Matplotlib – downloading modules with whl extensions

We will use several additional Python modules that Matplotlib requires and, in this recipe, we will download them using Python's new module distribution standard, called wheel.

Note

You can find the Python Enhancement Proposal (PEP) for the new wheel standard at the following URL: https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0427/

Getting ready

In order to download Python modules with a whl extension, the Python wheel module has to be installed first, which was explained in the previous recipe.

How to do it...

Let's download numpy-1.9.2+mkl-cp34-none-win_amd64.whl from the web. After installing the wheel module, we can use pip to install packages with whl file extensions.

Note

Pip ships with Python 3.4.3 and above. If you are using an older version of Python, I would recommend installing pip because it makes installing all other additional Python modules so much easier.

An even better suggestion might be to upgrade your Python version to the latest stable...