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Setting up a new project

Create Virtual Environment

To create a virtual environment, run python3 -m venv <env_name>

Note:

  • The env_name is typically called .venv in order to make the directory hidden.
  • Make sure to add the env_name to the .gitignore file.
  • If the project requires a specific python version, you must install the python version manually, and then you can specify that version by running python3.x -m venv <env_name>

Activate Virtual Environment

To start a virtual environment, run source <env_name>/bin/activate

Install Project Dependencies Inside the Virtual Environment

To install project dependencies, run pip install -r requirements.txt

Deactivate Virtual Environment

To stop the server, run deactivate

Docker notes

If you intend to run the app inside of docker, create a Dockerfile specifying the python version required. Note that the steps above will still be required in order for the IDE to know about the packages and import them.

Resources

  • https://realpython.com/python-virtual-environments-a-primer/
  • https://stackoverflow.com/questions/37094032/how-to-run-cloned-django-project
  • https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22681824/how-do-i-use-different-python-version-in-venv-from-standard-library-not-virtua