Getting Started

Requirements

• Python 3.12 or newer

• Windows, macOS, or Linux

• Tkinter available in your Python runtime

Installation

Recommended bootstrap scripts

Windows:

install.bat

Linux/macOS:

chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

These scripts set up the repository and execute environment setup.

Manual setup (already cloned repository)

Windows:

bin\setup.bat

Linux/macOS:

chmod +x bin/setup.sh
./bin/setup.sh

Or manually:

python -m venv .venv

# Windows
.venv\Scripts\activate

# Linux/macOS
source .venv/bin/activate

pip install -e .

Optional extras:

pip install -e ".[dev]"   # tests + linting + typing
pip install -e ".[docs]"  # documentation build dependencies

Run the application

Windows:

bin\run.bat

Linux/macOS:

./bin/run.sh

Direct run:

python src/main_program.py

Installed entry point:

differential-lab

First run checklist

1. Open Solve and run a predefined equation to validate solver output.

2. Open Configuration and save your preferred UI/plot defaults.

3. Confirm output/ receives CSV/JSON/plot exports.

4. Optionally open Complex Problems and run one plugin with default parameters.

Build docs locally

pip install -e ".[docs]"
cd docs
make html      # Linux/macOS
make.bat html  # Windows

Open docs/_build/html/index.html.

Troubleshooting

• Virtual environment missing:

  • Run bin/setup.bat or ./bin/setup.sh.

• ModuleNotFoundError on direct run:

  • Run from project root, or use differential-lab after pip install -e ..

• Tkinter unavailable:

  • Install Tk for your OS/Python distribution.

• pythonw not found on Linux/macOS in helper script:

  • Run python src/main_program.py directly.