pip-search-ex 1.0.1

Extended pip search with TUI interface and package management

pip-search-ex

PIP Search, Extended

A modern replacement for the discontinued 'pip search' command.

Extended pip search with TUI interface and package management capabilities.

Features

• Fast package search - Search PyPI with smart caching
• Two display modes:
  • RAW mode - Classic table output like the original 'pip search'
  • TUI mode - Interactive interface with package management
• Package management (TUI mode) - Install, update, and uninstall packages directly
• Installation status - See which packages are installed, outdated, or available
• Multiple themes - Choose from default, nord, solarized, or no-color themes
• Concurrent fetching - Fast parallel metadata retrieval
• Smart caching - Efficient index caching with ETags

Installation

pip install pip-search-ex

Usage

Basic search (TUI mode)

pip-search-ex django

Opens an interactive terminal interface where you can browse, install, update, and uninstall packages.

Raw mode (classic pip search style)

pip-search-ex django --raw

Displays results in a clean table format, just like the original 'pip search' command. Perfect for:

• Quick searches without entering TUI
• Scripting and automation
• Piping to other commands
• Users who prefer the classic experience

Choose a theme

# Nord theme
pip-search-ex pillow --nord

# Solarized theme
pip-search-ex flask --theme-solarized

# No colors
pip-search-ex requests --no-color

TUI Mode

In TUI mode, you can:

• Navigate with arrow keys or mouse
• Press Enter or click on a package to see available actions:
  • Install (for uninstalled packages)
  • Update (for outdated packages)
  • Reinstall (for installed packages)
  • Uninstall (for installed packages)
• Press 't' to change themes on the fly
• Press 'q' to quit

Raw Mode

Use '--raw' or '--basic' for simple table output that mimics the original 'pip_search':

pip-search-ex numpy --raw

Features in raw mode:

• Clean, bordered table layout

• Color-coded installation status

• Multi-line text wrapping for long descriptions

• Works great with grep, awk, and other Unix tools:

  pip-search-ex django --raw | grep -i rest pip-search-ex --raw flask --no-color > packages.txt

Themes

pip-search-ex includes 21 built-in themes including:

• 'default' - Classic green/yellow/gray
• 'nord' - Nord color palette
• 'solarized' - Solarized color scheme
• 'dracula' - Dracula theme
• 'monokai' - Monokai color scheme
• 'gruvbox' - Gruvbox theme
• 'rose-pine' variants - Rose Pine, Rose Pine Moon, Rose Pine Dawn
• 'tokyo-night' - Tokyo Night theme
• 'catppuccin' variants - Latte, Frappe, Macchiato, Mocha
• 'one-dark' - Atom One Dark
• And more!
• 'none' - No colors (plain text)

Using themes

pip-search-ex django --nord
pip-search-ex flask --theme-solarized
pip-search-ex requests --rose-pine-dawn

Each theme has multiple alias flags for convenience (e.g., '--nord', '--theme-nord', '--tn').

Creating custom themes

You can easily add your own themes by creating an XML file in the 'themes/' directory:

<theme name="my-theme">
  <aliases>
    <alias>--theme-my-theme</alias>
    <alias>--my-theme</alias>
  </aliases>
  <colors>
    <installed>#56949f</installed>
    <outdated>#ea9d34</outdated>
    <not_installed>#575279</not_installed>
    <error>#b4637a</error>
    <header>#907aa9</header>
    <border>#cecacd</border>
    <default>#575279</default>
  </colors>
</theme>

Colors are specified as hex values and automatically converted to ANSI 256-color codes for terminal display.

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• requests
• wcwidth
• textual
• packaging (optional, for better version comparison)

Why pip-search-ex?

The original 'pip search' command was disabled in 2020 due to PyPI infrastructure limitations and hasn't returned. 'pip-search-ex' provides a modern, enhanced replacement:

What we kept from the original:

• Simple command-line interface: 'pip-search-ex '
• Clean table output with '--raw' mode
• Color-coded installation status
• Fast search results

What we improved:

• Dual modes: Use classic RAW mode OR interactive TUI mode
• Package management: Install/update/uninstall without leaving the interface
• Better performance: Smart caching with ETags, concurrent metadata fetching
• Customization: Multiple color themes
• Reliability: Uses PyPI's official JSON API
• Active maintenance: Modern codebase, actively maintained

Whether you loved the simplicity of 'pip search' or want more power, 'pip-search-ex' has you covered!

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Author

thedwarf

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details