Importing - I can't get python to point to the project folder where the import modules are, it keeps pointing to the global file path

Python Help
1

Hi there,
I am new to python etc and I’m trying to do an exercise in Github, part of which is creating a virtual environment locally and importing pandas into Python - I cannot get Python to point to the file path where the pandas are, even though I have used the suggested commands for pip install to force python to look at the project folder virtual environment; the python.exe and pip.exe are both in the project folder as are the pandas but whenever I run "import sys; print(sys.executable) in Python, it brings back the global file path in the general Program Files - I have exhausted chatGPT, it’s just in circles now trying to fix it!! Any ideas please??

2

Have you activated the venv?

3

Yes I have, (.myenv) prefixes the commands

4

Do you have more than one version of Python installed? If you do, this might be the issue. Note that every Python installation has its own ecosystem environment. As an example, if you have v3.9 and v3.13 installed, and if you pip install Pandas for say v3.9, it will not be visible to v3.13. They’re separate. If this is the case, make sure you’re opening the “correct” version of Python for your project.

This may or may not be the issue for your particular case but may be worth looking into for verification.

Edit:
To check which Python version Pandas was installed to, in the terminal window, type the following:

C:\> python -V
Python 3.13.0

C:\> python -c "import pandas; print(pandas.__file__)"
C:\Users\my_folder\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python313\site-packages\pandas\__init__.py

You should see something similar to this on your system. Note that the Pandas library package path matches the Python version currently running on my system. You should see something similar to this.

5

I haven’t heard of .myenv before. Is it this? I’m not sure that can activate venvs, as it won’t kick in until after Python is already launched.

Assuming the installation of pandas with pip was successful, I suspect the basic problem anyway, is that pandas etc. were installed into a different Python to the “Python” being run. Either a different venv or global env, or as Paul says, a different version of Python entirely that’s also installed.

6

‘.myenv’ is probably just the name of the venv directory.

~$ python -m venv .myvenv
~$ source .myvenv/bin/activate
(.myvenv) ~$
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