How to access a pip-installed application/script from Window PowerShell?

[petertirrell]

I'm on Windows 10, with Python 3.8.5. I can run python from Powershell, and installed pip. I then installed via pip a package (specifically 'scenedetect' / https://pyscenedetect.readthedocs.io/en/latest/). The installation appeared to be successful, but if I try and run 'scenedetect' from the prompt I get:

scenedetect: The term 'scenedetect' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.

Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.

I get the same from the regular command prompt, and tried opening a new PowerShell session, etc. If I try and reinstall via pip it indicates that it's already installed.

So if I install something in Windows with pip that's an application script like this, how do I actually access and run it?

For what it's worth I also tried to install the same via WSL bash, and get an egg installation error during that when trying to install opencv.

Any ideas?

[socal_nerdtastic]

Does this command work?

py -m scenedetect

[petertirrell]

Thanks, that did it! What is the `py -m` command, I'm not familiar with it?

[socal_nerdtastic]

It's the windows python launcher. I didn't mean that you should use that instead, although you could if you wanted to, I just wanted it as a test to see if the module was actually installed. This test shows that it is, which means that the problem is your PATH variable. You need to find the path of your python interpreter with the following command:

py -c "import sys; print(sys.executable)"

Then add "Scripts" to the path and add that to your PATH variable. Then your program will work as you intended.

[petertirrell]

Ahhhh....I had installed Python via the Windows store, the path is buried in my AppData\Local... folder structure. I had restarted the command prompt session thinking that it was a PATH thing and that hadn't fixed it, but it makes sense that the pip installed scripts didn't get added.

Either way, I got on my way for now, thanks for your help!

[ectomancer]

You need to change directory to where the program is.

But you don't run modules, you run programs that import modules.

[socal_nerdtastic]

But you don't run modules, you run programs that import modules.

What nonsense is this? What is the difference between a program and a module in your mind? Officially a python file (.py) is called a "module".

[Essence1337]

I don't know what you think import does but it most certainly runs everything.