Installing PyMoDAQ and the plugin

This page explains how to install PyMoDAQ on Windows together with the Arduino plugin, depending on your profile: user (lab sessions) or developer.

Note

Based on the official PyMoDAQ guide — pymodaq.cnrs.fr, Quick Start (Windows).

User installation (lab sessions)

For students and teachers who only want to use PyMoDAQ, without modifying the source.

Install Miniforge — the Python environment manager recommended by PyMoDAQ. Download it from the official website and run the installer with the default settings. Miniforge ships mamba, Python and pip.
Open the Miniforge Prompt from the Start menu (not the regular Windows terminal).
Create the environment (Python 3.11):
```
mamba create -n pymodaq_env python=3.11
mamba activate pymodaq_env
```
Tip

Choose the second-to-last minor version of Python to stay compatible with all PyMoDAQ plugins; avoid the very latest one.
Install PyMoDAQ:
```
pip install pymodaq pyqt5
```
Install the Arduino plugin (once published on PyPI):
```
pip install pymodaq_plugins_arduino
```
Check the installation by launching a test module:
```
daq_move
```
Select Mock in the drop-down list and click Initialization. If the window opens without error, the installation is successful.

Developer installation

For developers who want to modify the plugin or work with the development version.

Create the environment (Python 3.12) in an Anaconda / Miniforge Prompt:

conda create -n pymodaq_dev python=3.12
conda activate pymodaq_dev
pip install PyQt6 pymodaq

Install the plugin from source — clone the repository and install it in editable mode:
```
git clone <plugin-repository-url> pymodaq-plugins-arduino
cd pymodaq-plugins-arduino
pip install -e .
```
The editable install lets your code changes take effect without reinstalling.