README.creole

= veh - tie virtualenvs to mercurial repos =

This is a virtualenv dependancy system for mercurial repository.

Store a config file with a list of python dependancies in the repository and then use veh to run a shell with the appropriate venv, etc..

== Commands you can use ==

Installing a veh for the repo:

{{{ veh [-R repository-dir] install }}}

puts the venv config file in the repository.

Using {{{-R repository-dir}}} let's you specify a directory, otherwise it's the directory you're in (which must be a mercurial repository).

Editing the config file:

{{{ veh [-R repositorydir] edit }}}

starts your {{{VISUAL}}} or {{{EDITOR}}} on the veh config file. Editing operates on a copy of the file.

Running a shell session:

{{{ veh [-R repositorydir] shell }}}

starts an interactive subshell with the virtualenv activated.

Alternately you can pass a command to run:

{{{ veh [-R repositorydir] shell -- start_server }}}

the {{{start_server}}} command is run inside the virtualenv as if by:

{{{ bash -c 'start_server' }}}

When the command exits, the virtualenv shell will be destroyed.

Clearing the virtualenv:

{{{ veh [-R repositorydir] clear }}}

just does an {{{rm -rf}}} on the virtualenv.

Rebuilding also clears but immediately rebuilds:

{{{ veh [-R repositorydir] rebuild }}}

Refresh just tries to re-get each package, without the initial trashing of the virtualenv:

{{{ veh [-R repositorydir] refresh }}}

This is useful for adding packages.

You can also list the packages that are declred in the config file:

{{{ veh [-R repositorydir] lspackages }}}

== Limitations ==

veh is limited to bash as a shell right now. This is because veh needs to write a shell startup file which pulls in the user's startup and the virtualenv startup and the only shell for which I've coded this support is bash.

I'm pretty sure other shells could be added or some other mechanism for starting the virtualenv in a spawned subshell found.