Installing the Activity Browser

Install the Activity Browser 3 from either PyPI or Anaconda.

This page provides step-by-step instructions to help you set up the Activity Browser 3 on your system. Whether you prefer using PyPI or Anaconda, we’ve got you covered with detailed instructions for both methods.

Distributions on PyPI and Anaconda

The Activity Browser 3 Beta is available both on PyPI and Anaconda. Because not all necessary libraries are available on Anaconda right now you need to do an extra pip install inside your Conda environment.

New to Python?

Activity Browser runs on Python. If you have never installed or used Python before, start by installing a supported version (3.10, 3.11, or 3.12) from python.org — their beginner’s guide walks through the basics. If you prefer the Anaconda route below, install Miniconda instead and follow the official installation instructions.

Installing from PyPI

Installing from the Python Package Index (PyPI) can be done using the standard pip command. We strongly recommended installing the Activity Browser into a separate virtual environment

First make sure you have Python installed on your PC by entering the following command into your terminal or command prompt. At this moment the AB is compatible with Python versions 3.10, 3.11, and 3.12.

python --version

If you get an error please install Python using their install instructions.

Creating a virtual environment

Firstly, create a directory for your virtual environments, such as C:/Users/me/virtualenvs/. Then create a virtual environment in that location using the following command (IF YOUR PYTHON VERSION WAS 3.10, 3.11, OR 3.12):

python -m venv C:/Users/me/virtualenvs/ab-beta

In case your python version is not 3.10, 3.11, or 3.12 (the versions currently supported by the AB), you need to use a command like this (here for python 3.12):

py -3.12 -m venv C:/Users/me/virtualenvs/ab-beta

Afterwards, you need to activate the virtual environment, which differs between operating systems and shells. Using Window Command Prompt activate the environment using this command:

C:\Users\me\virtualenvs\ab-beta\Scripts\activate.bat

Activity Browser installation

After creating and activating the virtual environment, installing the Beta should be as simple as using the following command:

pip install activity-browser

Launching the Activity Browser

The Activity Browser can then be launched by entering the following command:

activity-browser

Installing from Anaconda

First make sure you have Conda installed

conda --version

And make sure your Conda is up to date

conda update conda

If you get an error, please download and install miniconda from anaconda.com https://www.anaconda.com/download/success

Activity Browser Beta installation

Next we’re going to create a new environment for the Activity Browser Beta release.

conda create -n ab_beta -c conda-forge lca::activity-browser

In case your Python version is not 3.10, 3.11, or 3.12 (the versions currently supported by the AB), then use a command like this (here for Python 3.12):

conda create -n ab_beta -c conda-forge lca::activity-browser python=3.12

This will go through a few steps, some of which like solving environment may take a while. After installation has finished you can activate the environment like so:

conda activate ab_beta

PySide6 installation

We will need to install a specific version of PySide6 from PyPI, as the fully functional version is not available on anaconda.

pip install PySide6==6.9.3

Launching the Activity Browser

Launch the Activity Browser like you would normally

activity-browser