Getting a Python Virtual Environment, Fabric and Sudo to Work Together

Question

Steps to reproduce:

1. In a linux environment, create a folder on your desktop called 'fab'
2. FYI, I'm using zsh
3. cd to ~/Desktop/fab

4. Run this fabfile.py made in your ./fab dir by issuing fab init:

   #!/usr/bin/env python
   #set up ssh to remote server
   
   import sys, os, fileinput
   from fabric.api import *
   
   def init():
       local('mkdir ./virtualenv')
       local('cd ./virtualenv && virtualenv --no-site-packages venv')
       local('chown -R user:user ./virtualenv/')
       local('chmod 770 -R ./virtualenv/')
       venv = 'source ./virtualenv/venv/bin/activate && '
       local(venv+'pip install mysql-python django South')
   

5. Get this error:

   ➜  fab  fab init    
   [localhost] local: mkdir ./virtualenv
   [localhost] local: cd ./virtualenv && virtualenv --no-site-packages venv
   New python executable in venv/bin/python
   Installing distribute...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................done.
   Installing pip................done.
   [localhost] local: chown -R user:user ./virtualenv/
   [lcalhost] local: chmod 770 -R ./virtualenv/
   [localhost] local: source ./virtualenv/venv/bin/activate && pip install mysql-python django South
   /bin/sh: 1: source: not found
   
   Fatal error: local() encountered an error (return code 127) while executing 'source ./virtualenv/venv/bin/activate && pip install mysql-python django South'
   
   Aborting.
   

6. Run source ./virtualenv/venv/bin/activate && pip install mysql-python django South from zsh, and observe that it works.

This is not a duplicate question of something like this, as I am getting the same error even if I use a with prefix( in my code.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Replace source with /bin/bash/. Here's an example:

from fabric.api import *


def init():
    local('virtualenv --no-site-packages venv')

    venv_command = '/bin/bash venv/bin/activate'
    pip_command = 'venv/bin/pip install mysql-python django South'
    local(venv_command + ' && ' + pip_command)

FYI, for run/sudo it's better to use prefix context manager, like suggested here.

Hope that helps.