Using External Libraries with pip

Photo by Rubén Bagüés on Unsplash

Hey there, fellow Python enthusiasts! Today, we're diving into the world of Python libraries and how you can harness the power of 'pip' to make your coding life a whole lot easier. Honestly, Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned coder, understanding how to use external libraries will significantly expand what you can do with Python.

What is pip?

First things first, let's talk about pip. Honestly, Pip is Python's package installer.

It’s a tool that allows you to install and manage additional libraries and dependencies that are not distributed as part of the standard library. This means you can easily tap into a vast repository of modules developed by Python enthusiasts around the world.

Installing pip

If you've installed Python from Python.org, congratulations, you already have pip! For those using Linux or other platforms, you might need to install it manually.

Honestly, Typically, this can be done with a simple command in your terminal:

Source: based on community trends from Reddit and YouTube

Copyable Code Example

sudo apt-get install python3-pip
    
    Finding and Installing Packages
    Imagine you're working on a project that requires converting markdown to HTML. Instead of writing a parser from scratch, you can use a library like 'markdown2' that handles all that heavy lifting for you. Here's how you can find and install it:
    
    Step 1: Search for the Package
    While you can search for packages on the Python Package Index (PyPI) website, you can also use pip directly from your command line:
    pip search markdown
    
    This command will show you a list of packages related to markdown. From there, you can pick 'markdown2' as it fits our needs.
    
    Step 2: Install the Package
    Installing the package is as simple as running:
    pip install markdown2
    
    And just like that, the library is installed and ready to be used in your project!
    
    Using the Installed Package
    Now that you have 'markdown2' installed, here's a basic example of how to use it in your Python script:
    
import markdown2

markdown_text = """
## This is a Markdown Heading
Markdown allows you to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format.
"""

html = markdown2.markdown(markdown_text)
print(html)
    
    
    This simple script converts Markdown text to HTML. Pretty handy, right?
    
    Conclusion
    That’s a quick introduction to using pip to manage external libraries in Python. The ability to quickly add capabilities to your programs without having to develop every component from scratch not only saves time but also allows you to leverage the vast amount of work done by other programmers. Keep exploring, keep building, and let pip handle the grunt work of managing your libraries!
    
    Happy coding!

Using External Libraries with pip