Skip to content

Installation Guide

To use PySymmetry, you must have a working installation of SageMath. This guide provides detailed steps for setting up the environment.

Step 1: Install SageMath

SageMath is a free, open-source mathematics software system that PySymmetry relies on. The installation process varies depending on your operating system.

Windows

The recommended method for Windows is to use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

  1. Enable WSL: Open PowerShell as an administrator and run: 

    wsl --install
    This command will enable the necessary features, download the latest Linux kernel, and install a Linux distribution (Ubuntu by default).

  2. Set up your Linux environment: Once installed, launch your Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu) from the Start Menu and follow the on-screen instructions to create a user account and password.

  3. Install SageMath: Inside your Linux terminal, you can install SageMath using its official binaries or from a package manager.

macOS & Linux

For macOS and Linux, you can use pre-built binaries, which is the easiest method.

  1. Download SageMath: Visit the official SageMath download page and download the binary for your operating system.
  2. Extract the files: Unpack the downloaded archive to a location of your choice.
  3. Run SageMath: You can run SageMath directly from the extracted folder.

For the most up-to-date and detailed instructions, always refer to the Official SageMath Installation Guide.

Step 2: Install PySymmetry

Once SageMath is installed and working, you can set up PySymmetry.

  1. Clone the Repository: Open a terminal and run the following command to clone the project from GitHub: 

    git clone https://github.com/ldsufrpe/pysymmetry.git

  2. Navigate to the Directory: 

    cd pysymmetry
    The library is now ready to be used within the SageMath environment.

Step 3: Launch and Use

The best way to use PySymmetry is through a Jupyter Notebook within the SageMath environment.

  1. Start Jupyter: In your terminal, from the pysymmetry project directory, run: 
    sage -n jupyter
  2. Create or Open a Notebook: This command will open a new tab in your browser. You can create a new notebook (be sure to select the "SageMath" kernel) or open one of the examples from the Examples/ directory.