Managing Python Environments

Turbo Launcher allows you to work with multiple Python versions and conflicting dependencies simultaneously without complex virtual environment management.

What You'll Learn

• How to isolate Python dependencies using sessions
• How to run conflicting Python versions side-by-side
• Best practices for persisting your environment setup

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The Challenge: Dependency Conflicts

A common problem in development is managing different requirements for different projects:

• Project A needs python 3.8 and pandas 1.0.
• Project B needs python 3.11 and pandas 2.0.

Typically, you would need to install and manage virtual environments (venv, conda) to prevent these from conflicting on your host machine.

The Solution: Session Isolation

With Turbo Launcher, every session is its own isolated sandbox. Changes you make to the filesystem (like running pip install) are contained entirely within that session.

• You can install libraries in Session A without affecting Session B.
• You do not need to create a venv; the session is the environment.

Workflow: Running Multiple Environments

Here is how to set up two independent environments:

1. Start Your First Environment (Project A)

1. Launch your terminal application (e.g., Command Prompt, PowerShell, or VS Code) from the Applications tab.
2. Install your requirements:

   pip install -r T:\ProjectA\requirements.txt

   (Assuming your project code is on a mapped T: drive)
3. Run your code. This environment is now configured for Project A.

2. Start Your Second Environment (Project B)

To work on Project B at the same time:

1. Return to the Turbo Launcher Applications tab.
2. Right-click the same application (e.g., Command Prompt).
3. Select New session.
4. In this new window, install the other project's requirements:

   pip install -r T:\ProjectB\requirements.txt

5. Run your code.

Result: You now have two windows open. One has pandas 1.0 installed, and the other has pandas 2.0. They do not see each other and do not conflict.

Best Practices

Persisting Your Setup

Remember that the sandbox is disposable.

• Problem: If you choose Delete Session, your installed packages are removed.
• Solution: Always keep a requirements.txt file in your mapped storage (e.g., Turbo Drive T: or your project folder).
• Recovery: If you ever need to reset a session, you can simply launch a fresh session and re-run pip install -r requirements.txt.

Using Different Python Versions

If your organization provides multiple Python versions in the Launcher (e.g., Python 3.8 and Python 3.11 icons):

• Simply launch the specific version you need for each project.
• You can run both apps at the same time; they are naturally isolated from each other.