When you encounter the error message “‘flask’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.“, it means that the flask command is not recognized by your operating system’s command prompt or terminal. This typically happens when Flask, which is a Python web framework, is not installed or properly configured on your system.
To resolve this issue, you need to make sure Flask is installed and accessible via the command prompt or terminal. Here are step-by-step instructions to set up Flask:
- Install Python: Flask is a Python framework, so you need to have Python installed on your system. You can download the latest version of Python from the official website and follow the installation instructions specific to your operating system.
-
Install Flask: Once Python is installed, you can install Flask by running the following command in your command prompt or terminal:
pip install flask -
Verify Flask installation: After installing Flask, you can verify if it’s installed correctly by running the following command:
flask --versionIf Flask is installed correctly, you should see the version number displayed.
-
Set Flask environment variable: To ensure the ‘flask’ command is recognized globally in your command prompt or terminal, you need to set up the environment variable. In Windows, you can set up the environment variable by following these steps:
- Open the Control Panel and navigate to System.
- Click on “Advanced system settings” and go to the “Advanced” tab.
- Click on the “Environment Variables” button.
- In the “System Variables” section, find the “Path” variable and click on “Edit”.
- Add the path to your Flask installation directory (e.g., “C:\Python\Scripts”) at the end of the “Variable value” field. Make sure to use a semicolon (;) to separate multiple paths.
- Click “OK” to save the changes.
After setting up the environment variable, reopen your command prompt or terminal and try running the ‘flask’ command again. It should now be recognized.