How to Create PowerShell Environment Variables with Makefile and Access Them in Python

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How to Create PowerShell Environment Variables with Makefile and Access Them in Python

If you’re working on a Python project using Makefile and PowerShell on a Windows machine, you might have encountered challenges when trying to define environment variables. This post will explain how you can easily set up these environment variables in a Makefile and retrieve them in your Python application.

The Challenge

You're using a Makefile to manage your Python project, and it looks something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, when you run the command, you may encounter compatibility issues with PowerShell. While GNU Make is installed and working correctly (as confirmed by running make --version), the way the run command is constructed isn't suitable for PowerShell. As a result, setting environment variables may become problematic.

The Solution

To resolve this issue, two effective approaches can be taken. Let’s break down these options clearly:

Approach 1: Using Export Command in Makefile

If you're fine with setting the environment variables for all targets in your Makefile, you can make use of the built-in export command. Here’s how you can do that:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

By using the export statement before the run command, these variables are available in the environment whenever a related target is invoked.

Approach 2: Target-Specific Exported Variables

If you need the environment variables to be set only when invoking the run target, you can declare them specifically within the target itself:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this case, the environment variables are limited to the run target, making it cleaner and more contained. This way, once you run that specific target, these variables will be set only during the execution of that command.

Accessing the Variables in Python

With either approach, accessing these variables in your Python code is straightforward. You can use the standard os library to retrieve the environment variables like so:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

By utilizing the above solutions with Makefile and PowerShell, you can manage your environment variables effectively for your Python projects. Whether you require globally set variables or prefer target-specific implementations, you now have the tools at your disposal to achieve a seamless integration between Makefile, PowerShell, and Python. Feel free to experiment with both approaches and choose the one that best fits your needs!

Happy Coding!