5 Cool Jupyter Notebook Tips to Boost Your Productivity

 

Jupyter Notebook is a powerful tool for data scientists, developers, and researchers. It allows for an interactive coding experience, making it easier to write, debug, and visualize code. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, these five cool tips will help you get the most out of Jupyter Notebook.

1. Run Shell Commands Inside Jupyter

You can run shell commands directly in Jupyter by prefixing them with !. This is useful for tasks like checking files, installing packages, or running system commands.

!ls  # Lists files in the current directory (Linux/macOS)
!dir # Lists files in Windows

2. Use Magics for Enhanced Functionality

Jupyter supports magic commands that make development easier. There are two types:

• Line magics (%) - Work on a single line.
• Cell magics (%%) - Apply to the entire cell.

Examples:

%timeit sum(range(1000))  # Measures execution time

%%writefile script.py
print("This code is saved in script.py") # Writes code to a file

3. Display Plots Inline with %matplotlib inline

If you're working with Matplotlib, use this magic command to display plots inside the notebook:

%matplotlib inline
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.plot([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6])
plt.show()

4. Autocomplete and Docstrings with Shift + Tab

Want to see function details without searching online? Press Shift + Tab inside parentheses to view its documentation.

Example:

len(  # Press Shift + Tab inside the parentheses

5. Convert Notebook to Other Formats

You can export Jupyter notebooks as HTML, PDF, or Python scripts using:

!jupyter nbconvert --to html notebook.ipynb  # Convert to HTML
!jupyter nbconvert --to script notebook.ipynb # Convert to Python script

Conclusion

Jupyter Notebook is more than just a coding environment; it’s a productivity powerhouse. With these tips, you can work more efficiently and make the most of your Jupyter experience!