python virtual environment setup

You can run IoT Edge Dev Tool inside a Python Virtual Environment. A Python virtual environment is a self-contained directory tree that contains a Python installation for a particular version of Python, plus a number of additional packages.

1. Install virtualenv

   pip install virtualenv

2. Create a virtual environment

   virtualenv venv

   venv is just a env name that can be anything you want, but we recommend sticking with venv if you want to contribute to IoT Edge Dev Tool because the .gitignore file excludes it.

   To create a virtual environment with a Python version different with your system default, just use the --python/-p option to specify the Python executable path, e.g.:

   virtualenv --python /usr/bin/python2.7 py27

3. Activate the virtual environment

   • Windows

     • cmd.exe: venv\Scripts\activate.bat
     • PowerShell: venv\Scripts\activate.ps1 (You may need to run Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned in an Administrator Powershell first to allow scripts to run)

   • Posix: source venv/bin/activate

   It will be active until you deactivate it or close the terminal instance.

4. Install dependencies

   Continue with the instructions above starting with the Manual Dev Machine Setup -> Install Dependencies.

5. Deactivate the virtual environment

   When you are done with your virtualenv, you can deactivate it with the follow command:

   deactivate