PyCharm
From Install to Remote Dev

Community vs Professional

Step 1 — Get the Free Student License

First-Launch Setup

The PyCharm Layout

Key Areas

The Most Important Shortcuts

Types of Interpreters

Create a New Virtualenv

Switch Between Interpreters

Click the interpreter name in the bottom-right status bar — a popup lets you switch instantly between any interpreter configured for that project.

Install Packages via PyCharm

Conda Environments

Copy# Create a conda environment with a specific Python version
conda create -n ml-project python=3.11 numpy pandas scikit-learn
conda activate ml-project

# Then in PyCharm: Add Interpreter → Conda Environment → Existing
# PyCharm finds conda automatically if it's in your PATH

Interactive Debugger — Step Through Code

Press Run Debug to start. Use the buttons to step through the code and watch the variables update in real time.

Debug Controls

Breakpoints

Click the gutter (the narrow strip left of the line numbers) to set a red breakpoint dot. Click again to remove it. The program will pause just before executing that line.

The Variables Panel

When paused at a breakpoint, the Variables panel shows every variable in scope. You can:

• Expand lists, dicts, and objects to see their contents
• Right-click a variable → Set Value to change it live while debugging
• Right-click → Copy Value to grab the current value

Watches & Evaluate Expression

The Built-in Terminal

PyCharm has a full terminal emulator built in. The key advantage: it automatically activates your project's virtual environment when it opens. No need to manually run source .venv/bin/activate every time.

Notice the (.venv) prefix — the virtual environment is active. Any pip install here goes into your project's isolated environment.

Open the Terminal

Multiple Terminal Tabs

You can open multiple terminal tabs — useful for running a server in one tab and sending requests in another:

Copypython app.py
# server running on http://127.0.0.1:5000

Copycurl http://127.0.0.1:5000/api/data

Python Console vs Terminal

Changing the Default Shell

Settings → Tools → Terminal → Shell path. Set it to /bin/zsh, /bin/bash, or C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe on Windows.

Enable VCS / Connect a Repo

Copyhttps://github.com/your-username/your-repo.git

The Commit Workflow

Key Git Actions

Resolving Merge Conflicts Visually

When a merge conflict occurs, PyCharm opens a 3-panel merge tool:

Click the → or ← arrows to accept a change from either side into the Result panel. When done, click "Apply". PyCharm marks the conflict as resolved automatically.

Git Log Viewer

Open the Git panel (⌘9 / Alt+9) → click the Log tab. You see the full commit graph, click any commit to inspect changes, filter by author, branch, or date, and right-click to cherry-pick or revert.

How It Works

Step 1 — Add SSH Credentials

Step 2 — Configure the Remote Interpreter

Copy# System Python
/usr/bin/python3

# Conda environment on remote
/home/username/miniconda3/envs/myenv/bin/python

# Module-loaded Python on HPC
# First SSH in and run: module load python/3.11 && which python

Running Code Remotely

After setup, just press Run (⌃R) as normal. PyCharm will:

1. Sync your local files to the remote server
2. Execute the script using the remote Python interpreter
3. Stream stdout and stderr back to your local Run panel

Install Remote Packages

Copy# PyCharm runs pip install on the REMOTE server for you

Copyssh username@hpc.university.edu
conda activate myenv
pip install torch torchvision

How Local ↔ Remote Mapping Works

Step 1 — Configure a Deployment Server

Step 2 — Set Path Mappings

Step 3 — Configure Excluded Paths

Copy.venv/           # local venv — remote has its own
__pycache__/
.git/
*.local.py       # local-only config files
.DS_Store

Upload Options

Remote File Browser

Go to Tools → Deployment → Browse Remote Host. A panel opens showing the remote file system:

From this browser you can:

• Double-click any file to open and edit it directly (changes save back to the server)
• Right-click → Download to pull files to local
• Right-click → Delete, Rename, New File/Directory
• Drag files between local Project panel and Remote Files panel

Compare Local vs Remote

Right-click any local file → Deployment → Compare with Deployed Version. PyCharm shows a diff of the local file vs what's currently on the server — useful to confirm you haven't forgotten to upload something.