Subtle mistake in conda create syntax will install a patch = 0 version of python

I’m creating a new conda environment with no additional packages.

It is interesting to note the difference in the python interpreter version installed with a small change in the conda create syntax…

conda create --name test python=3.11

…installs python 3.11.9 as expected.

However but putting a double == rather than a single = when specifying the python version…

conda create --name test python==3.11

…does not throw any errors but creates an environment containing python 3.11.0, not the 3.11.9 that I was expecting.

This is consistent across 3.9, 3.10, 3.11 and 3.12, all install patch version 0.

I assume the double == is not the correct syntax and that this is not an intended behaviour but this is not caught and certainly confused me for a while.

Windows 10, conda version 23.11.0

>Solution :

It is definitely desired behavior and not a bug: Regarding the specification of version numbers, the Conda Cheat Sheet gives as an example:

Similarly, as pointed out by @FlyingTeller, the section Conda Package Specification (subsection Command Line Match Spec Examples) of the conda documentation gives the following examples:

Arguably, this could be better documented with the conda install command itself, where, at the time of writing, no such documentation can be found.