BASIC Step 1: Software and accounts for BASIC
What's BASIC?
BASIC stands for "BLAB and SMAC Intro to Computing." BASIC is a self-guided suite of "worksheets" that take you through the essential elements of writing code. Its main purpose is to give you a jump start on the skills needed to independently develop experiments. BASIC will focus on using the command line (general commands to the computer), MATLAB (the language that most of our lab experiments are written in), and Git (a service that manages versions of our code).
Follow the steps below to get started!
Create a MathWorks account and set up MATLAB Online
MathWorks is the company that makes MATLAB. To access the BASIC materials, you will need access to the online MATLAB drive folder, called "comppedagogy". To do this, you will need to make a MathWorks account at https://www.mathworks.com/ if you don't already have one. Use your wisc.edu email so you have licensing privileges.
You will access worksheets 1-10 via MATLAB Online, which you use in your internet browser. Follow these steps to set up MATLAB Online.
- Go to matlab.mathworks.com and sign in.
- Click this link to access the "comppedagogy" folder. Then click "Open in MATLAB Online."
If you want to install MATLAB on your personal computer, you can get MATLAB for students from the Campus Software Library (linked here: https://it.wisc.edu/services/software/). But you don't have to do this now -- BASIC is designed to work with MATLAB Online.
Worksheets A and B
Before you start worksheets 1-10 in MATLAB Online, you will do worksheets A and B in MATLAB Online. Any time Worksheets A or B tell you to do something in git bash, you can just do it in the MATLAB Online command window. Here is a link to worksheet A, and worksheet B.
Step 2
You're ready for BASIC Step 2, so go to this KB doc: https://kb.wisc.edu/smng/internal/111684