==========
Quickstart
==========

These pages provide reference API documentation for the Molecular Design Toolkit.

Just getting started? We recommend trying out `the tutorials and
walkthroughs <http://bionano.autodesk.com/MolecularDesignToolkit/explore.html>`_ before diving into the API.


Install with pip
----------------
Get the latest stable version:

.. code-block:: bash

   $ pip install moldesign

**Note:** some users may need to run the installation as root, i.e. ``sudo pip install moldesign``,
see `Installing MDT`_ for details.

Or get the source code on github:

.. code-block:: bash

   $ git clone github.com/autodesk/molecular-design-toolkit


Get started
-----------
At the command line, run

.. code-block:: bash

   $ python -m moldesign intro


Explore the API
---------------
The Jupyter online documentation system is a powerful tool for discovering functionality.

To get a list of all members of a module or class, type ``modulename.``, then hit `tab`.

.. image:: img/tab_autocomplete.png

To get online documentation about a function or method, type the method's name, then hit `shift+tab`

.. image:: img/shifttab_online.png

To get the complete docstring for any object, type its name then a question mark.

.. image:: img/questiondoc.png


Get help
--------
Click a link in the navigation menu (to your left) for in-depth documentation.