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--- python:development_workflow [2016/07/13 02:26] – [Python Development Workflow] mithat
+++ python:development_workflow [2017/05/07 15:09] (current) – [Getting a list of packages in the virtual environment] mithat
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== Python Project Development Workflow ======
+====== Python Project Workflow ======
-Node.js has ''npm'' and ''package.json'' files, PHP has ''composer'' and ''composer.json'' files, and Python has ''pip'' and virtual environments, which don't work quite like ''npm'' and ''composer''.
+For managing project dependencies, Node.js has ''npm'' and ''package.json'' files, PHP has ''composer'' and ''composer.json'' files. Fulfilling a similar need, Python has ''pip'' and virtual environments, but they don't work quite like ''npm''/''package.json'' and ''composer''/''composer.json''.
 ===== Projects require virtual environments =====
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
   - Create a directory for your project: <code bash>$ mkdir ~/Dev/MyProject</code>
-  - Create a virtual environment for you project: <code bash>$ mkvirtualenv MyProject</code> The actual virtual environment will be in ''~/.virtualenvs/''.
+  - Create a virtual environment for your project: <code bash>$ mkvirtualenv MyProject</code> The actual virtual environment will be in ''~/.virtualenvs/''.
   - Enable the virtual environment: <code bash>$ workon MyProject</code>
   - Install the packages you need: <code bash>$ pip install <whatever></code>
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ===== Getting a list of packages in the virtual environment =====
-When you want to deploy your project on another machine, you will want to use the same versions of the packages
+When you want to deploy your project on another machine, you will want the environment on the host to use the same versions of the packages
-you used while developing it (i.e., those in the virtual environment). To do this TODO.
+you used while developing it (i.e., those in your virtual environment). The process of generating a list of those packages and re-installing them is discussed in this [[http://blog.miguelgrinberg.com/post/the-package-dependency-blues|this post]] from Miguel Grinberg's blog and in this [[http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5172029/tools-best-practices-for-managing-application-dependencies|Stack Overflow post]].
 ===== Virtual environments and IDEs =====
-What about if you want to use an IDE or other GUI tools? TODO
+Virtual environments present an added layer of complexity when using IDEs. To have the project run within the right environment and to get accurate auto completion and the like, the IDE needs somehow to be aware of the virtual environment it should use. Note that this might be a different environment than the one under which the IDE itself is preferred to run.
+Each IDE is different, so generalized help is tricky. It might work to run the IDE from a shell that has its virtual environment set as desired, but this will run the IDE itself within that environment as well, which may not be what you want.