Programming Environments

Setting up your programming environment

To use NOMAD programmatically, you need to set up an appropriate programming environment.

What is a programming environment?

A programming environment refers to the setup and tools required for developing and running software. It includes both the hardware and software components that provide a workspace for coding, testing, and executing programs.

There are two suggested approaches:

1. Local installation: Download and install Python 3 along with the required libraries on your machine. You may also want to try API commands using a terminal.

2. Cloud-based solutions: Alternatively, cloud platforms offer convenient, ready-to-use environments. Among several options, we suggest the NOMAD Remote Tools Hub (NORTH) as it offers an optimized experience tailored to NOMAD users.

What is a terminal?

A terminal, also known as a Command Line Interface (CLI), is a text-based tool that allows you to interact directly with your operating system using text commands. It allows execution of programs and direct management of files and processes. Different operating systems provide distinct types of terminals:

• Linux: The default terminal is usually named "Terminal" and typically runs the Bash shell, widely used in Linux environments.
• macOS: The terminal is also called "Terminal" or in inewer versions zsh, and generally uses Bash as well.
• Windows: Includes Command Prompt and PowerShell, which differ from Bash.

While CLI commands vary across these operating systems, many fundamental tasks remain similar. In this tutorial, you see a few instances of bash commands. For some further information about "terminal," "console," "shell," and "command line," you can read here.

In this workshop, we outline steps that are applicable to both local and cloud-based setups, so you can choose either option. But if you are setting up your local programming environment for the first time, we suggest to reserve some time (up to 2 hours) for that.