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New project checklist

Follow these steps every time you start a new Python project.

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Step 1: Open terminal

Open your terminal:
  • Mac: Terminal app or iTerm
  • Windows: Terminal, Command Prompt, or PowerShell

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Step 2: Navigate to your projects folder

# Go to your projects directory
cd ~/Documents/Projects  # Mac
cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Projects  # Windows
Create a dedicated folder for all your Python projects. This keeps things organized!

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Step 3: Create the project

Use uv to create your project: 
uv init my-awesome-project
What happens:
  • Creates a new folder my-awesome-project
  • Creates .gitignore (Git will ignore .venv, .env, etc.)
  • Creates .python-version (specifies Python version)
  • Creates pyproject.toml (project configuration)
  • Creates README.md (project description)
  • Creates main.py (example file)
Initial structure: 
my-awesome-project/
├── .gitignore      # Git ignore rules
├── .python-version # Python version
├── pyproject.toml  # Project config
├── README.md       # Project description
└── main.py         # Example file
The .venv folder is created automatically when you run uv add to install your first package. Same with uv.lock.

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Step 4: Open in VS Code

# Enter the project folder
cd my-awesome-project

# Open in VS Code
code .
What happens:
  • VS Code opens with your project
  • Python extension activates automatically
  • Virtual environment is detected
If code . doesn’t work, see the Git section for setup instructions.

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Step 5: Add packages

Open terminal in VS Code (Ctrl+`): 
# Add packages you need
uv add requests
uv add pandas numpy
uv add python-dotenv

# For interactive Python (optional)
uv add ipykernel
What happens:
  • Packages download and install
  • pyproject.toml updates with dependencies
  • uv.lock locks exact versions

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Step 6: Test your setup

Edit main.py: 
import requests
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

# Load environment variables
load_dotenv()

# Test the setup
print("✅ Packages imported successfully!")

# Test environment variable
api_key = os.environ.get("API_KEY", "not-set")
print(f"✅ API_KEY: {api_key}")

# Test requests
response = requests.get("https://api.github.com")
print(f"✅ GitHub API status: {response.status_code}")
Run it: 
uv run python main.py

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Step 7: Set up environment variables

Create .env for secrets: 
# .env
API_KEY=your-secret-key-here
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost/mydb
DEBUG=True
Create .env.example for others: 
# .env.example
API_KEY=your-api-key-here
DATABASE_URL=your-database-url
DEBUG=True
Important: .env is already in .gitignore - your secrets are safe!

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Step 8: Initialize Git

# Initialize Git repository
git init

# Add all files
git add .

# First commit
git commit -m "Initial commit"
What happens:
  • Git starts tracking your files
  • All files except those in .gitignore are staged
  • Your first snapshot is saved

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Step 9: Create GitHub repository

Create the repository directly from your terminal: You’re done! Your project is now:
  • Set up locally with uv
  • Tracked by Git
  • Backed up on GitHub

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The daily workflow

From here, your routine is: 
# Make changes to your code...

# Add packages as needed
uv add some-package

# Commit changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"

# Push to GitHub
git push
Prefer clicking? You can do all Git operations using VS Code’s UI:
  • Source Control panel (Ctrl+Shift+G): Stage, commit, and push with clicks
  • Status bar: Shows branch and sync button
  • Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P): Type “Git” to see all commands
See the Git & GitHub section for details!

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Quick reference

# Project setup (one time)
uv init project-name
cd project-name
code .
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
gh repo create project-name --private --source=. --remote=origin --push

# Daily development
uv add package-name        # Add packages
uv run python script.py    # Run code
git add .                  # Stage changes
git commit -m "message"    # Commit
git push                   # Push to GitHub

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Pro tips

  1. Commit often - Small commits are better than huge ones
  2. Write clear messages - “Fix login bug” not “updates”
  3. Use .env - Never hardcode secrets
  4. Keep it simple - Don’t over-engineer

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Commands summary

Here’s everything in one place: 
# Setup (one time)
uv init my-project
cd my-project
code .
uv add requests pandas python-dotenv
uv add --dev ipykernel
echo "API_KEY=your-key" > .env
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
gh repo create my-project --private --source=. --remote=origin --push

# Daily workflow
uv add package-name        # Add packages
uv run python script.py    # Run code
git add .                  # Stage changes
git commit -m "message"    # Commit
git push                   # Push to GitHub

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What’s next

You’ve completed the Python fundamentals course. Continue your journey with these next steps:

Course summary

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