Installation#

CVXlab supports Python 3.11 and is tested on Windows and macOS. Using an isolated conda environment is strongly recommended to avoid dependency conflicts with other projects.

Create a Conda Environment#

Creating a dedicated conda environment ensures CVXlab and its dependencies don’t interfere with other Python projects. This step is optional but highly recommended.

For Windows: Open Anaconda Prompt or Command Prompt (with conda in PATH); for macOS / Linux: Open a terminal. Then run:

conda create -n cvxlab python=3.11
conda activate cvxlab

Once the environment is activated, your prompt should show (cvxlab) at the beginning. You can now proceed to install CVXlab.

Install from PyPI (Users)#

If you want to use CVXlab for modeling and solving optimization problems (without modifying the source code), install it via pip.

With the cvxlab conda environment active, run:

pip install cvxlab

This command installs CVXlab and all required dependencies (numpy, pandas, cvxpy, openpyxl, etc.).

Install from Source (Developers)#

If you want to contribute to CVXlab or modify the source code, install it in editable mode from the GitHub repository.

Option 1: Clone directly (for private development)

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/cvxgrp/cvxlab.git
cd cvxlab

  2. With the cvxlab conda environment active, install in editable mode:

    pip install -e .[dev]

Option 2: Fork (for contributing via pull requests)

If you plan to submit changes back to the project:

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub (click “Fork” at cvxgrp/cvxlab).

  2. Clone your fork:

    git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/cvxlab.git
cd cvxlab

  3. Add the upstream repository as a remote:

    git remote add upstream https://github.com/cvxgrp/cvxlab.git

  4. With the cvxlab conda environment active, install in editable mode (with the -e flag), so all changes make to the source code are immediately reflected without reinstalling. This is ideal for development and testing.

    pip install -e .[dev]

    Extras can be included to install additional dependencies for development, documentation, or solvers:

    • [dev]: Installs development dependencies (pytest, black, flake8, mypy, etc.).

    • [docs]: Installs Sphinx and related tools for building documentation.

    • [solvers]: Installs additional solver interfaces (e.g., gurobipy for GUROBI).

  5. Create a feature branch for your changes:

    git checkout -b feature/my-new-feature

  6. After making changes, push to your fork and open a pull request on GitHub.

Verify Installation#

After installation, verify that CVXlab is correctly installed and importable:

python -c "import cvxlab; print(cvxlab.__version__)"

If the import succeeds and prints the version, CVXlab is ready to use.

Troubleshooting#