Efficient Research Workflows with the UNIX Shell

Note: This workshop is still in pilot mode so the actual syllabus may have slight changes for the workshop instance, but overall the learning objectives are the same.

Course Instances
Dates and locations are to be announced.

Learning objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Access and use the UNIX shell on their own machine for interacting with the file system.

2. Navigate directories and manage files efficiently using basic shell commands .

3. Preview and inspect data files

4. Filter and summarize data to extract relevant information from large datasets.

5. Write simple shell scripts to automate repetitive research tasks, such as batch file processing, renaming, and summarizing datasets.

6. How to use and deposit data in the 4TU.ResearchData repository, and understand how shell workflows can integrate with open data practices.

Syllabus/Curriculum overview

Day 1

  • Morning session (09:30 – 12:30):
    • Setup & Introduction
    • Navigating the Filesystem
    • Exploring & Inspecting Files
  • Afternoon session (13:30 – 16:00):
    • Data filtering & summarization
    • Basic shell scripting

Day 2

  • Morning & early afternoon (09:30 – 14:30):
    • Group assignments
    • Wrap-up & Discussion
  • Afternoon session (14:45 – 16:00):
    • Get to know 4TU.ResearchData

Prerequisites

  • No prior experience with UNIX shell.
  • Participants should bring their own laptops with a Bash shell (Mac/Linux users have it by default; Windows users should install Git Bash or WSL).

Target Audience

This workshop is designed for anyone interested in improving efficiency in research workflows with the UNIX shell.

Instructors

Leila Iñigo de la Cruz

Resources

Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops for hands-on exercises.