Note
If you would like to contribute to PlasmaPy, please check out the |contributor guide|.
Contents
PlasmaPy requires a version of |Python| between |minpython| and |maxpython|. If you do not have |Python| installed already, here are the instructions to download Python and install it.
Tip
New versions of |Python| are released annually in October, and it can take a few months for the scientific Python ecosystem to catch up. If you have trouble installing plasmapy on the most recent |Python| version between October and March, then try installing it on the second most recent version.
To install the most recent release of plasmapy on |PyPI| with |pip| into an existing |Python| |minpython|+ environment on macOS or Linux, open a terminal and run:
python -m pip install plasmapyOn some systems, it might be necessary to specify the |Python| version
number by using python3, python3.8, python3.9,
python3.10, or python3.11 instead of python.
To install PlasmaPy on Windows, run:
py -3.11 -m pip install plasmapyThe version of |Python| may be changed from 3.11 to another supported
Python |minpython|+ release that has been installed on your computer.
For more detailed information, please refer to this tutorial on installing packages.
Conda is a package management system and environment manager that is commonly used in the scientific |Python| ecosystem. Conda lets us create and switch between |Python| environments that are isolated from each other and the system installation. Conda can also be used for packages written in languages other than |Python|.
After installing Conda or miniconda, plasmapy can be installed into an activated Conda environment by opening a terminal and running:
conda install -c conda-forge plasmapyHere -c conda-forge indicates that plasmapy should be installed
from the conda-forge channel.
To install plasmapy into another existing Conda environment, append :samp:`-n {env_name}` to the previous command, where :samp:`{env_name}` is replaced with the name of the environment.
To create a new environment with plasmapy installed in it, run:
conda create -n env_name -c conda-forge plasmapywhere :samp:`{env_name}` is replaced by the name of the environment. This step may take several minutes. To activate this environment, run:
conda activate env_nameTo update plasmapy to the most recent version within a currently activated Conda environment, run:
conda update plasmapyTip
Creating a Conda environment can sometimes take a few minutes. If it
takes longer than that, try updating to the newest version of Conda
with conda update conda or checking out these tips for
improving Conda performance.
Note
This section contains instructions on how to install PlasmaPy with Anaconda Navigator at the time of writing. For the most up-to-date information, please go to the official documentation on installing Anaconda Navigator and getting started with Anaconda Navigator.
Anaconda Navigator is a graphical user interface (GUI) for Conda
that can be used to install Python packages. It is installed
automatically with newer versions of Conda. If you are using Miniconda
or a different Conda environment, you can install it with
conda install anaconda-navigator. After that it can be opened by
entering anaconda-navigator in the terminal.
First, go to the :guilabel:`Environments` tab and select
:guilabel:`Channels`. If conda-forge is not listed, then go to
:guilabel:`Add`, enter https://conda.anaconda.org/conda-forge, and
click on :guilabel:`Update channels` and then :guilabel:`Update index`.
Next, while on the :guilabel:`Environments` tab, select the environment
that you would like to install plasmapy in. The default is generally
base (root). Optionally, you may select :guilabel:`Create` to start
a new environment. In the search bar, enter plasmapy. Click on the
checkbox next to plasmapy, and select :guilabel:`Apply` to begin the
installation process. It may take several minutes for Anaconda Navigator
to solve package specifications.
To test the installation, click on the :guilabel:`▶` icon that should be
present next to the activated environment, and select
:guilabel:`Open terminal`. Enter python in the terminal, and then
import plasmapy to make sure it works.
A ZIP file containing the source code for official releases of plasmapy can be obtained from PyPI or from Zenodo.
Alternatively, official releases since 0.7.0 can be downloaded from the releases page on |PlasmaPy's GitHub repository|.
If you have |git| installed on your computer, you may clone |PlasmaPy's GitHub repository| and access the source code from the most recent development version by running:
git clone https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy.gitThe repository will be cloned inside a new subdirectory called :file:`PlasmaPy`.
If you do not have |git| installed on your computer, then you may download the most recent source code from |PlasmaPy's GitHub repository| by going to :guilabel:`Code` and selecting :guilabel:`Download ZIP`. Unzipping the file will create a subdirectory called :file:`PlasmaPy` that contains the source code.
To install the downloaded version of plasmapy, enter the :file:`PlasmaPy` directory and run:
pip install .If you expect to occasionally edit the source code, instead run:
pip install -e ".[tests,docs]"The -e flag makes the installation editable and [tests,docs]
specifies that all of the additional dependencies used while testing the
package should also be installed.
Note
If you noticed any places where the installation instructions could be improved or have become out of date, please create an issue on |PlasmaPy's GitHub repository|. It would really help!
Tip
The |contributor guide| has instructions on how to fork a repository and create branches so that you may make contributions via pull requests.