Using virtualenv

We highly recommend using virtualenv and virtualenvwrapper to work on RapidSMS. These tools provide isolated Python environments, which are more practical than installing packages system wide. They also allow installing packages without administrator privileges.

  1. Install virtualenv and virtualenvwrapper. Use pip to install the latest version (and upgrade if you have an older copy):
sudo pip install --upgrade virtualenv
sudo pip install --upgrade virtualenvwrapper

Then follow the virtualenvwrapper install docs to setup your shell properly.

  1. Create a new virtual environment for RapidSMS. Now we’ll create a new virtual environment to isolate our development:
mkvirtualenv --distribute --no-site-packages rapidsms
  1. Remember to activate your virtualenv. If you restart or need to return to your virtualenv at any point, you can easily reactivate it:
workon rapidsms