CODEWITHSUNDEEP
pythonpython-2.7python-3.x
jonesne
jonesne

Reputation: 191

What file does the python symlink point to

I bought my mac about a year ago and somehow changed my python symlink so that when I run python some_file.py, python 3.4 is used to run the file instead of python 2.7. I now need to change it back, but I can't figure out what I did to change it in the first place! When I run:

import os
os.path.realpath("/usr/local/bin/python")

in the python terminal, the output is:

'/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python2.7'

Does this not mean that my python symlink is pointing to my python 2.7 version, and not my 3.4 version? If not, how do I find out which file is run when I use the python symlink?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 877

Answers (1)

Martijn Pieters
Martijn Pieters

Reputation: 1123830

You probably installed that specific Python version using the official Python installer for OS X; see the Using Python on a Macintosh documentation. The installer creates the /usr/local/bin symlink for you.

If you also, at some point, had 3.4 installed then that installation is still there too. Check for a /usr/local/bin/python3 command; it'll link to the existing Python 3 binary. Use that instead to run Python 3 code.

If you do have a /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.4/bin/python3.4 command, you could re-create the /usr/local/bin/python symlink to point there instead, but I'd personally only use the python3 name for Python 3 scripts.

Last, you could also have used the homebrew tool to install Python; it can manage symlinks for you. However, homebrew installs Python binaries into the /usr/local/Cellar tree structure instead.

Upvotes: 1

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