Jupyter

Jupyter#

Jupyter aims to provide tools for interactive programming across multiple languages, including the three core languages Julia, Python and R, from which the name is derived. Besides the core languages, there is a long list of other kernels that are available (including Matlab, Fortran, Java)

The Jupyter environment#

Jupyter Notebook (original, basic interface)
JupyterLab (newer, more advanced interface)
JupyterHub (multi-user collaboration)

Other notable projects that rely on Jupyter are Jupyter Books (to create beautiful, publication-quality books), SoS (for using multiple different kernels in one document)

Why use Jupyter?#

Combine Code, Text, Equations and Visualisations

Jupyter notebooks can be broken up into Code and Markdown blocks. Markdown blocks blocks can include Latex Equations (put between $signs, like $TS=10log_{10} (\sigma_{bs})$ renders as $TS=10log_{10} (\sigma_{bs})$). Additionally Markdown blocks can include images, list, tables etc…
This makes notebooks useful to:
- Write code documentation (but Notebooks are no replacement for comments or docstrings!)
- Generate sclear and transparent reports
- Explain scientific work with equations
Data Visualisation and Exploration Jupyter allows the generation of inine plots, integrating well with most standard plotting libraries, including Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, Holoviews, and others. Jupyter also supports the integration of Dash or Bokeh widgets to add even more interactivity.
Easy Sharing & Collaboration Jupyter notebooks, use the ipynbending which can be converted to HTML, PDF, Markdown, Python, LaTeX, executable Python script, asciidoc or as Slides. Notebooks can directly be shared through GitHub, Google Colab or Binder and JupyterHub can be used for multi-user collaboration.

What are differences between Jupyter and JupyterLab?#

Feature	Jupyter Notebook	JupyterLab
Interface	Basic	Modern, IDE-like
Multiple Tabs	No	Yes
File Management	Simple	Advanced (drag-drop, side panels)
Customization	Limited	Extensive
Extensibility	Few extensions	Many extensions

Basically JupyterLab is the new, more extensive, powerful and fancy sibbling of Jupyter Notebook. In most cases it makes sense to use JupyterLab.

Installing Jupyter#

The easiest way to get started with the Jupyter environment is to install the full Jupyter package with:

mamba install -c conda-forge jupyter

This will include:

Package	Description
Jupyter Notebook (notebook)	The classic Jupyter Notebook interface
JupyterLab (jupyterlab)	The modern, more powerful Jupyter interface
IPython (ipython)	Interactive Python shell used by Jupyter
Jupyter Client (jupyter_client)	Manages communication between the notebook and kernel
Jupyter Core (jupyter_core)	Core functionalities for Jupyter
Nbconvert (nbconvert)	Converts notebooks to formats like HTML, PDF, Markdown
Nbformat (nbformat)	Handles notebook file formats (.ipynb)
Jupyter Console (jupyter_console)	Command-line interface for Jupyter kernels
QtConsole (qtconsole) Jupyter interface with a Qt-based GUI (optional)

If you only want to use Jupyer Notebook use:

mamba install -c conda-forge notebook

or if you only want JupyterLab:

mamba install -c conda-forge jupyterlab

To run Jupyter notebook, open a Terminal window and browse to the folder within which you want to work. Now run:

jupyter notebook

This will open a browser window with the files in the selected folder.

Notebook Basics#

The first step will be to create a new Notebook:

Now you are ready to write code and Markdown content!

Mode Switching#

Jupyter has two modes:

Command Mode (Press Esc) → Used for navigating and managing cells.
Edit Mode (Press Enter) → Used for typing inside a cell.

Action	Shortcut Key	Description
Switch to Command Mode	`Esc`	Exit Edit Mode to navigate cells
Switch to Edit Mode	`Enter`	Enter Edit Mode to modify a cell

Cell Operations#

Command Mode - Press Esc First

Action	Shortcut Key	Description
Run Cell & Stay	`Shift + Enter`	Runs the cell & moves to the next one
Run Cell & Insert Below	`Alt + Enter`	Runs the cell & inserts a new one below
Run Cell & Select Above	`Ctrl + Enter`	Runs the cell but does not move
Insert New Cell Below	`B`	Adds a new cell below the current one
Insert New Cell Above	`A`	Adds a new cell above the current one
Delete a Cell	`D` `D` (double press)	Deletes the selected cell
Undo Delete	`Z`	Restores the last deleted cell
Copy Cell	`C`	Copies the current cell
Cut Cell	`X`	Cuts the current cell
Paste Cell Below	`V`	Pastes the copied/cut cell below
Paste Cell Above	`Shift + V`	Pastes the copied/cut cell above
Move Cell Up	`Shift + Up`	Moves the selected cell up
Move Cell Down	`Shift + Down`	Moves the selected cell down
Change Cell to Code	`Y`	Converts the cell to a code cell
Change Cell to Markdown	`M`	Converts the cell to Markdown mode
Merge with Cell Below	`Shift + M`	Merges the selected cell with the one below

Text Editing Shortcuts#

Edit Mode - Press Enter First

Action	Shortcut Key	Description
Autocomplete Code	`Tab`	Auto-suggests methods/variables
Show Documentation	`Shift + Tab`	Shows docstring/help for a function
Comment/Uncomment Line	`Ctrl + /`	Toggles comments for selected lines
Indent Code	`Tab`	Indents selected code
Unindent Code	`Shift + Tab`	Unindents selected code

Kernel & Execution#

Action	Shortcut Key	Description
Interrupt Kernel	`I I` (double press)	Stops the current execution
Restart Kernel	`0 0` (double press)	Restarts the notebook kernel
Restart & Run All Cells	`Ctrl + Alt + R`	Restarts kernel & runs all cells

Notebook Navigation#

Action	Shortcut Key	Description
Toggle Sidebar	`Shift + Space`	Shows/hides the sidebar
Go to Next Cell	`Down Arrow`	Moves to the cell below
Go to Previous Cell	`Up Arrow`	Moves to the cell above
Open Command Palette	`Ctrl + Shift + C`	Opens the Jupyter command menu
Show Table Of Contents	`Ctrl + Shift + K`	Shows / hides the TOC

How to See All Shortcuts in Jupyter Notebook?#

Press:

Ctrl + Shift + H (in Command Mode) → Opens a help window with all shortcuts
Ctrl + Shift + P → Opens the command palette for searching commands

Tip

You can customize shortcuts in Help > Edit Keyboard Shortcuts.

Basic Markdown Skills#

Category	Syntax	Example	Rendered Output
Headings	`# Heading 1` `## Heading 2` `### Heading 3`	`## This is a subheading`	This is a subheading
Bold Text	`bold` or `__bold__`	`Important`	Important
Italic Text	`italic` or `_italic_`	`Emphasized`	Emphasized
Bold + Italic	`*bold & italic*`	`*Very important!*`	Very important!
Strikethrough	`~~strikethrough~~`	`~~wrong text~~`	~~wrong text~~
Lists	`- Item 1` `- Item 2`	`- Apple` `- Orange`	- Apple - Orange
Ordered List	`1. First item` `2. Second item`	`1. Start` `2. Continue`	1. Start 2. Continue
Inline Code	`code`	`print("Hello")`	`print("Hello")`
Code Block	```python print(“Hello”) ```	`python print("Hello")`	Python code block
Blockquote	`> This is a quote`	`> Jupyter is great!`	> Jupyter is great!
Horizontal Line	`---` or `***`	`---`	—
Hyperlink	`[text](URL)`	`[Google](https://google.com)`	Google
Image	`![alt text](image_url)`	`![Jupyter Logo](https://jupyter.org/assets/nav_logo.svg)`
LaTeX Math	$E=mc^2$	$E=mc^2$	(E=mc^2)
—- Alice	25
Task List	`- [ ] Task 1` `- [x] Task 2`	`- [ ] To do` `- [x] Done`	☐ To do ☑ Done

Tables:

|Name     |Language |Age  |
|---------|---------|-----|
|Kim      |Python   |42   |
|Sascha   |R        |24   |

will render as:

Name	Language	Age
Kim	Python	42
Sascha	R	24