Setup Python virtual environment

The purpose is to setup a Python virtual environment for code development and testing. This is realized by using the Anaconda environment.

Steps

Start the Linux Workstation tool. A default terminal should be opened automatically. The command prompt is something like the following:

 user_name@cdmhub_session:~$

To use the Anaconda environment, type

 use anaconda-6

Then for the follow-up question, input y for yes:

 Do you want to make 'use anaconda-6' persistent? (y/n) y

You can type conda to check if Anaconda is used properly. If not, you may need to restart the terminal.

Suppose that we want to create a Python 3.8 virtual environment with the name myenv.

In the terminal, type

 conda create --name myenv python=3.8

Anaconda will list all packages that will be downloaded and installed. Type y (or just press ‘enter’) to proceed:

 Proceed ([y]/n)? y

Once finished, if there is no error, you can follow the instruction printed on screen to activate the virtual environment:

 conda activate myenv

If this is the first time of activation, an error message could pops up:

 CommandNotFoundError: Your shell has not been properly configured to use 'conda activate'.

Then go to Step 2.

Otherwise, the command prompt should be something like this:

 (myenv) user_name@cdmhub_session:~$

Following the printed instruction, type

 conda init bash