VPython-2.6.3 Release!

[Stephen Spicklemire]

Hello VPython Users!

I’m happy to announce a new version of VPython (2.6.4) has been released in the last few days! Thanks to the tireless work of Bruce Sherwood and a few other helpful volunteers a number of issues have been discovered and fixed and many new features have been added. Depending on how you’ve installed VPython there are different ways to update your current installation:

Anaconda: https://docs.anaconda.com/anaconda/navigator/tutorials/manage-packages/#updating-a-package

PIP: pip install -U vpython

Please alert me if you have any questions or concerns. You can find more details related to this release in the release notes:

https://github.com/vpython/vpython-jupyter/releases/tag/7.6.3

Thanks,
-steve

Steve Spicklemire
University of Indianapolis
RB Annis Hall 104
Director of Engineering Instruction, R.B. Annis School of Engineering and
Associate Professor Dept. of Physics and Earth Space Sciences
Shaheen College of Arts and Sciences
1400 E Hanna Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46227
spick...@uindy.edu (317) 788-3313
https://spicklemire.youcanbook.me

[Steve Spicklemire]

Doh! No points for careful proof-reading. The first sentence should've read:

"announce a new version of VPython (2.6.3)" not 2.6.4.

thanks,

-steve

[Bruce Sherwood]

Thanks, Steve. Actually, it's 7.6.3, not 2.6.3!

Here are the key changes:

Now works with Python 3.10

Can now have up to 4.2 billion (4.2e9) vertex objects thanks to upgrading from WebGL1 to WebGL2; the old limit was 65536 vertex objects

You can now group radio buttons by assigning each button in the group the same "name" attribute, in which case there will never be two buttons in the group highlighted; see
    https://www.glowscript.org/docs/VPythonDocs/controls.html
    https://www.glowscript.org/#/user/GlowScriptDemos/folder/Examples/program/ButtonsSlidersMenus-VPython/edit

There is now an attach_light function; see
    https://www.glowscript.org/docs/VPythonDocs/trail.html
    https://www.glowscript.org/#/user/Bruce_Sherwood/folder/My_Programs/program/00Demo/edit
    https://www.glowscript.org/#/user/GlowScriptDemos/folder/Examples/program/BoxLightTest/edit

Improvements to attach_arrow; you can now change the arrow's attributes; see
    https://www.glowscript.org/docs/VPythonDocs/trail.html

Fixed a bug in the handling of the "length" attribute

A related change is that Web VPython has been updated to handle the standard Python methods for list, dictionary, and set, to be more compatible with programs using the vpython module.

Bruce

[Stephen Spicklemire]

Ugh! There you go. That’s what I get for doing things before 5am. ;-)

Sorry all for the confusion.

-steve

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[Bruce Sherwood]

We recommend installing the Anaconda Python distribution.

The vpython module currently works with Python versions 3.8, 3.9, and 3.10.

The vpython module is available using
"conda install -c vpython vpython" or
"pip install vpython"

To update to later versions of vpython use
"conda update -c vpython vpython" or
"pip install -U vpython"

Bruce

[Joe Heafner]

I just tried "conda update -c vpython vpython" and conda tells me "All requested packages already installede." and I'm still at 7.6.2. Do servers need to update and propagate, etc.?



Joe Heafner
Sent from one of my Macs

[Stephen Spicklemire]

Thanks Joe, I’m not sure! I’ll poke around.

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[Bruce Sherwood]

I used "pip install -U vpython" and got vpython 7.6.3 installed without any problem.

Bruce

[Joe Heafner]

> On Jan 24, 2022, at 17:20, Bruce Sherwood <bruce.s...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I used "pip install -U vpython" and got vpython 7.6.3 installed without any problem.

That worked for me too. I recall reading somewhere that using pip in an Anaconda environment sometimes causes problems (which I didn't understand). Anyway, after updating to 7.6.3 using pip, I then did "conda update --all" and conda wanted to remove the previous VPython files that I had installed with conda. Notebooks seem to run correctly so I guess everything is okay.