pypa/pip

there is very little documetation for the --target flag

Open

#12,667 opened on May 1, 2024

View on GitHub
 (7 comments) (3 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (8,952 stars) (3,032 forks)batch import
C: targethelp wantedtype: docs

Description

What's the problem this feature will solve?

I want to bring awareness to the lack of documentation of the flag --target. I was building a version of blender and I wanted it to have its own python that I cloned into ./blender/extern. This posed a problem cause when I was installing python into extern there isn't an obvious way to use pip to install to a specified path. One can look at the documentation and man file and info file and there is no mention of the --target flag anywhere.

I'm sure there are others who need to install pip packages to a custom path. Why is there no documentation on official sources?

Describe the solution you'd like

I would like documentation of the --target flag to be included in all official documentation and be easily findable though search engines.

Alternative Solutions

post documentation of forums and other supplemental media about the `--target' flag and its uses.

Additional context

I feel what I have written is clear and I don't feel any additional context is needed. the --target flag either needs to be better documented or information about its deprecation needs to be documented and publicized.

Code of Conduct

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
documentation
Issue type
documentation
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of pip CLIFamiliarity with docs contribution
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
80
Research direction
Review the current pip documentation for CLI flags, especially the 'pip install' command. The target flag is missing. Look at the pip source code in 'src/pip/ internal/cli/cmdoptions.py' for the flag definition and help text. Consider adding documentation to the appropriate file in the 'docs/' directory, such as 'docs/html/reference/pip install.rst'. Check issue comments for maintainer suggestions on placement.