Nengo: Large-scale brain modelling in Python
Installation
To install Nengo, use:
pip install nengo
Nengo depends on NumPy. If you have difficulty installing, try installing NumPy first (see below).
Nengo supports Python 2.6, 2.7, and 3.3+.
Developer install
git clone https://github.com/nengo/nengo.git
cd nengo
python setup.py develop --user
If you're using a virtualenv
(recommended!) then you can omit the --user
flag.
Installing requirements
Nengo's main requirement is Numpy
(and optionally Scipy for better performance).
Currently, installing Numpy from pip
will install
an unoptimized (slow) version,
so it is preferable to install Numpy
using one of the following methods.
It is important to install Numpy
before installing the other requirements.
Anaconda
Numpy is included as part of the [Anaconda](https://store.continuum.io/cshop/anaconda/) Python distribution. This is a straightforward solution to get Numpy working on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Ubuntu
On Ubuntu and derivatives (e.g. Linux Mint),
Numpy and Scipy can be installed using apt-get
:
sudo apt-get install python-numpy python-scipy
From source
Numpy can be installed from source. This is the most complicated method, but is also the most flexible and results in the best performance. See the detailed instructions [here](http://hunseblog.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/installing-numpy-and-openblas/).
Other requirements
To install optional requirements to enable additional features, do
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install -r requirements-optional.txt
The testing and documentation requirements can be found in similarly named files.
Documentation & Examples
Documentation and examples can be found at https://pythonhosted.org/nengo/.
Running tests
One way to verify that your installation is working correctly
is to run the unit tests. We use py.test
,
so you can run the Nengo unit tests with:
py.test --pyargs nengo
Running individual tests
Tests in a specific test file can be run by calling py.test
on that file.
For example:
py.test nengo/tests/test_node.py
will run all the tests in test_node.py
.
Individual tests can be run using the -k EXPRESSION
argument. Only tests
that match the given substring expression are run. For example:
py.test nengo/tests/test_node.py -k test_circular
will run any tests with test_circular in the name, in the file
test_node.py
.
Plotting the results of tests
Many Nengo test routines have the built-in ability to plot test results
for easier debugging. To enable this feature, set the --plots
flag,
for example:
py.test --plots --pyargs nengo
Plots are placed in nengo.simulator.plots
in whatever directory
py.test
is invoked from. You can also set a different directory:
py.test --plots=path-to-plots --pyargs nengo
Contributing
Please read the LICENSE.rst
file to understand what becoming a contributor entails.
Once you have read and understood the liscence agreement, add yourself to the CONTRIBUTORS.rst
file.
Note that all pull requests must be commited by someone else other than the original requestor.