====== Python Installation ======

Python can be pain to maintain on your own, especially if you require up-to-date packages. To get around this, there are a number of Python distributions that bundle packages. These work independent of the installation provided on your operating systems. The largest two are [[https://enthought.com/|Enthought Canopy]] and [[https://store.continuum.io/cshop/anaconda/|Anaconda]]. With a (free) academic license, you can install either in your own ICS home directory or your laptops.

===== Volker's Anaconda Installation =====

:!:

If you don't want to use the Enthough installation discussed below, you can also hijack Volker's personal Anaconda installation. To do so, simply append

<code>
export PATH=/home/ics/volker/Anaconda/bin:$PATH
</code>

to your the .bashrc file in home directory.

===== Global Enthought Installation =====

For convenience, we provide a site-wide installation of Enthought Canopy on the zBox. It comes with the most wanted packages (IPython/Numpy/Scipy/Matplotlib/Scikit). You can use it as follows.

1) Create/edit the .bashrc file in your home and add

<file>
VIRTUAL_ENV_DISABLE_PROMPT=1 source /zbox/opt/Enthought/Canopy_64bit/User/bin/activate
</file>

2) If you are compiling stuff, you will also need to add

<file>
export LIBRARY_PATH=/zbox/opt/Enthought/Canopy_64bit/User/lib:$LIBRARY_PATH
</file>

3) Create/edit the .bash_profile file in your home and add

<file>
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
        . ~/.bashrc
fi
</file>

4) Log out, log in again. Then type (in the shell) "which ipython". It should return

<code>
/zbox/opt/Enthought/Canopy_64bit/User/bin/ipython
</code>

Also note:

  * [[http://pynbody.github.io/|Pynbody]] is installed for the SPH-junkies among you.
  * [[http://irfu.cea.fr/Projets/PYMSES/intro.html|Pymses]] (with amrviewer) is also compiled. To use these, you need to add more lines to your .bashrc

<file>
PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:/zbox/opt/pymses_4.0.0
export PYTHONPATH

PATH=$PATH:/zbox/opt/pymses_4.0.0/bin
export PATH
</file>

  * If you find this line somewhere in your .bashrc, .bash_profile, or .profile in your home directory, you should comment it out.

<file>
# If not running interactively, don't do anything
[ -z "$PS1" ] && return
</file>

If you have trouble and/or need more packages, feel free to mail Volker.

If you use another shell (zsh, tcsh, ...), you can likely figure out the appropriate steps yourself.