pipext

pipext is a utility to enhance Python's package installer pip. With pipext, when you install or uninstall a package, it automatically manages your requirements.txt file by appending, commenting out, or uncommenting package entries as needed.

Features

• Automatic Requirements Management: On package installation, pipext appends the installed package (with version) to requirements.txt or uncomments it if it's already there.

• Commenting on Uninstall: On package uninstallation, instead of removing the package from requirements.txt, pipext comments it out, making it easy to keep track of previously used packages.

• Selective Dependency Addition: Unlike traditional approaches, pipext ensures only the primary installed package is added to the requirements.txt, ignoring the dependencies that come along with them.

• Support for Installation With Dependencies Included Commands: pipext provides support for installing packages with dependencies added into the commands such as "python -m pip install -U 'channels[daphne]'" ensuring broader compatibility.

• Custom Requirements File Creation: Need different requirement files for different environments like production or local? pipext got you covered. Use the -e flag to specify which environment file to update. For example: pipext install -e production somepackage will update the requirements/production.txt file.

Installation

To install pipext, run:

pip install pipext

This will download and install the pipext utility from PyPI, allowing you to use it directly from your terminal or command prompt.

Usage

Install a Package

pipext install package_name

This will:

1. Install the package using pip.
2. Add the package with its specific version to requirements.txt or uncomment it if it's already present (but commented out).

Uninstall a Package

pipext uninstall package_name

This will:

1. Uninstall the package using pip.
2. Comment out the package in requirements.txt.

Install/Uninstall a Package to a Specific Environment

pipext install -e production package_name

or 

pipext uninstall -e production package_name

This will:

1. Install/Uninstall the package using pip.
2. Add or comment out the package with its specific version to requirements/production.txt or uncomment it if it's already present (but commented out).

Why pipext?

Managing a requirements.txt can be tedious. You install and uninstall packages during development, and sometimes it's easy to forget to update requirements.txt accordingly. pipext eases this process by automatically managing your requirements file as you modify your environment.

Contributing

Any kind of contribution is appreciatable! Please open an issue or submit a pull request on my GitHub repository.