feat: bootstrap HowToLens from autolens_workspace tutorials

[Jammy2211]

Summary

Extracts the howtolens tutorial lecture series from autolens_workspace into its own repository. Brings HowToLens into line with the other PyAutoLabs workspace repos so it can be built, smoke-tested, and released independently.

• 204 files added (chapters 1–4 + chapter_optional, simulator/, config/, notebooks/, scripts/, CI workflows, README.rst, CLAUDE.md, smoke_tests.txt, version.txt, welcome.py, start_here.py).
• Mirrors the autolens_workspace / autogalaxy_workspace / autofit_workspace layout — scripts/chapter_<N>_<name>/, notebooks/chapter_<N>_<name>/, config/, dataset/ (runtime), output/ (runtime).
• Datasets are generated at runtime by scripts/simulator/ — no .fits committed. Tutorials that need pre-existing data invoke their simulator via subprocess (see tutorial_7_fitting.py's auto-sim block for the pattern).

Chapters

• chapter_1_introduction — grids, light/mass profiles, galaxies, tracers, simulated data, fitting
• chapter_2_lens_modeling — Bayesian inference, non-linear searches, fitting CCD imaging
• chapter_3_search_chaining — automated pipelines via chained searches
• chapter_4_pixelizations — pixelized source reconstruction with inversions + regularization
• chapter_optional — extras (e.g. tutorial_searches.py)

CI

Workflow	Purpose
.github/workflows/smoke_tests.yml	Python 3.12 + 3.13 matrix. Checks out PyAutoConf, PyAutoFit, PyAutoArray, PyAutoGalaxy, PyAutoLens on matching branch (falls back to main), runs python .github/scripts/run_smoke.py. Slack-notifies on failure.
.github/workflows/url_check.yml	Copy of the shared PyAutoBuild/autobuild/url_check.sh runner.

smoke_tests.txt currently lists 6 chapter 1 tutorials (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8). Tutorials 0 and 7 are excluded pending a content-alignment pass — see the inline comment in smoke_tests.txt.

Local smoke-test results

Ran chapter 1 locally with PYAUTO_TEST_MODE=2 PYAUTO_FAST_PLOTS=1:

Tutorial	Result
0 visualization	FAIL — pre-existing upstream bug: missing Path import; depends on pre-simulated dataset/imaging/simple__no_lens_light that HowToLens does not ship
1 grids_and_galaxies	PASS
2 ray_tracing	PASS
4 point_sources	PASS
5 lensing_formalism	PASS
6 data	PASS (simulates dataset/imaging/howtolens)
7 fitting	FAIL — pre-existing upstream bug: second dataset load (line ~615, simple__no_lens_light__mass_sis) has no auto-sim fallback. Upstream autolens_workspace also fails
8 summary	PASS

Follow-ups (tracked on PyAutoLabs/autolens_workspace#78)

1. This bootstrap PR.
2. workspace-cleanup — remove scripts/howtolens/ and notebooks/howtolens/ from autolens_workspace, update all cross-references.
3. docs-update — update PyAutoLens docs (index.rst toctree, howtolens/*.rst, README.rst, paper.md, overview/*.rst, general/workspace.rst) to point to the new repo.
4. PyAutoBuild howtolens project target registration — generate.py currently has no howtolens target; needed before /pre_build can build notebooks for this repo.
5. Tutorial 0 + 7 content alignment — rework to use HowToLens's runtime-simulation conventions (either auto-sim the datasets they need or switch them to dataset/imaging/howtolens).
6. Repo transfer — after merge, transfer Jammy2211/HowToLens to the PyAutoLabs org.

Test plan

• CI smoke tests pass on Python 3.12 + 3.13
• CI url_check passes
• Confirm /ship_workspace can operate on HowToLens after PyAutoBuild registration (follow-up PR)

Refs PyAutoLabs/autolens_workspace#78.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code