NumPy - Environment

Try it Option Online

We have set up the NumPy Programming environment online, so that you can compile and execute all the available examples online. It gives you confidence in what you are reading and enables you to verify the programs with different options. Feel free to modify any example and execute it online.

Try the following example using our online compiler available at CodingGround

import numpy as np 
a = 'hello world' 
print a

For most of the examples given in this tutorial, you will find a Try it option in our website code sections at the top right corner that will take you to the online compiler. So just make use of it and enjoy your learning.

Standard Python distribution doesn't come bundled with NumPy module. A lightweight alternative is to install NumPy using popular Python package installer, pip.

pip install numpy

The best way to enable NumPy is to use an installable binary package specific to your operating system. These binaries contain full SciPy stack (inclusive of NumPy, SciPy, matplotlib, IPython, SymPy and nose packages along with core Python).

Windows

Anaconda (from www.continuum.io) is a free Python distribution for SciPy stack. It is also available for Linux and Mac.
Canopy (www.enthought.com/products/canopy/) is available as free as well as commercial distribution with full SciPy stack for Windows, Linux and Mac.
Python (x,y): It is a free Python distribution with SciPy stack and Spyder IDE for Windows OS. (Downloadable from www.python-xy.github.io/)

Linux

Package managers of respective Linux distributions are used to install one or more packages in SciPy stack.

For Ubuntu

sudo apt-get install python-numpy 
python-scipy python-matplotlibipythonipythonnotebook python-pandas 
python-sympy python-nose

For Fedora

sudo yum install numpyscipy python-matplotlibipython 
python-pandas sympy python-nose atlas-devel

Building from Source

Core Python (2.6.x, 2.7.x and 3.2.x onwards) must be installed with distutils and zlib module should be enabled.
GNU gcc (4.2 and above) C compiler must be available.
To install NumPy, run the following command.

Python setup.py install

To test whether NumPy module is properly installed, try to import it from Python prompt.
If it is not installed, the following error message will be displayed.

Traceback (most recent call last): 
   File "<pyshell#0>", line 1, in <module> 
      import numpy 
ImportError: No module named 'numpy'

Alternatively, NumPy package is imported using the following syntax −