🪛 Installation

This document guides you through the process of installing Pixella, setting up its dependencies, and getting it ready for use.

⚡ Quick Installation (Recommended)

For a fast and automated setup, you can use our installation script, This script will:

Detect your operating system (Linux, macOS, Windows/WSL/Git Bash).
Check for compatible Python (3.11+) and Git installations.
Clone the repository (if running remotely).
Create and activate a Python virtual environment (.venv).
Install all Python dependencies into the virtual environment.
Create necessary data directories.
Generate a .env template if one doesn’t exist.
Prompt for your Google API Key and save it to .env.
Create a pixella command wrapper in bin/ and add it to your shell’s PATH.
Verify the installation.

Open your terminal and run one of the following commands:

For macOS/Linux:

bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ObaTechHub-inc/Pixella-chatbot/main/scripts/install.sh)"

For Windows (Git Bash/WSL):

sudo bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ObaTechHub-inc/Pixella-chatbot/main/scripts/install.sh)"

For Windows (PowerShell):

Not Available Yet, use Git Bash or WSL instead.

After the script completes, follow the prompts for initial configuration.

📝 Prerequisites

Before installing Pixella, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

Python: Version 3.11 or higher. You can download it from python.org.
Git: For cloning the repository. Download from git-scm.com.
Internet connection (for dependencies)

The installation script will handle pip and virtual environment setup automatically.

▶️ Step-by-Step Installation

If you prefer a manual setup or need to troubleshoot, Also recommend for developers(contributors), follow these steps:

1. Clone the Repository

Open your terminal or command prompt and clone the Pixella repository:

git clone https://github.com/DominionDev-coder/Pixella-chatbot.git # Make sure this is the correct repository URL
cd Pixella-chatbot

Since it Cloned, the installation script is also available in the scripts/ directory and works well when cloned.

2. Create and Activate a Virtual Environment

It’s highly recommended to use a virtual environment (.venv) to manage project dependencies and avoid conflicts with other Python projects.

python3 -m venv .venv

Activate the virtual environment:

On macOS/Linux (Bash/Zsh):
```
source .venv/bin/activate
```
On Windows (Git Bash/WSL):
```
source .venv/Scripts/activate
```
On Windows (Command Prompt):
```
.\.venv\Scripts\activate.bat
```
On Windows (PowerShell):
```
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
```

3. Install Dependencies

With your virtual environment activated, install the required Python packages:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure Pixella

Pixella requires some configuration, primarily your Google Generative AI API Key. You can set this up interactively.

pixella config --init

Follow the prompts to enter your API key and other preferences. Alternatively, you can manually create a .env file in the Pixella/ directory and add your GOOGLE_API_KEY there. Refer to setup.md for more detailed configuration options.

5. Verify Installation

You can verify that Pixella is installed correctly by running its version command:

pixella --version

You should see version v1.20.7 of Pixella displayed.

Running the Chatbot

After installation, you can run Pixella in two main modes:

CLI Interactive Mode:
```
pixella cli --interactive
```
Web UI Mode:
```
pixella ui
```

For more details on usage, refer to get-started.md.