (and if so complete those steps)
4. Select Kernal > Restart & Run All. The Jupyter Notebook may prompt you for some inputs but should otherwise run without errors.

⚠️ Getting errors? Confused? Don't forget to contact the Canvas API team for support.