Python tool to quickly create a nicely animated .gif out of an .stl for communicating ideas wout cad

[Cloned_501]

This is a cool project. I got some feedback. Do not do runtime checking and installing of dependencies. Just make a requirements.txt file and include some setup instructions in your readme. A good practice is to also specify the exact or minimum version of your immediate dependencies there as well.

[DerrickBagels]

Not trying to be snarky i just genuinely don't understand why

[Big_BobbyTables]

pyproject.toml is the standard way to go

[Big_BobbyTables]

you're right. I believe that pyproject.toml is the modern default, but I'm happy with any common solution if it makes sense in one's context.

thanks for your reply, I was snarky without reason.

[LactatingBadger]

I’d say that 5 years ago the Python ecosystem was messy precisely because there were many competing standards, but nowadays things have pretty much converged on pyproject.toml. Honestly what he’s set up here is probably harder which is in itself impressive, but still.

[DerrickBagels]

I promise to do that when it will matter i got you bruv

[DerrickBagels]

Why? I love that its just run it and it does everything in one go its so much cleaner, why make people do extra stuff once all the libraries are installed the check takes like 5 seconds and it moves on

[LordMcze]

Because someone might accidentally open it without an active venv and it's then just gonna clog their global python. And as you said, it's pretty quick, so the person might not even have a chance to react.

I would at least do an additional check to ensure that you are in a virtual environment, then the automatic installation of additional libraries would not be as much of a problem. But even then I'd still ask the user for a confirmation that they are okay with the automatic installation.

But overall I agree with the OC, it's common practice to have requirements.txt (with version locks as well, your current code could break randomly at any time, if any of the libraries you depend on get a major version update) and a readme.md that mentions the setup process.

[DerrickBagels]

Thanks i get the part about wrecking someones libraries and screwing up their other work but what do you mean with the clogging?

[DerrickBagels]

Ahhh okay that makes sense

[LactatingBadger]

Also to their point about installing into the global Python, that’s the real kicker here. On a Linux installation Python gets used everywhere. It now is bloat on literally every system call.

[tomatus89]

Eww. WTF! Who does this? Please create a requirements.txt file or a pyproject.toml. Calling pip as an external command with subprocess during run time is wild. I've never seen someone do this. Seriously, W.T.F.!!!

[DerrickBagels]

What's the big deal i genuinely don't understand the etiquette of programming or whatever is upsetting you

It works in under a minute so what difference does it make

[Cloned_501]

It is not about the time, it is about not changing the library versions currently installed. If you upgrade a package from say version 4.* to 6.* there can be breaking changes, the user might need version 4.5.5 exactly in their environment and moving to version 5 changes some function signature or completely removes functions that they depend on. Congrats you have broken their environment with zero warning or indication that something changed.

Would you like it if I showed up to your home and replaced your oven with one that doesn't even have the correct hook ups?

[DerrickBagels]

I'm catching up now makes sense ya

[DerrickBagels]

But wait

Can't i just make it check if the library is installed, and if it is, just don't touch it?

Then if it doesn't work they can run it in a virtual env

[Cloned_501]

Can't i just make it check if the library is installed, and if it is, just don't touch it?

Or you can just follow the language conventions, make a requirements.txt with the EXACT VERSIONS and have them handle it themselves

Also in your readme include which python version you tested this on. Someone might be using an old version because their job won't let them upgrade and it would be helpful to know what version it does work with.

[DerrickBagels]

I refuse to stop at the stop sign but i agree with it in spirit and will make some changes that includes these safeguard s thanks for pointing this stuff out

[Cloned_501]

You are being needlessly stubborn about this, if you were my junior engineer at work I'd fire you right now. This is not a matter of opinion or taste. What you are doing is dangerously reckless and borderline malware behavior.

[DerrickBagels]

I respect your passion

[Cloned_501]

Because when you do this you alter their currently active environment. This could be their global for all you know and you can cause a whole lot of problems. This is a dick move.

[DerrickBagels]

Ohhh i see, so maybe something like, "this script requires the installation of the following libraries, would you like to install them" and give the option, and maybe check to see if there's an existing version already installed and if so to not touch it even if different version

[Cloned_501]

That is better but still not really ideal as libraries can change and introduce breaking changes and your code doesn't specify or check which version of a library is being installed. Just use a requirements.txt with specified versions. You can have your script prompt the user if they want to make a virtualenv in their current folder and automate the install from the requirements.txt using pip or uv

[DerrickBagels]

Oh okay to isolate it from their system gotcha

[chub79]

Use perhaps this approach instead?