workon

Since Qaptiva version 1.10, Qaptiva software is delivered to support multiple versions of Python (3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12). Users can choose which Python version they want to use. To do so, the use of virtual environment is highly recommended to ensure the software functions properly. The “workon” command is useful for creating and managing these environments, providing isolation and manageability of project dependencies. To manage virtual environments, Qaptiva provides the workon command.

Virtual environments

Reference Virtual Environments

We provide a set of reference virtual environments that you can clone. These reference environments come with all the necessary dependency packages pre-installed, saving you time and effort in setting up your development environment.

Creating Virtual Environments

You have the option to create either a new, empty virtual environment or to clone one of our reference environments (introduced above). The workon command supports various Python versions, allowing you to specify the version you need for your project.

To see detailed usage instructions, you can use the -h option with the workon command:

workon -h

Workon commands

Key Options

  • activate: -a | --activate

  • create: -c | --create

  • list: -l | --list

To see detailed usage instructions on specific options, you can use the -h along with the specific option:

workon -a -h

Listing virtual environments

To list all virtual environments in the current directory, use the workon --list command:

workon -l

To list the available reference virtual environments, use:

workon -lr

Creating an empty virtual environment

For creating an empty virtual environment, you need to specify the Python version to use. If you don’t specify any Python version the empty environment is created using Python 3.9.

workon -c myenv -p 312 -e

Cloning a reference virtual environment

For cloning a reference virtual environment, you need to specify either the name of the reference environment or the Python version.

workon -c myenv -f ref312  # or
workon -c myenv -p 312

Activating a virtual environment

To use a virtual environment, you need to activate it. When you activate a virtual environment, the workon --activate command will load the Qaptiva module. This module sets the necessary variables to find the Qaptiva software for this Python version.

workon -a myenv

Deactivating the current virtual environment

To deactivate the current virtual environment, use the workoff command; workoff will unload the Qaptiva module to unset the variables that were set at the time of activation.

workoff

Virtual environment in JupyterLab

Every time a user starts a new kernel named qaptiva3x, the system clone the notebook3x Python environment from its matching reference environment. This environment is pre-configured with essential packages, ensuring that users can immediately begin their work without needing to set up their environment from scratch.

Managing the notebook3x Environment

Users have full control over the notebook3x environment under their user profile. They can perform the following actions:

  1. Acessing and Managing Environments: The notebook3x environments can be listed using the workon -l command. All workon commands can be used to manage the notebook3x environment.

  2. Deleting the Environment: If a user wishes to delete the notebook3x environment, they can do so. This might be useful if the environment becomes cluttered or if there is a need to reset it.

  3. Environment Recreation: The notebook3x environment is designed to be resilient. If the environment is deleted, it will be automatically recreated the next time the user starts the corresponding qaptiva3x kernel. This ensures that users always have a clean, functional environment available without any manual intervention.