12/04/2019 Python Virtual Environments

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Python Virtual Environments

Nov 26, 2014

How to connect create a Python Virtual Environment

It is often useful to have one or more Python environments where you can experiment with
different combinations of packages without affecting your main installation. Python
supports this through virtual environments. The virtual environment is a copy of an existing
version of Python with the option to inherit existing packages. A virtual environment is also
useful when you need to work on a shared system and do not have permission to install
packages as you will be able to install them in the virtual environment.

Outline
Open a terminal
Setup the pip package manager
Install the virtualenv package
Create the virtual environment
Activate the virtual environment
Deactivate the virtual environment
Optional: Make the virtual environment your default Python
More: Python virtualenv documentation

Requirements
An installation of Python

Jargon
Link to Jargon page with terms: terminal

Open a terminal
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The method you use to open a terminal depends on your operating system.

Windows

Open the Windows Command Prompt (show path via Start menu and keyboard shortcuts)

Mac OS / Linux

Open the Terminal program. This is usually found under Utilities or Accessories.

Setup the pip package manager

Check to see if your Python installation has pip. Enter the following in your terminal:

pip -h

If you see the help text for pip then you have pip installed, otherwise download and install
pip

Install the virtualenv package

The virtualenv package is required to create virtual environments. You can install it with pip:

pip install virtualenv

Create the virtual environment

To create a virtual environment, you must specify a path. For example to create one in the
local directory called ‘mypython’, type the following:

virtualenv mypython

Activate the virtual environment

You can activate the python environment by running the following command:

Mac OS / Linux

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source mypython/bin/activate

Windows

mypthon\Scripts\activate

You should see the name of your virtual environment in brackets on your terminal line e.g.
(mypython).

Any python commands you use will now work with your virtual environment

Deactivate the virtual environment

To decativate the virtual environment and use your original Python environment, simply type
‘deactivate’.

deactivate

Optional: Make the virtual environment your

default Python

More: Python virtualenv documentation

For more detailed information, see the offical virtualenv documentation

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