Running Python, Virtualenv, Flask and GAE on Windows

Posted on 3 min. read

This is a short tutorial explaining how to configure a environment on windows to create an application with python, flask and google app engine.

Before start the article I would say the best operation system to work with python is not the Windows. Should be really easier if you work with the Linux or IOS, that are more supported for this kind of development. But anyway is possible do the same on the Windows, so lets begin...

Install Python

  1. Install Python python-2.7.2.msi
  2. Click in Windows Start button and search by "Edit the system environment" and open
  3. Go to the tab Advanced and click on button "Environment Variables…"
  4. When the Environment Variables window opens, choose Path from the System variables list and click Edit…
  5. Add this ;C:Python27;C:Python27Scripts at the end of the value and save

Now you are able to execute python from Command Prompt of the windows

Install setuptools MS Windows installer (Necessary to install PIP on Windows)

  1. Choose the correct installer for you in this page PYPI ( I used this one:setuptools-0.6c11.win32-py2.7.exe)
  2. Download the installer and Install that

Install PIP

  1. Download PIP
  2. Extract it to any folder
  3. From that directory, type python setup.py install

Install Virtualenv

  1. Execute pip install virtualenv
  2. Execute this mkdir c:virtualenvs to create a folder to the Virtual Envs
  3. Execute this cd virtualenvs to access the virtualenvs directory
  4. Execute virtualenv flaskdemo to create a virtualenv for you project
  5. Active the virtualenv c:virtualenvsflaskdemoscriptsactivate

Install Google App Engine SDK

  1. Install the GAE SDK

Create the project

  1. Create a directory for your project
  2. Create the main of your application main.py
  3. Create the configuration of your application for Google App Engineapp.yaml
  4. Create a file to let GAE initialize your application initialize_gae.py

Look a example of the code here: https://github.com/maxclaus/flaskgaedemo

Install Flask to run Locally

  1. Execute pip install flask

Install Flask to run on the GAE

  1. Download Flask 0.9.zip or the last version and extract the folder flask inside your project
  2. Download Werkzeug 0.8.3.zip or the last version and extract the folder werkzeug inside your project
  3. Download Jinja2 2.6.zip or the last version and extract the folder jinja2 inside your project
  4. Download Simple Json v3.0.5.zip or the last version and extract the folder simplejson inside your project

Running the application with GAE SDK

  1. Open Google App Engine Launcher
  2. Add a new application
  3. Run the application
  4. Click in Browse button to open your application on browser
  5. Finally click on Deploy button to deploy your application

 

Acabei deixando o artigo todo em inglês porque na verdade ele surgiu a partir de uma resposta que eu estava contribuindo no stackoverflow.