Installation¶

This page describes how to install SIM-PANEL for local use, development, and documentation builds.

Clone the repository¶

git clone https://github.com/bingchen-wang/sim-panel.git
cd sim-panel

Create a virtual environment¶

Using Python’s built-in venv:

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip

On Windows PowerShell, activate with:

.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

Install SIM-PANEL¶

For ordinary local use, install the package in editable mode:

pip install -e .

Editable mode is convenient during development because changes to the source tree are reflected without reinstalling the package.

Verify that the CLI is available:

sim-panel --help

Development install¶

For tests and development tooling, install the development extras:

pip install -e ".[dev]"

Run the test suite:

python -m pytest

Documentation install¶

For documentation work, install the documentation extras:

pip install -e ".[docs]"

Build the documentation from the repository root:

sphinx-build -b html docs/source docs/build/html

Or from the docs/ directory:

cd docs
make html

Full development and docs install¶

For contributors working on both code and documentation, install both extras:

pip install -e ".[dev,docs]"

Then verify the main checks:

sim-panel --help
python -m pytest
sphinx-build -b html docs/source docs/build/html

Optional local model backends¶

Core SIM-PANEL workflows do not require proprietary APIs. Deterministic generation and schema validation run locally.

LLM-backed selection, enrichment, or outcome generation require a configured backend, such as a local Ollama endpoint or another compatible local/server-style backend supported by the current codebase. These backends are optional and should be configured explicitly in YAML.

Troubleshooting¶

`sim-panel` command not found¶

Make sure the environment is activated and the package is installed:

source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

Then retry:

sim-panel --help

Sphinx cannot import `sim_panel`¶

Install the package in editable mode:

pip install -e ".[docs]"

The documentation config also adds the repository root to Python’s import path, but an editable install is still the cleanest local setup.

Documentation build has stale pages¶

Clean the build directory and rebuild:

rm -rf docs/build/html
sphinx-build -b html docs/source docs/build/html

Next steps¶

After installation, continue with:

Quickstart for a minimal end-to-end run.
Concepts for the main SIM-PANEL vocabulary.
CLI for command-line workflows.