python - Environment $PATH different when using venv

Question

I'm using PyCharm on a mac (OSX mavericks) to run a simple script shown below. All it does is print the PATH variable. I have a virtualenv in the project directory. I added a Run Configuration in PyCharm and tried it with different Pythons:

# file mytest.py
import os
print "PATH: ", os.environ['PATH']

When I run with the system default python (/usr/bin/python) it prints the correct value for PATH (i.e. the PATH as I have configured in my .bash_profile file,) which is kind of long and contains many directories.

But when I choose the venv's Python, the path is reduced to only: /usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/Users/myname/projects/myproj/venv/bin

This doesn't happen if I run the script from a terminal window. In this case it shows the correct PATH for both the system's python and the venv python. It also doesn't happen if I deactivate the venv and run venv/bin/python mytest.py.

Anyone knows how to make the correct PATH value be set when running from PyCharm and using venv?

Answer 1

you should probably know that all environment variables are inherited. When you define environment variable in your .bash_profile it becomes available in your terminal (bash), and in all processes that will be started from terminal (These processes will be children for the bash process). That's why you are getting expected values when running your script from within the terminal.

You start PyCharm not from a terminal, so it doesn't inherit PATH. And so do Python or venv (they launched from PyCharm).

To solve your issue you have 3 options here: just start PyCharm from terminal or move PATH variable definition from .bash_profile to session init scripts (PATH will be defined system-wide) or Duplicate your PATH in PyCharm's run configuration (it has such option over there)

Good luck!