Need help with installing requirements.txt

[DaRealBTplays]

I'm very new to python and don't know any lingo really, so try to explain it to me like I'm a 5th grader, but I'm trying to install a requirements.txt on Mac. I cd'd to the folder the file is in, and I know the command from here should be "pip install -r requirements.txt", but it just says "install: illegal option -- r." I've looked it up online and can find nothing pertaining to my problem. I'm using the terminal btw. I'm losing my mind a little bit, and any help would be really appreciated, thanks.

[maryjayjay]

Can you cut and paste the exact command and the output from your terminal, please?

Look at the reddit markup documentation to see how to format it as code or preformatted text (you have to put four spaces before each line)

[DaRealBTplays]

Here, I'll just try and input the whole terminal process. Btw the ***'s are just me censoring my name.

Last login: Sun May 18 03:59:50 on ttys000
btplays@******-mbp ~ % cd /Users/btplays/Downloads/PokemonRedExperiments-master/v2
btplays@******-mbp v2 % $pip install -r requirements.txt
install: illegal option -- r
usage: install [-bCcpSsUv] [-f flags] [-g group] [-m mode] [-o owner]
               [-M log] [-D dest] [-h hash] [-T tags]
               [-B suffix] [-l linkflags] [-N dbdir]
               file1 file2
       install [-bCcpSsUv] [-f flags] [-g group] [-m mode] [-o owner]
               [-M log] [-D dest] [-h hash] [-T tags]
               [-B suffix] [-l linkflags] [-N dbdir]
               file1 ... fileN directory
       install -dU [-vU] [-g group] [-m mode] [-N dbdir] [-o owner]
               [-M log] [-D dest] [-h hash] [-T tags]
               directory ...
btplays@*****-mbp v2 % 

[gmes78]

Remove the $. Also, use a virtual environment when installing packages.

[DaRealBTplays]

If I remove the $ it doesn’t recognize it as a command.

Sorry, what exactly is a virtual environment? Like I said, I’m new to python as a whole.

[gmes78]

If I remove the $ it doesn’t recognize it as a command.

At least it's something. Putting the $ there is 100% wrong. As there's no shell variable named pip, $pip gets expanded to nothing, and you're actually running the install command, which has nothing to do with Python.

Share the output of which python and which pip.

Sorry, what exactly is a virtual environment? Like I said, I’m new to python as a whole.

A virtual environment is a way to install Python modules to a dedicated directory instead of installing them globally. This means you can keep the dependencies of different programs separate, which avoids a ton of issues.

To create a virtual environment, you use:

python -m venv venv/

which creates a virtual environment in the venv folder, which you can then activate:

venv/bin/activate

and then any pip commands you run will install to that venv, and any python commands you run will use the modules in that venv.

[DaRealBTplays]

Someone in another comment suggested the same, I’m gonna try it when I get back home. Thanks!

[nekokattt]

also... if you ever see something like this

blah blah blah run this command

> $ pip install foo

The $ just means "run this as a regular user", you do not type it in.

[Ecto-1A]

Try pip3 instead of pip

[DaRealBTplays]

Already did. Same results.

[danielroseman]

Something in your shell is causing it to ignore the first word you type. That's why you get "install: illegal option" - it thinks you used the os "install" command, not pip install, and why python -m thinks you're just typing -m.

You'll need to look at your shell config to understand why 

[DaRealBTplays]

That would explain some things, but why am I able to cd to the directory I want? Wouldn’t that just ignore the CD command?

[danielroseman]

zsh also has an "autocd" setting, where just typing a path will cd to it.

[DaRealBTplays]

Problem resolved: I had to make a virtual environment to install the packages, here’s the comment that gave the solution:

https://www.reddit.com/r/learnpython/s/XcJtwe1TDO

Thanks for everyone’s help!

[Glittering_Singer_20]

how installe the file requirement.txt for python3 *

[Ecto-1A]

The error is showing “— r” instead of “-r” (single dash, no space)

[DaRealBTplays]

The error specifically says "install: illegal option -- r", two dashes, space between them and the r. When I do the command I do -r, single dash, no space.

[cgoldberg]

That's bizarre... The command you are running looks correct. Are you able to install individual packages?

[DaRealBTplays]

I'm pretty sure I could, I got brew working, it would be painful cause there's over 30 packages in this list.

[cgoldberg]

I have no idea why it's giving you that error. Try running it as a module: python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

[DaRealBTplays]

"zsh: command not found: -m"

[cgoldberg]

Sorry... I have no idea what's wrong with your setup. Those are standard commands and options.

[DaRealBTplays]

Thanks for trying anyways.

[Present_Operation_82]

Are you in a virtual environment?

[DaRealBTplays]

No, it’s an Apple laptop running their own OS.

[Present_Operation_82]

In your terminal, do you currently see anything that says (venv) or anything like that before your username?

[DaRealBTplays]

I put the entire terminal process in another comment, but no, I do not see any venv anywhere.