Reference

Glossary

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module

A single .py file containing Python definitions (functions, classes, variables) that can be imported elsewhere.

package

A directory of modules containing an __init__.py file, allowing related modules to be imported as a unit (e.g. import mypackage.analysis).

repository (repo)

A directory tracked by a version control system (git) that typically contains source code, tests, documentation, and metadata about the project.

virtual environment

An isolated Python installation with its own set of installed packages, used to keep a project’s dependencies separate from other projects. In a uv project this lives in a .venv folder that uv creates and manages for you.

uv

A tool that manages Python versions, virtual environments, and project dependencies. It replaces separate use of venv, pip, and pip freeze in this workshop.

lock file (uv.lock)

A file uv generates that records the exact version of every package your project depends on, for every supported platform and Python version. Committed to git so anyone can recreate the same environment.

editable install

Installing a package so Python imports it directly from your source folder instead of a copy. Edits to your code take effect immediately. uv sync installs your own project this way.

docstring

A string literal placed as the first statement in a function, class, or module, used to document what it does; accessible via help() or .__doc__.

README

The first file a person reading a repository is expected to open; describes what the project does, how to install it, and how to use it.

burst sampling

An instrument sampling pattern where readings are taken rapidly for a short window (a “burst”), then the instrument goes idle until the next scheduled burst.

MAD (median absolute deviation)

A robust measure of spread: the median of the absolute deviations from the median. Less sensitive to outliers than standard deviation.

CTD / DOSTA

Common OOI instrument classes. CTD measures conductivity, temperature, and depth (from which salinity and density are derived). DOSTA measures dissolved oxygen.