Merge pull request #70 from it176131/pycharm-envs

Pycharm envs

Author: it176131

_posts/2024-12-03-pycharm-projects-envs.md

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+---
+layout: "post"
+title: "PyCharm: Projects & Environments"
+date: 2024-12-03
+images: "/assets/images/2024-12-03-pycharm-project-envs"
+---
+
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+
+I use [PyCharm](https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/) for most, if not all, of my development.
+Professional edition at work.
+Community edition everywhere else.
+There are some subtle differences between the two—[project](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/pycharm/setting-up-your-project.html) and [virtual environment](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/pycharm/creating-virtual-environment.html) management aren't one them.
+
+# Projects
+When I first started using PyCharm I worked in a single [repo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repository_(version_control)).
+As my responsibilities increased, I was asked to work on others.
+I'd [`git clone`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-clone) new repos to the same parent directory as my other pre-existing repos
+and work away.
+>What my directory resembled.
+>```text
+>📂
+>├── 📂 Repo_1
+>├── 📂 Repo_2
+>├── ...
+>└── 📂 Repo_N
+>
+>```
+
+Over time, I noticed PyCharm was turning into a snail. 🐌
+Using the terminal.
+Navigating the directory pane.
+Running code via the interpreter.
+It didn't matter what I did, everything was slow.
+
+I don't remember exactly where I read the suggestion (I'll assume [Stack Overflow](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/pycharm)),
+but someone mentioned treating each repo as its own PyCharm project.
+In simpler terms, ths meant opening PyCharm at the _repo_ level, i.e.,
+```text
+❌ 📂  <- not here
+├── ✅ 📂 Repo_1  <- open PyCharm here,
+├── ✅ 📂 Repo_2  <- here,
+├── ...
+└── ✅ 📂 Repo_N  <- or here
+
+```
+
+Doing this reduced the amount of files that PyCharm had to inspect.
+The less work PyCharm has to do, the faster it can run.
+It also means I'm less to prone to looking at the wrong file/folder by accident.
+Ah...
+Modularity.
+🧘
+>[!NOTE]
+>If you have multiple _small_ repos this may not be an issue.
+>But I still advise considering this approach as it's helped me keep code separate.
+
+# Environments
+I wrote a [blog post](https://medium.com/@ianiat11/we-recommend-creating-an-environment-da38af0cecbb) a couple years ago
+that briefly covers two kinds of virtual environments:
+[`conda`](https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-environments.html) and [`venv`](https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html).
+If you read it you may notice that I'm not a big fan of `conda`, so we're not going to talk about here.
+Instead we'll use old faithful—`venv`
+
+Managing repos as separate projects is great for modularity.
+Having a dedicated environment for each project may help too.
+Or at least that's what I do.
+
+Let me share a scenario that both myself and at least one of my colleagues has experienced:
+>I have $N$ repos with different requirements—various packages, maybe even different Python versions.
+>To work across different repos I have to switch between the environments.
+>Unfortunately, I sometimes forget that I've activated one repo's environment and install another repo's requirements.
+>This may lead to conflicting package versions, amongst other things.
+>It's pretty easy to reset an environment back to its repo's requirements, but also extremely tedious.
+>How can I keep my environments and repos in-sync?
+>
+>Here is the existing layout:
+>```text
+>📂
+>├── 🔧 env_1
+>├── 🔧 env_2
+>├── ...
+>├── 🔧 env_N
+>├── 📂 Repo_1
+>├── 📂 Repo_2
+>├── ...
+>└── 📂 Repo_N
+>
+>```
+
+From the get-go we could move the environments to their respective repos.
+```text
+📂
+├── 📂 Repo_1
+│   ├── 🔧 env_1
+│   └── ...
+├── 📂 Repo_2
+│   ├── 🔧 env_2
+│   └── ...
+├── ...
+└── 📂 Repo_N
+    ├── 🔧 env_N
+    └── ...
+
+```
+This would add a degree of separation between them as well as allow us to open the repos as PyCharm projects.
+Opening repos as projects keeps us from activating other environments because we won't be able to see them
+(unless you `cd ..` then `ls` 😜).
+
+# Virtual Environments As Interpreters
+My workflow consists of opening a repo as a project,
+then activating the local environment via `git-bash` (or whatever CLI you prefer).
+This does not, however, allow you to run scripts by default.
+To do that you'll need to configure the project's interpreter by pointing it to your local environment.
+
+I believe this is nearly automatic in newer versions of PyCharm, but if you want/need to do it manually, here's how:
+1. Open PyCharm's settings (find the cog symbol ⚙️ and select "settings" or hit the corresponding [hotkey](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/pycharm/mastering-keyboard-shortcuts.html)).
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings1.png)
+2. Click "Project: <your project/repo name>" in the left pane
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings2.png)
+3. Click "Python Interpreter"
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings3.png)
+4. Click "Add Interpreter" in the top right of the window (should be in <span style="color:blue">blue</span>)
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings4.png)
+5. Click "Add Local Interpreter..."
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings5.png)
+6. Click "Select existing"
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings6.png)
+7. Set the Path field to the "python.exe" in your project's environment (should be something like "./env/Scripts/python.exe")
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings7.png)
+8. Click "OK" all the way back to the "Python Interpreter" menu.
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings8.png)
+9. **BONUS** You can associate this virtual environment to the current project (hiding it when you view settings in other projects) by clicking the interpreter drop-down, selecting "Show All", then selecting the checkbox, "Associate this virtual environment with the current project".
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings9.png)
+> 
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/settings9.5.png)
+
+You should now be able to run python within PyCharm using the ["Run" option](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/pycharm/running-without-any-previous-configuring.html).
+
+# Gotcha
+Setting the project interpreter may lead to a weird quirk in the terminal.
+Here's how to check for it.
+1. Open your prefered CLI within PyCharm (I use `git-bash`).
+2. Activate your environment how you normally would (`source env/Scripts/activate` for `venv` users)
+3. Try to use any bash/CLI commands such as `pwd` or `ls`
+
+If these steps result in an error message like this:
+>```shell
+>$ source env/Scripts/activate
+>bash: cygpath: command not found
+>```
+
+or this:
+>```shell
+>$ ls
+bash: ls: command not found
+>```
+
+Then you have a terminal setting configured that you'd probably like to unset.
+1. Open the settings window again
+2. Navigate to "Tools" in the left pane
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/terminal2.png)
+3. Click "Terminal"
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/terminal3.png)
+4. Scroll to the bottom and uncheck "Activate virtualenv"
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/terminal4.png)
+5. Click "Apply"
+6. Click "OK"
+7. Restart your terminal
+
+Voila! Now you can activate your environment from the terminal and still use your other commands.
+
+If you'd like to persist this setting to every _new_ project your create, you can do so by editing the project settings.
+1. Go to File > New Projects Setup > Settings for New Projects...
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/project1.png)
+2. Repeat the steps we took to uncheck the "Activate virtualenv" configuration.
+
+# Accessing Your Other Projects
+I'd like to share one more thing before we part: how to access your other projects.
+
+We've made our PyCharm workflow a bit more modular
+by treating each repo as its own project and dedicating a virtual environment to it.
+PyCharm makes it easy for us to switch projects without leaving the curernt one.
+
+At the top left of the window there's the name of our current project:
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/multi1.png)
+
+This is a drop-down menu.
+Clicking it will show us all of our currently registered projects.
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/multi2.png)
+
+When we click any of them we're greeted with an option menu:
+>![settings-button]({{ page.images | relative_url }}/multi3.png)
+
+- "This Window" will replace your current project with the one you selected.
+>I use this when I'm done working in the current project.
+- "New Window" will open a new PyCharm instance with the project you selected.
+>I use this one if I want to work on two projects at the same time, e.g., one project depends on the other. 
+- "Attach" will all you to view both projects within the current PyCharm instance
+>This is similar to what we've been moving away from—one directory to rule them all.
+> I rarely use this option.
+- "Cancel"... you know what that does 😜
+
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