"SpecNotFound: Invalid name, try the format: user/package" in Creating new Conda env with yml file (Windows 10)

Question

I'm trying to Create New conda environment by 'Anaconda Prompt' usnig yml File in Windows 10.
So here is the steps i made through:

1. using cd command i changed the directory to dir which my yml file located. (suppose my yml file is in c:/Users/<USER NAME>/.jupyter )
2. Then i used conda env create -f Python 310.yml command to create new conda env.

and what i got is:

SpecNotFound: Invalid name, try the format: user/package

Now I don't know how can I solve this problem and exactly what is the meaning of this error.

---

Appendix

my Python 310.yml file contains these stuff:

Unshroud

Answer 1

issue solved by changing contents of Python 310.yml and renaming yml file to Python310.yml. Here is the final .yml file content:

name: Python3.9 
channels:
  - defaults
dependencies:
  - numpy
  - pandas
  - matplotlib
  - pip
  - python=3.9.*      
  - python-dateutil
  - pytz
  - scikit-learn
  - scipy
  - statsmodels
  - xlrd
  - openpyxl
  - lxml
  - html5lib
  - beautifulsoup4
  - jupyter
  - pip:
    - pmdarima        
    - tensorflow
    - keras
prefix: C:\Users\Shayan\Anaconda3\envs\Python3.9

Unshroud

Answer 2

drop the "env" in "conda env create" it's just "conda create ..."

Lilith

That’s just not true - the conda create and conda env create commands have different functionality, and only the latter applies to YAML files. The former takes the output of conda list --export. – Pyorrhea

Based on the official doc, Your answer isn't the correct one. – Unshroud

@Unshroud could you actually post the correct answer rather than just critiquing? Alright, let me see... Okay so the docs claim that conda env create -f environment.yml is the correct command, but that literally didn't work for the OP. So try conda env create -f environment.yml if you really must, but probably the docs are out of date – Heartless

@Nathan, Here is my answer. It's good to inspect the web pages closely rather than shoot a comment recklessly. – Unshroud

@Unshroud oh, I didn't realize you had also answered that. Future readers, his answer is helpful – Heartless

Although apparently most users just wanted the quick fix of this answer by Chris, so take a look if you're trying to seriously load a .yml into your conda env, which apparently most people aren't – Heartless

According to the official doc (see Shayan's link) conda env create -f creates an environment from a file, but to create it with a name you use conda create -n (without the "env" in there) which makes no sense but works for me at least. – Sletten

Answer 3

The other answer says to:

drop the "env" in "conda env create" it's just "conda create ..."

This did not fix it for me by itself, but it did work after trying that and then after that trying the whole

conda env create -n myenv-dev --file my_env.yml

command again.

Taut

Answer 4

In my case I missed -f in the command.

This error message is about trying to parse something as a package name, that is not a package name. In OP's case it was 360.yml which was taken to be a separate parameter due to the space. In my case it was the whole filename, because I missed -f.

Amphicoelous

Answer 5

In my case the problem was that the file did not exist. So make sure that the file exists before running the update command.

Dissolution

Answer 6

You can use conda create -f Python 310.yml.

Rhubarb

I mentioned that in question myself. – Unshroud

Answer 7

Make sure your directory is in "quotes", bc I got this error having whitespace inside it...

Ranie

Answer 8

My solution was because I was running the following command on windows

conda env create -n spa --file .\environment.yml

and in order to get it to run on my Ubuntu WSL2 just needed a minor update:

conda env create -n spa --file environment.yml

Quinquevalent

Answer 9

I put the name of the yml file in double quotes and used the -f= notation and powershell no longer gave me an error. For you, that might mean:

conda env create -f="Python 310.yml"

Berniecebernier

Answer 10

This worked for me: conda env create -n 'env name' -f environment.yml

Peggie

Two other answers already suggest this. Please don't repeat answers. – Lilith

I did not see the same, because I tried others but I got into problems. This one worked for me. – Peggie

Answer 11

You just have a typo...check the name of your .yml file... likely you missed something and is not recognized... put your glasses and check ownership of the file also

Klapp

what's the typo? – Roobbie

Answer 12

I have changed my file name from name.yaml to name.yml and error is gone. Looking at other solutions above, would remocommend renaming the file.

Goodbye