This document provides guidance on setting up a development environment for Python and Django projects. It discusses choosing PostgreSQL as the database, installing Python packages and dependencies using pip, virtualenv and virtualenvwrapper, ensuring the necessary C compilers are installed to build extensions, and options for installing pre-built binaries when a C compiler is not desired. Potential issues around version mismatches, architectures, and security are also addressed.

1. Dev Environment
How-To
29 Oct. 2013, Django Workshop @ CLBC

3. Me
•TP (@uranusjr)
• http://uranusjr.logdown.com/pages/about
•RTFD
•Had a crash with Futura recently

4. The (Most) Comprehensive
Guide to Setting up a
Development Environment
for Django Projects

5. The (Most) Comprehensive
Guide to Setting up a
Development Environment
for Python Projects

6. Django
A Web Framework That Does Not Require a Mac

7. Topics
• Choose your database (carefully)
• Yes, when you develop
• Construct a perfect Python dev machine
• Linux
• OS X

8. Topics
• Choose your database (carefully)
• Yes, when you develop
• Construct a perfect Python dev machine
• Linux
• OS X
• Windows

9. Topics
• Choose your database (carefully)
• Yes, when you develop
• Construct a perfect Python dev machine
• Other things

10. Database

11. Just use PostgreSQL

12. Why?
• Free as in Freedom
• Recommended by dentists core developers
• Data migration

13. Why?
• Free as in Freedom
• Recommended by core developers
• Data migration

14. Matching Engines
• Different engines behave differently
• Fixtures are not for data migration

15. Engine Behaviour
• A true story
• Handling long strings
• Type safety (if you use something raw)
• Bugs on production machine are hard to find

16. Data Migration
• Fixtures do not represent your data completely
• They are just JSON, after all
• You can't rollback loaddata
• ContentTypes

17. SQLite Is (Still) Useful
• Easy to wipe everything and start over
• Quick 'n' dirty tests
• Early stages during development

18. But...
• MySQL is okay
• Even Oracle is okay if you don't care
• MariaDB
• Just use it

19. Python Packages

20. What Version of
Python Should I Use?

21. Python
• Anything over 2.7.0 should be enough
• YUM is still based on 2.6... Oops.
• Python 3 is coming…or not
• Having both Python 2 and 3 installed on Windows
can be a nightmare

22. Setuptools and PIP
• https://bitbucket.org/pypa/setuptools/raw/
bootstrap/ez_setup.py
• python ez_setup.py
• Modify PATH environment variable if needed
• easy_install pip

23. Virtualenv
• pip install virtualenv
• virtualenvwrapper
• pip install virtualenvwrapper
• pip install virtualenvwrapper-win
• pip install virtualenvwrapper-powershell

24. WUT?
• setuptools = Python's package manager
• Ever heard of distribute?
• pip = Better easy_install alternative
• virtualenv = Prevent Python lib pollution
• virtualenvwrapper = Better virtualenv UI
• Windows variants
• Didi I hear somebody say APT?

25. virtualenvwrapper
• WORKON_HOME
• Load the commands (if needed)
• Commands
• mkvirtualenv
• workon
• Read the docs

26. Django and Friends
• Always install packages inside virtualenv with pip
• pip install django
• pip install -r <requirement_file>
• pip freeze

27. This is not enough.

28. Python Has Limits
• Database connector
• Image processing
• Other heavy-lifting tasks

29. PostgreSQL Libs (in C)
• OS X
• Installer or Homebrew
• Linux
• Your favourite package manager
• Windows
• Installer

30. pip install psycopg2

34. Build a C Extension
• Get a C compiler
• Install (or compile) library to bind with
• Install CPython headers
• apt-get install python-dev
• pip install <binding_package>

35. Build a C Extension
• Get THE ONE TRUE C compiler
• Install (or compile) library to bind with
• Install CPython headers
• apt-get install python-dev
• pip install <binding_package>

36. Get a Compiler
• apt-get install build-essential
• OK, I got lazy :p
• Install Xcode and its "console tools"
• Install Visual Studio (Express)
• The "for Windows Desktop" version
• Use the correct prompt

38. Until Python 3.2
VS90COMNTOOLS
!
VS100COMNTOOLS
Python 3.3

39. VS90COMNTOOLS
Visual Studio 2008

40. VS100COMNTOOLS
Visual Studio 2010

41. If you have VS2012 and Python 2.7, for example
set VS90COMNTOOLS=%VS110COMNTOOLS%

44. I No Want C Compiler!
• Pre-compiled binaries from the package manager
• Pre-compiled binaries from the Web

45. Words of Warning
• Version mismatch
• CPU Architecture mismatch (Windows sucks)
• Security issue
• Why pip doesn't offer binary installing

46. From APT
• apt-get install python-psycopg2
• What does it install?
• http://packages.debian.org
• .deb file is merely an ar archive
• ln -s everything into $ENV/lib/site-packages

47. Pre-Built Installer
• http://www.lfd.uci.edu/~gohlke/pythonlibs/
• Simply a compressed archive (usually gzip)
• Viewable with 7-Zip or similar
• easy_install <installer_path>
• Use where to make sure

48. Miscellaneous
• http://rudix.org has pre-built packages for OS X
• I never used it, to be honest :p
• RPM packages can be converted with rpm2cpio and
then extracted with cpio
• Actually you can use MinGW
• Why?
• If you really know what you're doing

49. Questions?