conda-workon

This is a small tool which can be used to activate conda environments. It is an alternative to using source activate <env> and instead uses a conda sub-command to spawn a new shell with the environment activated. Deactivating the environment is simply done by exiting this sub-shell. This is very similar to, and based on, the pew workon command from pew. One major advantage of this is that it does not depend on the shell you use nor does it interact with the shell at all. This means it is not restricted to bash and zsh.

Activating an environment simply looks like this:

$ conda create -n py26 python=2.6
...
$ conda info -e
# conda environments:
#
py26                     /home/flub/miniconda3/envs/py26
root                  *  /home/flub/miniconda3
$ conda workon py26
Launching subshell in conda environment.  Type "exit" or "Ctr-D" to return.
(py26) $ conda info -e
# conda environments:
#
py26                  *  /home/flub/miniconda3/envs/py26
root                     /home/flub/miniconda3
(py26) $ exit
$ conda info -e
# conda environments:
#
py26                     /home/flub/miniconda3/envs/py26
root                  *  /home/flub/miniconda3

Listing the available environments can be done using either conda workon -l|--list or using the standard conda env list or conda info -e|--envs.

Another feature is that it provides an easy throw-away temporary environment based on a package spec on the command line:

$ conda worktmp python=3.4 sphinx
Fetching package metadata: ..
Solving package specifications: .
Package plan for installation in environment /tmp/tmp7ua0_le9/env:
...
Proceed ([y]/n)? y
...
Launching subshell in conda environment.  Type "exit" or "Ctr-D" to return.
$ conda info | grep default
  default environment : /tmp/tmp7ua0_le9/env
$ exit
$ conda info | grep default
  default environment : /home/flub/miniconda3
$

Likewise a temporary environment can be created from an environment.yml file:

$ conda worktmp -f path/to/environment.yml
...
Launching subshell in conda environment.  Type "exit" or "Ctr-D" to return.

If -f|--file is used without an argument this will look for environment.yml in the current directory. When using worktmp one can also directly invoke pip -e <path> by using the -e|--editable option. This is convenient to start developing on a package:

$ conda worktmp -f -e.
...
Proceed ([y]/n)? y
...
  Running setup.py develop for foo
Successfully installed foo
Launching subshell in conda environment.  Type "exit" or "Ctr-D" to return.
$

$ pip install conda-workon

conda config --add channels conda-forge
conda install conda-workon

# Show the conda environment, calculate __fish_prompt_conda only once
if set -q CONDA_DEFAULT_ENV
    if not set -q __fish_prompt_conda
        set -g __fish_prompt_conda (set_color --bold -b blue red)$CONDA_DEFAULT_ENV"$__fish_prompt_normal "
    end
    echo -n $__fish_prompt_conda
end