Permanently set Python path for Anaconda within Cygwin

Question

I'm trying to install Anaconda on my Windows 7 machine. I often use cygwin to for my command-line work, and I would like to manage Anaconda from there. I've worked through the graphic installer without any issues, and checked necessary boxes to reset my default path to this install of python. I go ahead to check where python is and initially I get this...

$ which python /usr/bin/python 

From here python works fine...

$ python Python 2.7.5 (default, Oct  2 2013, 22:34:09) [GCC 4.8.1] on cygwin Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. 

But I'm trying to work from anaconda, so I should just need to redefine my path...

$ export PATH=/cygdrive/c/anaconda:$PATH $ which python /cygdrive/c/anaconda/python 

And now I should be good to go, but when I try and step into python, it just hangs

$ python 

Any idea why this might be happening? verbose return, below...

$ python -v # installing zipimport hook import zipimport # builtin # installed zipimport hook # C:\anaconda\lib\site.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\site.py import site # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\site.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\os.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\os.py import os # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\os.pyc import errno # builtin import nt # builtin # C:\anaconda\lib\ntpath.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\ntpath.py import ntpath # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\ntpath.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\stat.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\stat.py import stat # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\stat.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\genericpath.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\genericpath.py import genericpath # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\genericpath.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\warnings.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\warnings.py import warnings # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\warnings.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\linecache.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\linecache.py import linecache # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\linecache.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\types.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\types.py import types # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\types.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\UserDict.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\UserDict.py import UserDict # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\UserDict.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\_abcoll.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\_abcoll.py import _abcoll # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\_abcoll.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\abc.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\abc.py import abc # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\abc.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\_weakrefset.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\_weakrefset.py import _weakrefset # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\_weakrefset.pyc import _weakref # builtin # C:\anaconda\lib\copy_reg.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\copy_reg.py import copy_reg # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\copy_reg.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\traceback.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\traceback.py import traceback # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\traceback.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\sysconfig.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\sysconfig.py import sysconfig # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\sysconfig.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\re.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\re.py import re # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\re.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\sre_compile.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\sre_compile.py import sre_compile # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\sre_compile.pyc import _sre # builtin # C:\anaconda\lib\sre_parse.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\sre_parse.py import sre_parse # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\sre_parse.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\sre_constants.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\sre_constants.py import sre_constants # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\sre_constants.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\locale.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\locale.py import locale # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\locale.pyc import encodings # directory C:\anaconda\lib\encodings # C:\anaconda\lib\encodings\__init__.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\encodings\__init__.py import encodings # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\encodings\__init__.pyc # C:\anaconda\lib\codecs.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\codecs.py import codecs # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\codecs.pyc import _codecs # builtin # C:\anaconda\lib\encodings\aliases.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\encodings\aliases.py import encodings.aliases # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\encodings\aliases.pyc import operator # builtin # C:\anaconda\lib\functools.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\functools.py import functools # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\functools.pyc import _functools # builtin import _locale # builtin # C:\anaconda\lib\encodings\cp1252.pyc matches C:\anaconda\lib\encodings\cp1252.py import encodings.cp1252 # precompiled from C:\anaconda\lib\encodings\cp1252.pyc # zipimport: found 13 names in C:\anaconda\lib\site-packages\runipy-0.1.0-py2.7.egg # zipimport: found 144 names in C:\anaconda\lib\site-packages\setuptools-3.6-py2.7.egg Python 2.7.7 |Anaconda 2.0.1 (64-bit)| (default, Jun 11 2014, 10:40:02) [MSC v.1500 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32 Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. Anaconda is brought to you by Continuum Analytics. Please check out: http://continuum.io/thanks and htt 

Another (possibly related) issue I'm having is needing to reset the path every time I close/open cygwin. I've entered the following text into .bashrc and .profile to try and set the path permanently:

# Set path to python from anaconda install export PATH=/cygdrive/c/anaconda:$PATH 

After opening and closing cygwin, I return to:

$ which python /usr/bin/python 

Could this be related to setting certain system environment variables?

Answer 1

To work with the interactive Python shell in Cygwin I use the -i option.

To get it from the Anaconda install, I used the steps suggested above:

$ export PATH=/cygdrive/c/anaconda:$PATH $ which python /cygdrive/c/anaconda/python 

Then I launch python within Cygwin with the -i option:

$ python -i Python 2.7.8 |Anaconda 2.1.0 (64-bit)| (default, Jul  2 2014, 15:12:11) [MSC v.1500 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32 Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information. Anaconda is brought to you by Continuum Analytics. Please check out: http://continuum.io/thanks and https://binstar.org >>>> 

The libraries are also working fine. For instance the pandas library (which has been installed through Anaconda) can be imported now.

>>>> import pandas >>>> pandas.DataFrame <class 'pandas.core.frame.DataFrame'> 

Now to make this permanent I added the path in my bashrc file:

$ echo 'export PATH=/cygdrive/c/anaconda:$PATH' >> .bashrc $ source .bashrc $ which python /cygdrive/c/anaconda/python 

I hope this helps.