pip-Win

No more Windows command prompt !

pip-Win is a tiny Python Package manager. It automatically installs pip and virtualenv on Windows and its GUI lets you:switch from one python interpreter (i.e. version) to another (including py and pypy)

see all installed packages, and whether they are up-to-date
- install or upgrade a package, or upgrade pip itself
create and delete virtual environments, and switch between them
- run the IDLE or another python script, with the selected interpreter

pip-Win is made available under the GNU Lesser General Public Licence.

Installation

Download pip-win_1.6.exe from this page, then execute it. You can also create the pip-win executable from source code, using NSIS. Then, copy/paste a shortcut to it where you find it most convenient on your PC.

You are advised to immediately upgrade your distribute/pip/virtualenv version :

run pip-Win, type upgrade in the command field and click Run. Repeat for each interpreter you might have.

Also, some Python packages require a C++ compiler. Here are our recommendations (source):

for 32-bit Python :
For Python 3.3 install Visual C++ 2010 Express.
For Python 2.6 through 3.2, install Visual C++ 2008 Express SP1.
for 64-bit Python:
- Python 3.3, install the full version of Visual Studio 2010.
- For Python 3.2 and older, install the full version of Visual Studio 2008.
- Make sure that you check the “x64 Compilers and Tools” option under Visual C++.
Alternatively, use an unofficial package binary, if available.

User Manual

When pip-Win starts, it detects the python interpreter currently active on your machine, and verifies that pip and virtualenv are installed. If not, it tries to install them (it fails if you are not online). The progress of the installation is shown in a command window.

Pip-Win displays the list of Python interpreters installed in the c:\pythonxx standard locations, and in the virtual environments under c:\Python (see venv below). You may switch to another interpreter by selecting it from the list, or by clicking the Browse button and by selecting the python.exe file (or py.exe, or pypy.exe) of the interpreter. You can also type its path directly. Again, pip-Win will make sure that pip and virtualenv are installed in the library of that interpreter. It will also make sure that Windows file browser will use this interpreter to execute python programs (by associating this interpreter to .py files; it does not change the windows PATH).

Once an interpreter is selected, you can enter one of the following commands and click Run :

Click Check package freshness to get the list of installed packages for the selected interpreter, with their version and the version on pypi. Finally, click the Upgrade all packages button to get their latest version from pypi.

After installation of a package, Python 3.3 users may wish to select the C:\windows\py.exe interpreter to reactivate the Python Launcher.

For package developers

Pip and package installation is a challenge for novice Python users on Windows. Pip-Win has had good reviews on Reddit. So, feel free to refer to this page on your installation page.

Known issues

creating a virtualenv from a pypy interpreter raises an error when it installs pip ("The process cannot find the path specified"). You can ignore it, and switch to the created virtualenv.
pip install xx will install xx on a pypy virtualenv, but not the required packages : you need to install each package separately.

Please report other issues here.

A note on security

pip-Win takes great care of improving the security of your PC when using pypi:

Version 1.5 does not use http: download, to avoid the risk of Man-in-the-middle attack
it helps you upgrade your distribute / pip / virtualenv programs to benefit from the latest security enhancements in these programs.

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