py-pkg-updater

Overview

py-pkg-updater helps you inspect outdated pip packages, compare installed versions with the latest available versions, and upgrade selected packages from an interactive terminal interface.

It is designed for developers who want a faster, cleaner workflow than repeatedly running pip list --outdated and manually upgrading packages one by one.

Screenshots

Outdated packages table

Upgrade progress

Features

• Detect outdated packages using pip list --outdated
• Display outdated packages in a clean terminal table
• Upgrade all packages or selected packages only
• Select packages by number or by package name
• Rich-powered terminal UI when rich is available
• Plain terminal fallback when rich is not installed
• Works inside any Python environment where pip is available

Installation

Install from PyPI:

pip install py-pkg-updater

Upgrade to the latest version:

pip install --upgrade py-pkg-updater

Usage

Run the command inside the Python environment you want to update:

update-packages

You will see a list of outdated packages and an interactive selection prompt.

Selection options

A        upgrade all packages
N        skip upgrading
1,3,5    upgrade selected packages by number
pip,rich upgrade selected packages by name

Recommended Workflow

Use py-pkg-updater inside an activated virtual environment.

Windows PowerShell

python -m venv venv
.\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
pip install py-pkg-updater
update-packages

Windows CMD

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate
pip install py-pkg-updater
update-packages

macOS / Linux

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install py-pkg-updater
update-packages

Why Use a Virtual Environment?

py-pkg-updater upgrades packages in the Python environment where it is executed.

For safer dependency management, use it inside a project-specific virtual environment instead of your global Python installation. This reduces the risk of breaking system-level tools or unrelated projects.

Requirements

• Python 3.9 or newer
• pip
• rich

Development

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/AlonePyWarrior/packages_updator.git
cd packages_updator/update-python-packages

Create and activate a virtual environment:

python -m venv venv

Windows PowerShell:

.\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

Windows CMD:

venv\Scripts\activate

macOS / Linux:

source venv/bin/activate

Install the package in editable mode:

pip install -e .

Run locally:

update-packages

Build Locally

Install build tools:

pip install --upgrade build twine

Build the package:

python -m build

Check the distribution metadata:

python -m twine check dist/*

This creates distribution files in the dist/ directory.

Release Process

This project can be published manually with Twine or automatically through GitHub Actions and PyPI Trusted Publishing.

Manual release

python -m build
python -m twine check dist/*
python -m twine upload dist/*

Automated release with GitHub Actions

1. Update the package version in pyproject.toml and src/update_python_packages/__init__.py.
2. Commit the version bump.
3. Push a version tag such as v0.1.6.
4. GitHub Actions builds and publishes the package to PyPI.

Example:

git add .
git commit -m "Release 0.1.6"
git push origin main
git tag v0.1.6
git push origin v0.1.6

Project Structure

packages_updator/
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── publish-to-pypi.yml
├── update-python-packages/
│   ├── src/
│   │   └── update_python_packages/
│   │       ├── __init__.py
│   │       └── cli.py
│   ├── pyproject.toml
│   ├── README.md
│   └── LICENSE
└── release.py

Safety Notes

Package upgrades can introduce breaking changes, especially in active projects.

Recommended workflow:

1. Activate your project virtual environment.
2. Run update-packages.
3. Upgrade selected packages.
4. Run your tests.
5. Commit dependency changes only if everything works.

Avoid running bulk upgrades in a production environment without testing.

Common Commands

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Author

Created by Ali Esmaeilzadeh.