Bash script to source a Python virtual environment

When loading a python virtual environment I need to run:

source venv/bin/activate

I want an alias for this command because I have to run it all the time. So I put the following in a file called "load.sh":

#!/bin/bash
source venv/bin/activate

And ran

chmod +x load.sh

However, now when I run ./load.sh there is no effect. My suspicion is that the word "source" may be the issue. But I don't know. Any ideas? Thanks.

2 Answers

The source venv/bin/activate commands modifies load.sh's environment. When load.sh ends, this environment is forgotten. Also, it will only work if you're in the $HOME directory.

I think what you really want is to add to your ~/.bashrc:

alias venv="source $HOME/venv/bin/activate"

then

venv

will do the trick.

Another alternative is using virtualenvwrapper.

You can install it using pip install virtualenvwrapper (use pip3 for Python3).
After that, add the following lines to the end the .bashrc file:

export VIRTUALENVWRAPPER_PYTHON=/usr/bin/python3
source ~/.local/bin/virtualenvwrapper.sh
export WORKON_HOME=~/.virtualenvs
export PIP_VIRTUALENV_BASE=~/.virtualenvs
export PIP3_VIRTUALENV_BASE=~/.virtualenvs

Save and exit then you have to reload .bashrc by running source ~/.bashrc (just for once).
After that, whenever you want to create an env, run mkvirtualenv <your_env_name>.
And if you want to work on an env or to switch between envs, run workon <env_name>.
If you want to deactivate an env, run deactivate.