How to let preinstalled python 2.7 access pip installed modules

Install of python modules goes in x/Library/FrameworksPython.framework/Versions/2.6 etc where x depends on the install.

nothing for the one from Apple as port of OSX. python executable in /usr/bin

nothing for pythons from python.org. python executable in /usr/local/bin

/opt/local if installed via macports (as I do)

You have to look at easy_install etc to see the path to the python they use. e.g. /usr/bin/easy_install has /usr/bin/python so using this will install in /Library/FrameworksPython.framework/Versions/2.6.

You cannot choose to run under a minor version of python e.g. 2.7.2 as only one major version at a time is set up normally e.g. 2.7.2 replaced 2.7.1 Each major version of python will have its own executable e.g. python2.7 s to have a script use that verstio make it begin with #!/usr/bin/env python2.7 pr the full path.

You can use virtualenv to create a local "copy" of the Python installation that's owned and easily manipulated by you. The advantage to using virtualenv is you can make many copies of the same version of Python, but with different versions of similar packages installed, and then switch between them with the virtualenv command line.

This lets you use different versions of libraries in different projects or incompatible libraries.

To install virtualenv:

sudo pip install virtualenv

And now you can use it yourself, without sudo, to create a virtual python owned by you:

mkdir -p ~/Development/mypythonproject
cd ~/Development/mypythonproject
virtualenv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

For example:

IanCsiMac:~/Development/keybase-python |ruby-2.1.2| [git::develop]
> which python
/usr/local/bin/python

IanCsiMac:~/Development/keybase-python |ruby-2.1.2| [git::develop]
> source .venv/bin/activate

(.venv)
IanCsiMac:~/Development/keybase-python |ruby-2.1.2| [git::develop]
> which python
/Users/ian/code/keybase-python/.venv/bin/python

(.venv)
IanCsiMac:~/Development/keybase-python |ruby-2.1.2| [git::develop]
> deactivate

IanCsiMac:~/Development/keybase-python |ruby-2.1.2| [git::develop]
> which python
/usr/local/bin/python

You can virtualenv-install in your ~ directory if you want a default python that you control to be available at all times like so:

cd ~
virtualenv venv

And now you've got ~/venv/bin/pip available to you. You can modify your ~/.bash_profile and add:

source venv/bin/activate

Right at the end of it to have your virtualenv available by default in your shell.