Installation

This guide explains how to install Alex, verify that it works correctly, and optionally install it from source for development purposes.

---

Requirements

• Python 3.11 or later
• A standard Python environment (virtual environments recommended)
• No additional dependencies — Alex is lightweight and self‑contained

Alex runs on all major platforms: Linux, macOS, and Windows.

---

Installing via pip

The easiest way to install Alex is from PyPI:

pip install alex-lexer

---

Upgrade

To upgrader to latest version

pip install --upgrade alex-lexer

---

Verifying installation

To confirm that Alex is installed correctly, run:

import alex
print(alex.__version__)

You can also perform a minima lexer test:

import alex


OPERATORS = (
    ("ADD", "+"),
    ("SUB", "-"),
)
REGEXPS = (
    ("NUM", '^["0123456789"]*'),
)

lexer = alex.Alex(
        operators=OPERATORS,
        regexps=REGEXPS)

lexer.scan('1 + 2 - 123')

print('----(Tokens found)----------')
for token in lexer.tokens:
    print(token)

If this prints a list of tokens, your installation is working.

---

Installing from source

If you want the latest development version or plan to contribute:

git clone https://github.com/rogerlindberg/alex.git
cd alex
pip install -e .

This installs Alex in editable mode, allowing you to modify the source code and immediately test changes

---

Uninstalling

To remove Alex from your environment:

pip uninstall alex-lexer

---

Troubleshooting

Common issues:

• Python version mismatch
  Ensure you are running Python 3.11 or later.

• Virtual environment not activated
  If installation appears successful but import alex fails, verify that your virtual environment is active.

• Old version still installed
  Use pip install --upgrade alex-lexer to ensure you have the latest release.

If problems persist, consider reinstalling:

pip uninstall alex-lexer
pip install alex-lexer