Create streamlined 'golden path' installer for new users

QUICKSTART.md

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+# Spyglass Quickstart (5 minutes)
+
+Get from zero to analyzing neural data with Spyglass in just a few commands.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- **Python**: Version 3.9 or higher
+- **Disk Space**: ~10GB for installation + data storage
+- **Operating System**: macOS or Linux (Windows experimental)
+- **Package Manager**: [conda](https://docs.conda.io/) (23.10.0+ recommended) or [mamba](https://mamba.readthedocs.io/)
+
+If you don't have mamba/conda, install [miniforge](https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge#install) first.
+
+## Installation (2 commands)
+
+### 1. Download and run quickstart
+```bash
+# Clone the repository
+git clone https://github.com/LorenFrankLab/spyglass.git
+cd spyglass
+
+# Run quickstart (minimal installation)
+python scripts/quickstart.py
+```
+
+### 2. Validate installation
+```bash
+# Activate the environment
+conda activate spyglass
+
+# Run validation
+python scripts/validate_spyglass.py -v
+```
+
+**That's it!** Total time: ~5-10 minutes
+
+## Next Steps
+
+### Run first tutorial
+```bash
+cd notebooks
+jupyter notebook 01_Concepts.ipynb
+```
+
+### Configure for your data
+- Place NWB files in `~/spyglass_data/raw/`
+- See [Data Import Guide](https://lorenfranklab.github.io/spyglass/latest/notebooks/01_Insert_Data/) for details
+
+### Join community
+- 📖 [Documentation](https://lorenfranklab.github.io/spyglass/)
+- 💬 [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/LorenFrankLab/spyglass/discussions)
+- 🐛 [Report Issues](https://github.com/LorenFrankLab/spyglass/issues)
+
+---
+
+## Installation Options
+
+Need something different? The quickstart supports these options:
+
+```bash
+python scripts/quickstart.py --full           # All optional dependencies
+python scripts/quickstart.py --pipeline=dlc   # DeepLabCut pipeline
+python scripts/quickstart.py --no-database    # Skip database setup
+python scripts/quickstart.py --help           # See all options
+```
+
+## What Gets Installed
+
+The quickstart creates:
+- **Conda environment** with Spyglass and core dependencies
+- **MySQL database** (local Docker container)
+- **Data directories** in `~/spyglass_data/`
+- **Jupyter environment** for running tutorials
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Installation fails?
+```bash
+# Remove environment and retry
+conda env remove -n spyglass
+python scripts/quickstart.py
+```
+
+### Validation fails?
+1. Check error messages for specific issues
+2. Ensure Docker is running (for database)
+3. Try: `python scripts/quickstart.py --no-database`
+
+### Need help?
+- Check [Advanced Setup Guide](https://lorenfranklab.github.io/spyglass/latest/notebooks/00_Setup/) for manual installation
+- Ask questions in [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/LorenFrankLab/spyglass/discussions)
+
+---
+
+**Next tutorial**: [01_Concepts.ipynb](notebooks/01_Concepts.ipynb)
+**Full documentation**: [lorenfranklab.github.io/spyglass](https://lorenfranklab.github.io/spyglass/)

README.md

@@ -65,7 +65,24 @@ Documentation can be found at -
 
 ## Installation
 
-For installation instructions see -
+### Quick Start (Recommended)
+
+Get up and running in 5 minutes with our automated installer:
+
+```bash
+# Clone the repository
+git clone https://github.com/LorenFrankLab/spyglass.git
+cd spyglass
+
+# Run quickstart
+python scripts/quickstart.py
+```
+
+See [QUICKSTART.md](QUICKSTART.md) for detailed options and troubleshooting.
+
+### Full Installation Guide
+
+For manual installation and advanced configuration options see -
 [https://lorenfranklab.github.io/spyglass/latest/notebooks/00_Setup/](https://lorenfranklab.github.io/spyglass/latest/notebooks/00_Setup/)
 
 Typical installation time is: 5-10 minutes

environment-min.yml

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+# Minimal Spyglass Environment - Core Dependencies Only
+# 1. Install: `mamba env create -f environment-min.yml`
+# 2. Activate: `conda activate spyglass`
+# 3. For full features, use environment.yml instead
+#
+# This environment includes only the essential dependencies needed for basic
+# spyglass functionality. Optional dependencies for specific pipelines
+# (LFP analysis, spike sorting, etc.) are excluded.
+
+name: spyglass
+channels:
+  - conda-forge
+  - franklab
+  - edeno
+dependencies:
+  # Core Python scientific stack
+  - python>=3.9,<3.13
+  - pip
+  - numpy
+  - matplotlib
+  - bottleneck
+  - seaborn
+
+  # Core Jupyter environment for notebooks
+  - jupyterlab>=3.*
+  - ipympl
+
+  # Essential spyglass dependencies (installed via pip for development mode)
+  - pip:
+      - .

scripts/common.py

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+"""
+Common utilities shared between Spyglass scripts.
+
+This module provides shared functionality for quickstart.py and validate_spyglass.py
+to improve consistency and reduce code duplication.
+"""
+
+from collections import namedtuple
+from enum import Enum
+from typing import NamedTuple
+
+
+# Shared color definitions using namedtuple (immutable and functional)
+Colors = namedtuple(
+    "Colors",
+    [
+        "HEADER",
+        "OKBLUE",
+        "OKCYAN",
+        "OKGREEN",
+        "WARNING",
+        "FAIL",
+        "ENDC",
+        "BOLD",
+        "UNDERLINE",
+    ],
+)(
+    HEADER="\033[95m",
+    OKBLUE="\033[94m",
+    OKCYAN="\033[96m",
+    OKGREEN="\033[92m",
+    WARNING="\033[93m",
+    FAIL="\033[91m",
+    ENDC="\033[0m",
+    BOLD="\033[1m",
+    UNDERLINE="\033[4m",
+)
+
+# Disabled colors for no-color mode
+DisabledColors = namedtuple(
+    "DisabledColors",
+    [
+        "HEADER",
+        "OKBLUE",
+        "OKCYAN",
+        "OKGREEN",
+        "WARNING",
+        "FAIL",
+        "ENDC",
+        "BOLD",
+        "UNDERLINE",
+    ],
+)(*([""] * 9))
+
+
+# Shared exception hierarchy
+class SpyglassSetupError(Exception):
+    """Base exception for setup errors."""
+
+    pass
+
+
+class SystemRequirementError(SpyglassSetupError):
+    """System doesn't meet requirements."""
+
+    pass
+
+
+class EnvironmentCreationError(SpyglassSetupError):
+    """Environment creation failed."""
+
+    pass
+
+
+class DatabaseSetupError(SpyglassSetupError):
+    """Database setup failed."""
+
+    pass
+
+
+# Enums for type-safe choices
+class MenuChoice(Enum):
+    """User menu choices for installation type."""
+
+    MINIMAL = 1
+    FULL = 2
+    PIPELINE = 3
+
+
+class DatabaseChoice(Enum):
+    """Database setup choices."""
+
+    DOCKER = 1
+    EXISTING = 2
+    SKIP = 3
+
+
+class ConfigLocationChoice(Enum):
+    """Configuration file location choices."""
+
+    REPO_ROOT = 1
+    CURRENT_DIR = 2
+    CUSTOM = 3
+
+
+class PipelineChoice(Enum):
+    """Pipeline-specific installation choices."""
+
+    DLC = 1
+    MOSEQ_CPU = 2
+    MOSEQ_GPU = 3
+    LFP = 4
+    DECODING = 5
+
+
+# Configuration constants
+class Config:
+    """Centralized configuration constants."""
+
+    DEFAULT_TIMEOUT = 1800  # 30 minutes
+    DEFAULT_DB_PORT = 3306
+    DEFAULT_ENV_NAME = "spyglass"
+
+    # Timeouts for different operations
+    TIMEOUTS = {
+        "environment_create": 1800,  # 30 minutes for env creation
+        "package_install": 600,  # 10 minutes for packages
+        "database_check": 60,  # 1 minute for DB readiness
+    }

scripts/core/__init__.py

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+"""Core business logic modules for Spyglass setup.
+
+This package contains pure functions and business logic extracted from
+the main setup scripts, as recommended in REVIEW.md.
+"""