Installation

Easy install

To install HydroFunctions, run this command in your terminal:

$ pip install hydrofunctions

This is the preferred method to install HydroFunctions, as it will always install the most recent stable release.

If you don’t have pip installed, this Python installation guide can guide you through the process.

Why use Anaconda?

Anaconda is a free, open-source Python distribution. It bundles important scientific software like Jupyter notebooks, VS Code, and the Spyder IDE all into one pre-configured, pre-compiled download, along with a huge number of scientific libraries (packages). It also includes a tool, conda, which manages and updates these packages. Conda also creates ‘environments’, which are isolated installations of Python, just in case your ArcGIS software (for example) uses a different version of Python than some other piece of software.

If you want to install Jupyter notebooks at the same time that you install hydrofunctions, or if you want to use Python 2 and 3 at the same time, or if you had problems when you tried the Easy Install instructions above… then Download and install Anaconda.

Choose the version of Anaconda that is right for your operating system. I advise using the latest version of Python 3.

Once you have Anaconda installed, much of the following will be done from the command line. Anaconda will install a shortcut called ‘Anaconda Prompt’. Use this.

Easy Anaconda install

For people who are using Anaconda because they just wanted an easy way to get all of the software installed at once.

  1. From the ‘Anaconda Prompt’, install hydrofunctions with Pip.

$ pip install hydrofunctions

That’s it!

Safe Anaconda install for people having problems

For people who like to write their own code, or have Python already installed for something else, or who had difficulties.

1. From the command prompt, create a new environment called ‘myenv’ with packages for Python 3.9 and jupyter notebooks:

> conda create -n myenv python=3.7 jupyternb nb_conda

2. List all of the environments that you have available:

> conda info -e

3. The active environment will have a star next to it. To activate a different environment, such as the one you just created, type:

> activate name_of_environment

4. To test that you have the correct version of python:

> python --version

5. install hydrofunctions using the pip tool:

> pip install hydrofunctions

Getting started once everything is installed

You now have several ways to run Python. If you installed Anaconda, then you will have icons for the Anaconda Navigator, which you can use to launch your applications, and you may have additional icons for launching Spyder, Jupyter, and other bundled software directly. If you would rather just launch python directly from the command line, just open a command prompt and type the following:

  • for a command line interface: python

  • for an enhanced command line: ipython

  • to use the Spyder IDE: spyder

  • or to use Jupyter Notebook: jupyter lab

To use hydrofunctions in your python code, make sure that one of your first lines says this:

> import hydrofunctions as hf

Installations for people wanting to contribute code to Hydrofunctions

You are a brave and special person indeed. WE SALUTE YOU:

==> Follow the directions in the Contributors Guide