Feature Request: Change install instructions.

[itsayellow]

+1

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Description

I installed jupyterlab-vim as the install section directs: pip install jupyterlab-vim. Since I am a jupyterlab newbie, I installed it to the venv kernel I was using (i.e. where I installed ipykernel).

Nothing happened with jupyterlab and no vim keybindings were installed. After a bit of time debugging, I finally decided I needed to pip install into the actual jupyterlab venv. I went on a wild goose chase around my system unsuccessfully looking for the jupyterlab venv, and then finally did some googling.

What I found was very simple, I just used the "PYPI MANAGER" inside of my jupyterlab UI, typed jupyterlab-vim into the search bar, and clicked install on the only match axlair-jupyterlab-vim (whose homepage was also the correct one.) Then everything worked great!

Describe the solution you'd like

Could you please put this jupyterlab "PYPI MANAGER" method into your install directions? This seems exceedingly simple and would've prevented me a lot of head-scratching and searching to figure out why nothing was working. In the end, I'm not really sure where I should've executed pip install jupyterlab-vim anyway. (?)

Describe alternatives you've considered

I tried to find which venv jupyterlab was being executed from to pip install jupyterlab-vim, but couldn't locate it on my system.

Additional context

macOS 15.5
Jupyterlab 4.4.4 (installed through brew install jupyterlab
Firefox 140.0
jupyterlab-vim 4.1.4
Python 3.13.5

> jupyter labextension list
JupyterLab v4.4.4
/opt/homebrew/Cellar/jupyterlab/4.4.4/libexec/share/jupyter/labextensions
        jupyterlab_pygments v0.3.0 enabled OK (python, jupyterlab_pygments)
        @jupyter-notebook/lab-extension v7.4.3 enabled OK
        @axlair/jupyterlab_vim v4.1.4 enabled OK (python, jupyterlab_vim)

[ianhi]

Can you open a PR with the docummentation that you feel would ahve helped you the most?

[itsayellow]

I can. Since I am a newbie I just wanted to confirm that I was in fact doing the right procedure. 😄

I've seen other jupyter extensions that also say to just pip install <extension-name>. Does this make sense for a particular use case? Do some people have jupyter installed to their system python installation? Just curious why this seems to be the conventional wisdom of sorts.

Is the idea to write pip install jupyterlab-vim into a notebook?

[krassowski]

In the end, I'm not really sure where I should've executed pip install jupyterlab-vim anyway. (?)

The kernel venv may bev different from JupyterLab venv. Each Jupyter installation may be connected to multiple kernels spread around multiple environments. You need to install it in JupyterLab venv. When you hover over the (?) in PyPI Manager you should see the path (env) that it used:

[krassowski]

It indeed displays as axlair-jupyterlab-vim:

which is a head-scratched because we set name to jupyterlab-vim here:

jupyterlab-vim/pyproject.toml

Line 6 in 8fddaed

name = "jupyterlab-vim"

I guess it takes the name from package.json and transforms it:

jupyterlab-vim/package.json

Line 2 in 8fddaed

"name": "@axlair/jupyterlab_vim",

But then, for spellchecker it uses the name from pyproject.toml:

IMO we could transition away from that name

[firai]

If we change the name, pip should remove the old @axlair/jupyterlab_vim labextension files when users upgrade, right? I agree with transitioning away from the old name as long as users aren't required to do any manual cleanup.