Installing PyCharm on Ubuntu 20.04

A Comprehensive Guide for Python Developers

PyCharm is one of the most powerful Python IDEs available today for developers. This in-depth guide covers various methods for installing the latest version of PyCharm on Ubuntu 20.04. We will compare the Community vs Professional editions, walk through not just installation but also deeper configuration tips to customize PyCharm for enhanced productivity as an expert Python coder.

Overview of PyCharm Editions

PyCharm comes in two flavors – a free open-source Community version, and a paid Professional version with additional features.

PyCharm Community is full-featured Python IDE with support for code editing, testing, debugging, version control and more. It‘s completely free to use for open source development.

PyCharm Professional Edition includes all the community features along with advanced functionality like:

• Web development (Django, Flask, Google App Engine etc)
• Database management and SQL tools
• Advanced testing and profiling capability
• Scientific tools to work with Jupyter Notebook
• Remote development capabilities

Below is a comparison table highlighting some key differences between the PyCharm editions:

Feature	Community	Professional
Smart Code Editor	Yes	Yes
Error-proofing	Yes	Yes
Developer Tools	Yes	Yes
Python Debugging	Yes	Yes
Web Frameworks	Limited	Full Support
Database Tools	No	Yes
Scientific Tools	No	Yes
Remote Development	No	Yes
Price	Free	$199/year individual

As we can see, the Professional version unlocks a lot of features specially around web and database development. For small personal projects, the Community version is a perfect starting point. As complexity grows or for commercial work, Professional edition adds enterprise-grade capabilities.

With this context, let us now jump into installing methods.

Method #1: Installing via Snap

The easiest way to install PyCharm on Ubuntu is by using the Snap package manager:

# PyCharm Community Edition  
sudo snap install pycharm-community --classic  

# PyCharm Professional Edition
sudo snap install pycharm-professional --classic

The --classic flag is required to enable accessing home directories.

Some benefits of using Snap over manual install are:

• Fast one-line install without needing to download binaries separately
• Automatically keeps itself updated in the background
• Can cleanly remove with snap remove pycharm-community
• Available versions are tested and pre-packaged

The only catch is that Snap versions may slightly lag behind and not have the bleeding edge PyCharm releases immediately. But they catch up quickly.

Here‘s the Community version being installed:

sudo snap install pycharm-community --classic
pycharm-community 2022.3.2 from JetBrains ✅ installed

We can now launch PyCharm from the applications menu. On first launch, import settings if available, or start fresh.

And we‘re ready to code in Python! Let‘s next look at a more hands-on manual install method.

Method #2: Installing Manually from Tarball

While the Snap approach is simple enough, installing PyCharm manually has some pros like:

• Can get latest version immediately after release before Snap packaging
• More control and transparency over install location etc

Let‘s install Professional v2022.3 step-by-step manually:

Step 1: Download the Tarball

First, grab the compressed tarball (.tar.gz file) from JetBrains at:

https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download/#section=linux

cd ~/Downloads
wget https://download.jetbrains.com/python/pycharm-professional-2022.3.tar.gz

This downloads the latest available release.

Step 2: Extract to local apps directory

Now extract contents to a folder like ~/.local/apps:

mkdir -p ~/.local/apps
tar xzf pycharm-*.tar.gz -C ~/.local/apps
rm pycharm-*.tar.gz

This keeps PyCharm self-contained in one place instead of scattered system-wide.

Step 3: Create Launcher Script

Navigate into the extracted folder, then run the PyCharm startup script:

cd ~/.local/apps/pycharm-2022.3/bin
./pycharm.sh

We should see the PyCharm splash screen and initial setup wizard.

Step 4: Generate Desktop Shortcut

For easy access from app menu, generate a desktop file entry within PyCharm:

File > Settings > Appearance & Behavior > System Settings
Under "IDE Launcher", check "Create desktop entry"  

This makes PyCharm show up nicely in start menu/app grid.

That‘s it for manual install! Some key benefits vs Snap method:

• Bleeding-edge v2022.3 Professional
• Extracted safely in ~/.local avoiding system directories
• Customized launcher for Opening projects from terminal: pycharm my_project
• Can uninstall by just deleting local folder

Let‘s next dive into optimizing the IDE now that we have it ready.

Post-Installation Configuration

After getting set up with either install method, PyCharm usage can be customized and enhanced for productivity with these tweaks:

Installing Plugins

PyCharm has a thriving plugins ecosystem to augment functionality. Recommended picks:

• Git Integration – better visualize changes before commiting
• BashSupport – work with bash scripts from the IDE
• Rest Client – directly test REST APIs from editor
• String Manipulation – handy text processing helpers

To install, use the Settings > Plugins tab and search the enormous marketplace.

Configuring the Python Interpreter

Make sure PyCharm points to the desired Python version for each project:

File > Settings > Project: Name > Python Interpreter

Then select the appropriate virtual or conda environment here.

Setting up Virtualenvs

It‘s considered best practice to create independent virtual environments for each project rather than use the system interpreter.

Easily carve out a dedicate virtualenv upon creating any new project:

File > New Project > Pure Python > (select virtualenv location) 

The virtualenv gets automatically activated whenever opening this project.

UI/UX Customization

Customize the user interface to suit personal coding styles – themes, layouts, fonts, keybindings:

File > Settings > Appearance & Behavior

Some themes to try – One Dark, Gruvbox, Solarized Light.

Database Management

PyCharm Professional Edition unlocks direct database capabilities using the Database tool window, allowing to:

• Browse, query and modify data in tables
• Model entity relationship diagrams
• Migrate schema changes with an ORM
• And more

It includes native integrations for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Oracle and other major RDBMS systems.

Advanced Configuration Tips

Let‘s dive deeper into professional customizations for power users.

Docker Integration

Docker containers can be directly utilized by configuring a remote Python interpreter pointing inside containers. This enables neat workflows where:

• Code runs isolated inside containers
• But editing happens on local PyCharm UI
• Container startup and teardown handled automatically

Lightweight container-based development environments can be spawned this way on demand.

Customized Keymaps

Keymaps allow mapping IDE functionality to keyboard shortcuts as per personalized workflows:

File > Settings > Keymap

For example, map Refactor This to Ctrl+T for rapid string/variable transforms. Frequently used operations can be triggered more efficiently after some keymap tuning.

Effective Use of Scratch Files

Scratch files provide temporary sandboxes within the editor for testing out snippets and ideas quickly without creating permanent project files first.

Tu use: File > New Scratch File

Once done, just close tab or hit Delete and contents are discarded. Useful throwaway space.

File Watchers

File watchers automatically run associated tools when particular files are changed.

For instance, configure formatters like black to be invoked as soon a script is saved so code stays clean in realtime. Other usages include triggering unit tests or linters when files change.

Comparing Professional vs Community

We have covered two installation methods so far – let‘s analyze the tradeoffs between the Community and Professional editions to decide which fits your needs better.

Pricing and Plans

Professional version requires a paid license subscription with tiered pricing:

Plan	Price
Monthly Subscription	$8.90/month
Annual Subscription	$26.90/month (~$199/year)

Team licenses allow up to 30 developers per subscription. Free trials are available if unsure initially.

Community edition is completely free including for commercial use.

Feature Differences

This table summarizes some prominent features only available in Professional variant:

Feature	Community	Professional
Django/Flask Debugging	Limited	Full support
Dev on Remote Servers	No	Yes
Database Management	No	Yes
SQL autocompletion	No	Yes
Scientific Tools	No	Yes

Use Case Recommendations

PyCharm Community meets most needs for open source development and smaller side projects. Easy starting point.

PyCharm Professional brings additional firepower for enterprise environments:

• Web teams building production web apps
• DevOps integrating containers/databases
• Data scientists with need for scientific capabilities

For intermediate developers, Community meets general Python coding needs. As complexity advances, Professional adds robustness.

Supplementary Topics

Some bonus topics worth covering related to professional PyCharm usage.

Remote Interpreters

PyCharm Professional enables configuring remote interpreters:

• SSH into cloud VMs like AWS EC2
• Point PyCharm to Python binary on remote machine
• Install packages, edit, debug & run programs remotely

This facilitates coding against remote servers or virtual machines without needing to constantly upload edited files.

Structuring Larger Projects

There are multiple ways to organize larger codebases across files and directories:

• Group by technical domain (web layer, data layer etc)
• Group by feature
• Layer architectural aspects like interfaces/implementations

PyCharm provides flexibility to enforce structure using:

• Custom console tabs
• Package views
• Explicit module groups and naming conventions

Regardless of approach, some structure is key for maintainability as complexity increases.

Continuous Integration

For teams, PyCharm integrates neatly into CI/CD pipelines with GitHub, GitLab and other source control tools. Developers can:

• Review changes and revert erroneous commits before pushing
• Track build status and code quality metrics from within IDE
• Jump to failed test code after CI pipe breaks

This iterates faster than having to context switch to separate consoles.

Conclusion

This concludes our guide on installing the powerful PyCharm Python IDE on Ubuntu desktop. We went through various methods like Snap and manual tarball extraction, compared Community vs Professional editions, and covered both basic as well as advanced configuration techniques to customize PyCharm precisely according to research preferences for Python development.

Some key takeaways:

• PyCharm turbocharges productivity for Python developers
• Install via Snap for simplicity or manual for control
• Pro edition adds enterprise tools for big projects
• Customize keyboard shortcuts, themes etc to personalize
• Structure larger codebases thoughtfully as they grow
• Integration with containers/CI pipelines for dev teams

Hope you found this detailed installation manual useful. Go try out PyCharm if not already – it can greatly speed up writing, testing and debugging Python applications with its rich static analysis features, top-notch editor, vast library ecosystem and more. The IDE makes Python development fun again!