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Working with virtual environments on Windows

Unfortunately, the windows installer doesn't provide full parity with the richer setup on unix-based systems (namely macOS and Linux).

Here are a few tips to help.

Bash or Powershell?

SideBar: Bash needs no preliminary setup, but before proceeding in Powershell, a one-time update of ''script execution rights'' needs to happen in Powershell. <<

The one-time Powershell update requires admin rights, so open PowerShell(Admin) and do this:

  • key in get-executionpolicy, hit enter. If the result is RemoteSigned, your execution rights are good and you are ready to create a python virtual environment

otherwise, do the following 2 things

  • key in set-executionpolicy allsigned, hit enter. Type Y , hit enter.
  • key in set-executionpolicy remotesigned, hit enter. Type Y , hit enter.

Now you are ready to create a python virtual environment.

Check which python version is active in your shell

In the course, you see me using the which command on my Mac. Windows has an equivalent command called where, as follows:

  • in Powershell for Windows

    where.exe virtualenv

  • in Bash for Windows, both commands work

    where virtualenv or which virtualenv

This has nothing to do with Python's setup of course, but often you need the 'where/which' command, so we start here.

Create the Virtual Environment

To create the virtual environment ( aka venv), type this command and hit enter:

python -m venv FOLDER_NAME

venv uses the version of Python installed in your system PATH. FOLDER_NAME is being created, and can be a subfolder in the directory you are currently in OR a fully-qualified path to another directory, as shown here:

    python -m venv py36_weatherapp
         or
    python -m venv 'C:\Users\Rihanna\py36_weatherapp'

Activate Your Virtual Environment

In Bash, change directory to FOLDER_NAME/Scripts and key in . activate, hit Enter. (that is dot-space-activate)

       BASH Example

     ~py36_weatherapp (master)
    $ cd Scripts
     ~py36_weatherapp/Scripts (master)
    $ . activate

           after the activate you should see FOLDER_NAME name in parenthesis:
    (py36_weatherapp)
     ~/py36_weatherapp/Scripts (master)

In Powershell, change directory to FOLDER_NAME and key in .\Scripts\activate, hit Enter. (that is dot-backslash-Scripts-backslash-activate)

Or drill down to FOLDER_NAME\Scripts and key in .\activate, hit Enter. (that is dot-backslash-activate)

    Powershell Example

    C:\> cd Users\Rihanna\py36_weatherapp
    
    C:\Users\Rihanna\py36_weatherapp> .\Scripts\activate

                    OR

    C:\> cd Users\Rihanna\py36_weatherapp\Scripts
    
    C:\Users\Rihanna\py36_weatherapp\Scripts> .\activate


             after the activate you should see FOLDER_NAME name in parenthesis:
    (py36_weatherapp) C:\Users\Rihanna\py36_weatherapp>

After activating, at the prompt, check which version of python is being referenced by the virtual environment by typing in:

python -V or python --version

Now your virtual environment is ready for your code.

In Pycharm: File-->Settings-->Preferences, to navigate to the virtualenv menu

Type deactivate to exit the virtual environment folder, regardless of how you got there.

Enabling python3 and pip3 commands

As noted above, pip3 and python3 are commands on unix systems but not windows (why?).

But you can easily create them. Just create two batch files and put them somewhere that is in your path (e.g. the same folder that contains python.exe for v3?).

pip3.bat pip.exe

python3.bat python.exe

That will run the local python and pip or the one first in your path depending where you locate the files.

This may make following along exactly with my commands easier.

BONUS: Virtual environments in Windows for python older than V3.3

Instead of using venv, the command for creating a Python virtual environment for older Python versions is mkvirtualenv, as follows:

mkvirtualenv --python=c:\Python27\python.exe 'C:\Users\Rihanna\py27_environ'

where you point to the location of the older executable (the ".exe") file.

activate and deactivate work the same way.

An Example Showing Python Version if Virtual Environment is Active or Deactive

    PS C:\Users\Rihanna> cd py27_environ

    PS C:\Users\Rihanna\py27_environ> python -V

    Python 3.6.5

    PS C:\Users\Rihanna\py27_environ> .\Scripts\activate

    (py27_environ) PS C:\Users\Rihanna\py27_environ> python -V

    Python 2.7.1

    (py27_environ) PS C:\Users\Rihanna\py27_environ> deactivate

    PS C:\Users\Rihanna\py27_environ> python -V

    Python 3.6.5

    PS C:\Users\Rihanna\py27_environ>