Setting Up a Virtual Python Workspace#

To create a Python virtual environment using venv, ensure that Python is installed on your system. You can download the installer from python.org. The AIM WebSocket API requires Python 3.8 or later.

  • On Windows, be sure to check the option to Add Python 3.x to PATH during installation. This may require administrative privileges.

  • On macOS and most Linux distributions, Python 3 is typically pre-installed, but it’s still a good idea to verify the version.

1. Create the Virtual Environment#

From within the aim_python_api directory, run the following:

python -m venv venv

2. Activate the Virtual Environment#

From within the aim_ws_client directory, run the appropriate command for your operating system:

Windows#

Powershell or Command Prompt:

venv\Scripts\activate

Git Bash (MINGW64) - not recommended:

source venv/Scripts/activate

macOS, Linux, and WSL#

source venv/bin/activate

Note: To ensure your virtual environment is activated automatically, you can add the activation command to your shell’s startup file (e.g., .bashrc, .zshrc).

Verify Shell Environment#

To verify that your shell environment is using the correct virtual environment, start a Python session by entering the REPL:

python

Then run the following commands:

import sys
print(sys.prefix)

The output should match the path to your virtual environment directory.

3. Install the Required Packages#

From within the aim_python_api directory, run:

pip install -r requirements.txt

On macOS, if you encounter an error while installing pyaudio, first install the portaudio library using Homebrew, then try again:

brew install portaudio
pip install -r requirements.txt

On Debian/Ubuntu: Install portaudio19-dev using apt, and then re-run pip install -r requirements.txt:

sudo apt install portaudio19-dev
pip install -r requirements.txt

You can now run Python scripts on the connected robot.

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