Welcome to your comprehensive guide on how to effectively utilize jamovi! jamovi is a free and open statistics package that combines ease of use with advanced statistical capabilities. It’s particularly designed for those who are familiar with SPSS, providing a spreadsheet editor and a variety of statistical analyses. In this article, we’ll walk you through the installation and setup process of jamovi using Docker as well as give you some troubleshooting tips along the way.

1. Setting Up Your jamovi Environment

The simplest method of building and working with jamovi is by utilizing Docker. This enables you to create a portable environment for development. Let’s dive into the steps required.

Cloning the Repository

First, you’ll need to clone the jamovi repository and its submodules. Follow these steps:

git clone https://github.com/jamovi/jamovi.git
cd jamovi
git submodule update --init --recursive

Building the Docker Container

Once you’ve cloned the repo, you can build the Docker container with the following command:

docker-compose build

After the build is complete, you can run jamovi:

docker-compose up

Accessing jamovi

Your embedded web server will now be up and running. You can access jamovi in your web browser at the following URL: http://127.0.0.1:41337.

2. Pre-requisites for jamovi

Before diving into jamovi, ensure you have the following tools installed:

• Python (3.8 or higher)
• pip
• Poetry
• Docker
• Docker Compose

3. Creating a Virtual Environment

Using Poetry, you can create a virtual environment as follows:

poetry install

If Poetry encounters issues locating the correct Python executable, use the following to force it:

poetry env use PATH_TO_PYTHON_EXECUTABLE
poetry install

4. Activating the Virtual Environment

To activate your virtual environment, simply run:

poetry shell

5. Developing with Poetry

In this section, we’ll break down a common analogy. Think of Poetry as a chef in a kitchen:

• When the chef wants to prepare a dish, they need to gather ingredients (install packages).
• If a dish was made before (lock file), they can reproduce it without ingredient changes (install dependencies from lock file).
• If new dishes are introduced, the chef can update the menu (update lock file).
• Finally, if the kitchen gets cluttered (untracked dependencies), the chef tidies up.

Commands you might use include:

poetry add DEPENDENCY  # to add a production dependency
poetry add --group=dev DEVDEPENDENCY  # to add a dev dependency
poetry update  # to update all packages

6. Testing Your Setup

You can run tests to ensure everything is functioning correctly with the following command:

poe tests

7. Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter any problems while setting up or running jamovi, consider the following troubleshooting ideas:

• Make sure that all pre-requisites are installed correctly.
• Check if Docker is running and accessible from the command line.
• If the server doesn’t launch, ensure you didn’t miss any steps in building the Docker image.
• For compatibility issues, verify that you have the right Python version as specified.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

8. Integrating with Visual Studio Code

If you’re a user of VSCode, it’s highly recommended to install specific extensions to streamline Python development:

• ms-python.debugpy
• ms-python.pylint
• ms-python.python
• ms-python.vscode-pylance
• charliermarsh.ruff

To configure the virtual environment for VSCode, refer to the documentation provided by VSCode.

Conclusion

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.

By following the steps outlined in this blog, you can set up your jamovi environment successfully. Enjoy diving into statistical analysis with jamovi!