Issue
I'm running MacOS Sierra 10.12.6
By default the system came with Python 2.7.10
I installed Python 3.6.3 (with IDLE) so I can learn Python (3). I understand that this is normal as MacOS may rely on Python 2.x for some programs. Either way, Python3 runs just fine if I run python3 from the command line/terminal, or if I use IDLE (which defaults to Python 3).
Now I want to install some libraries like Beautiful Soup.
And I believe I can install it as follows:
pip3 install beautifulsoup4
which should automatically install it. However, I read that it's recommended to use virtualenv on Mac BEFORE I run the above command. As a newbie, I don't want to mess anything up on my PC, so can anyone point me out how I can do this correctly?
For example, I can follow this link: http://sourabhbajaj.com/mac-setup/Python/virtualenv.html
But I just want to write here to make sure I'm following the right article/commands before I do it. Just being super careful!
Also, can I make a folder with my "virtual environment" and then add sub-folders inside that for each project? Meaning, I don't need to do this everytime, I have one virtual environment and any project that I do just is a subfolder within that space so I can use any libraries that I installed. Just trying to grasp the concept.
Thanks!
Solution
Sorry to add confusion.. this can be a tough subject for someone starting out.
The official docs recommend venv, which is similar to, but slightly different than virtualenv.
I would strongly recommend pycharm. It will create your venv for you as part of your project, which you might find helpful.
[Edit: Some other virtual environment features of pycharm that will help you].
- If you type in an import statement for a package that isn't installed, it will offer to install it for you.
- typing alt-F12 will bring you up a console with your virtual environment active
- It syncs up your requirements.txt document for you
- It manages your virtual environment path for you (as long as you are running inside pycharm), helping avoid import problems that many newcomers have with virtual environments.
I am not affiliated with pycharm, btw -- I just think it is a great tool for python developers, especially for newcomers, and its treatment of virtual environments is especially helpful.
Answered By - SteveJ
