I have to install the tkcalendar package, but trying conda forge returns not available. I researched the tkcalendar package and it says to use pip install. But spyder specifically says not to use pip because it can break the environment and I have had trouble updating spyder to 6.1.4 (I created a new install and am trying to avoid using pip).
Thank you.
Hey — happy to help untangle this.
Quick reality check on tkcalendar first: it’s basically unmaintained at this point. The last release was back in December 2019, and there’s been very little movement on the project since.
On the pip warning from Spyder: that advice is right in spirit. The real danger with mixing pip and conda is packages that have compiled pieces conda is also managing — pip can quietly overwrite conda’s versions and break the environment. To stick with conda and still leverage this package, take a look at conda-pypi (it’s in beta, needs conda 26.5+). It lets you install PyPI packages through conda install so conda actually tracks them, instead of them slipping in behind its back — which is exactly the problem you’re trying to avoid. Docs here: conda-pypi — conda-pypi
Thank you. I will try this.
UPDATE: It appears to have worked. The package installed using conda install. I guess I will feel it worked perfectly the next time anaconda and spyder have updates, but it didn’t require me to use pip directly. Thanks again!
Awesome to hear!!! 
If you have any issues or feedback, please feel free to file a GH issue in conda or ping us here!
Given that this feature is in beta, we are actively looking for feedback! 