Installation

Get finchGE up and running in minutes. Follow the steps below to install and verify your setup.

Quick Install

Set up a virtual environment (recommended)

Using a virtual environment helps avoid dependency conflicts.

Python venvConda

Bash

python -m venv finchge-env
source finchge-env/bin/activate   # Linux / macOS
finchge-env\Scripts\activate      # Windows
python -m pip install finchge

Bash

conda create -n finchge-env python=3.10
conda activate finchge-env
python -m pip install finchge

The quickest way to get started:

Bash

python -m pip install finchge

Verify the installation:

Python

import finchge
print(f"finchGE {finchge.__version__} installed successfully")

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Installation Options

Standard Installation

Bash

# Latest stable version from PyPI
python -m pip install finchge

# Specific version (e.g., beta release)
python -m pip install finchge==1.0.1-beta.12

With Optional Dependencies

finchGE supports optional integrations with pytorch for use cases such as Hyperparameter search, Neural Architecture Search etc.:

Bash

# With PyTorch support (for neural architecture search)
python -m pip install finchge[pytorch]

From Source (Development)

If you want to contribute or need the latest features:

Bash

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/finchGE/finchge.git
cd finchge

# Install setup tools if not already installed
python -m pip install -U pip setuptools wheel


# Install in development mode
python -m pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Or install with specific optional dependencies
python -m pip install -e ".[pytorch]"

Using Conda (Alternative)

Bash

# Create and activate a new environment
conda create -n finchge python=3.9
conda activate finchge

# Install via pip in conda environment
python -m pip install finchge

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System Requirements

Python Versions

finchGE supports and the following Python versions 3.10+. Please check our Github Repo for any updates or known compatibility issues.

Dependencies

Dependencies are installed during installation.

YAML

numpy: ">=1.21.0"      # Numerical operations
matplotlib: ">=3.5.0"  # Visualization
pandas: ">=1.3.0"      # Data handling (optional but recommended)
tqdm: ">=4.0.0"        # Progress bars
scikit-learn: ">=1.0.0"   # Machine learning integration and Evaluation Metrics

Optional Dependencies

YAML

torch: ">=1.9.0"          # PyTorch integration
jupyter: ">=1.0.0"        # Notebook support

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Next Steps

After successful installation:

1. Try the Getting Started Guide - Run your first Grammatical Evolution program
2. Explore Examples - See example use cases
3. Check the API docReference - Learn about all available features

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Need Help?

If you encounter issues during installation:

1. Check the GitHub Issues - See if others have similar problems
2. Create a New Issue - Report your specific problem
3. Check Python Version - Ensure you're using Python 3.8 or higher
4. Update pip - Run python -m pip install --upgrade pip

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Pro Tip

For hassle-free use and reproducibility, pin your working dependencies in a requirements.txt file:

Text Only

finchge==1.0.1-beta.12
numpy==1.24.0
scikit-learn==1.3.0
pandas==2.0.0
matplotlib==3.7.0

Install with: python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

This ensures consistent results across different environments and over time.

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Ready to start? Getting Started