Python: deletion of item in sys.path is undone each time I restart the interpreter

Question

>>> sys.path[6]
/path/to/django
>>> sys.path.pop(6)
/path/to/django

Then CTRL + D

$ python

>>> sys.path[6]
/path/to/django

O dear...

Answer 1

sys.path is populated from the externally maintained PYTHONPATH variable. Change this variable to get a permanent change when you restart python.

On unix (including Macs) when using bash it's configured most likely like this:

export PYTHONPATH=....

And this statement is most likely hiding in your .profile or .bashrc file.

To do this in Windows you need to do something like

SET PYTHONPATH=....

And it's probably somewhere in the system control panel - under environment.

If you want to see your current setting for PYTHONPATH, go to command (terminal) window and type echo $PYTHONPATH (unix) or echo %PYTHONPATH% (windows)