Sometimes it is useful to install python packages that are not part of psana-python or install particular versions of a software package.  We have two recommended ways of doing this.  Both of these should be done from the "pslogin" machines since they have internet access.

Anaconda

psana now lives in the anaconda environment.  You can clone the psana environment to a local environment that you can control with a command like this (which will take some time because it has to copy several GB to the new environment):

conda create -n my-ana-1.3.10 --clone ana-1.3.10

You can see a list of available psana environments (to clone) like this:

conda info --envs

Then activate the new environment with:

source activate my-ana-1.3.10

Then install the conda-python package you want (potentially a specific version) using a command like:

conda install scipy=0.15.0

Note that package version dependency conflicts can make it impossible to install a specific version.  One possible way to address this is to remove the package requiring the conflicting version using

conda remove <packagename>

Virtualenv

NOTE: the virtualenv method is not compatible with our anaconda-based psana, but we leave the documentation here in case it is useful at some point.

A python virtualenv can be used to install python packages locally in your user account.  Some instructions are here.  Execute this command to create a new virtual environment (after setting up the psana psana environment):

virtualenv <directoryName>

where you replace <directoryName> with the name of the directory you would like to create.  Then activate your virtualenv like this:

source <directoryName>/bin/activate.csh     #use this for tcsh
 
or
 
source <directoryName>/bin/activate         #use this for bash

Use "deactivate" to exit the virtualenv.  Install various packages using "pip install <packageName>" as shown in these instructions.  Virtualenv packages can be used in batch jobs, but you must submit the job while the environment is active.