I am using Spyder and trying to add /usr/local/lib/python3.7/site-packages to the PYTHONPATH Manager. However, I receive an error informing me "This directory cannot be added to PATH. If you want to set a different Python interpreter, please go to Preferences > Main Interpreter".
However, I have already changed my interpreter to point to /usr/bin/python3
At the moment, I am using the rather annoying work around of putting the following at the top of all my code.
import sys
sys.path.append("/usr/local/lib/python3.7/site-packages")
Typing the following gives me the below. Is there a way which I can even ensure after running pip3 install XXX in the terminal, that the packages are downloaded somewhere such as the below?
for p in sys.path: print(p)
/Users/user
/usr/local/lib/python3.7
/Users/user/opt/anaconda3/lib/python37.zip
/Users/user/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.7
/Users/user/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.7/lib-dynload
/Users/user/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.7/site-packages
/Users/user/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.7/site-packages/aeosa
/Users/user/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.7/site-packages/IPython/extensions
/Users/user/.ipython
Alternatively, and preferably, advice on how to add the above site-packages directory to my PATH? I feel I am missing something obvious.
(Spyder maintainer here) We forbid adding site-packages directories through our PYTHONPATH manager because it allows people to mix two different Python versions (which is what you're trying to do by adding your system site-packages to your Anaconda's Python).
And we do that because it usually generates odd errors and segfaults for binary packages such as Numpy, Pandas and Matplotlib, given that binary packages for one Python version are incompatible with packages for another one.
Finally, even though you found a workaround for that (by using sys.path), we strongly suggest you to stop doing that because it'll give you nothing by headaches in the future.