Is there a way to use a python virtual environment?

Or any kind of virtual environment!

Is there a way to do it using one of the import methods as outlined in this SO Q&A;?

The current means of specifying a 'preferred python interpreter' is not amenable to this kind of thing I guess?

Hi there,

We had the same request from one of our (big) customers.

Any clue would be welcome, thanks !

I've not progressed this myself, so any information would be great.

Hi @ottadini & @lefred06

Currently, using Python virtual environments within FME is not a tested scenario. From the development point of view, there would need to be a strong use case/motivation for officially supporting Python virtual environments within FME as it is not a typical or accepted way of invoking Python from an application. I recommend posting an Idea if you would like to see this functionality offically supported in FME.

I would also recommend reading this Q&A post about configuring Anaconda environment for some tips/suggestions.

A use case would be to be able to choose between ArcPy 32-bit and 64-bit through different env's, since not all functionality is the same. It is something we're running into currently.

A (theoretic, not tested yet) solution might be to safe the python script externally and call it through a systemCaller with can take an argument for the environment. Depending on the script this might be feasible.

In my case, I'm calling the Python script with custom interpreter from a batch file.

My initial thought some time back was to parameterize Python interpreter and Python home settings. Why this idea: https://knowledge.safe.com/content/idea/81345/parameterize-python-interpreter.html. Back then I though Python could be more loosly coupled to FME, but im not sure if its possible to make that work.

There are many use cases for needing virtual environments, not just with arc. Virtual environments or docker images are incredibly important for maintaining environments amongst large teams and ensuring smooth deployments of applications.