VEnv Helper

The venv module included with Python since v3.3 supports creating virtual evironments without needing a separate tool. However activating and managing these virtual environments can be a bit tedious, especially if you store them in a central location. This script aims to ease that frustration.

Installation

1. Copy venv_helper.sh to ~/.venv_helper.sh (or any location you prefer).

2. Add this line to your ~/.bash_profile, ~/.profile, or ~/.zshrc (depending on shell or platform) to include the script.

    -f $HOME/.venv_helper.sh ] && . $HOME/.venv_helper.sh

   ⚠️ If you chose a custom location, change the include path.

3. Open a new terminal or source your ~/.profile, ~/.bash_profile, or ~/.zshrc to activate the venv command.

   $ source ~/.bash_profile|~/.profile|~/.zshrc

Usage

Specifying A Name

Create, activate, and then delete a virtual environment named larry:

$ venv create larry
Creating virtual environment "larry" with Python 3.8.6 (/usr/local/bin/python3.8)

$ venv activate larry
Activating virtual environment "larry" with Python 3.8.6

$ venv delete larry
Deleting virtual environment "larry" from /Users/zeke/venv

Using Project Directory Name

The virtual environment name can also be ommitted, and the current working directory name will be used instead. This is a nice convenience when you want the virtual environment name and project name to match.

Create, activate, and then delete a virtual environment for a project named curly:

$ mkdir curly
$ cd curly

$ venv create
Creating virtual environment "curly" with Python 3.8.6 (/usr/local/bin/python3.8)

$ venv activate
Activating virtual environment "curly" with Python 3.8.6

$ venv delete
Deleting virtual environment "curly" from /Users/zeke/venv

Specifying A Python Version

The version of python to use can be specified with the optional -p or --python flag. This flag takes an argument of a valid shell command or an absolute path to an interpreter.

Create a virtual environment named moe with python 3.9:

$ venv create -p python3.9 moe
Creating virtual environment "moe" with Python 3.9.0 (/usr/local/opt/python@3.9/bin/python3.9)

Same thing but in long form:

$ venv create moe --python /usr/local/opt/python@3.9/bin/python3.9
Creating virtual environment "moe" with Python 3.9.0 (/usr/local/opt/python@3.9/bin/python3.9)

Listing Virtual Environments

Sometimes you want to see all the virtual environments you've created.

$ venv list
Virtual environments in /Users/zeke/venv:
larry
curly
moe

Shortcuts / Alternate Syntax

Some commands have alternate syntax because why not.

• venv delete == venv remove == venv rm
• venv list == venv ls
• venv activate == venv shell
• deactivate == venv deactivate == venv exit

Configuration

There are several global variables at the top of the script that can be changed to suit your needs.

VENV_HOME

This is the path were virtual environments are stored. Defaults to ~/venv. Changing this variable will not move existing virtual environments to the new location.

DEFAULT_PYTHON

The default python shell command to use when the -p or --python flag is not specified. You'll want to change this if the python3 command isn't present on your system or isn't the default version of python you want to use to create virtual environments. This variable can be a shell command like python3.9 or an absolute path to the interpreter like /usr/local/bin/python3.9.