Suddenly ImportError: Couldn't import Django. Are you sure it's installed and available on your PYTHONPATH environment variable?

Question

Suddenly my Django project showed me the following ImportError: "ImportError: Couldn't import Django. Are you sure it's installed and available on your PYTHONPATH environment variable? Did you forget to activate a virtual environment?".

It ran fine before.

I work on Mac m1 using PyCharm Professional.

My Django is installed. My venv is activated. So, I guess I have problem with PYTHONPATH .

My interpreter is exactly I would like to use:

Actually I have some versions of Python. which Python shows me:

(venv) user_name@computer_name project_name % which python
python: aliased to /usr/bin/python3
(venv) user_name@computer_name project_name % which python3
/Users/user_name/PyCharmProjects/TrainingProjects/project_name/venv/bin/python3
(venv) user_name@computer_name project_name % which python3.9
/opt/homebrew/bin/python3.9

python3 -c "import sys; print(sys.path)" shows me:

/opt/homebrew/Cellar/python@3.10/3.10.7/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python310.zip
/opt/homebrew/Cellar/python@3.10/3.10.7/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python3.10
/opt/homebrew/Cellar/python@3.10/3.10.7/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python3.10/lib-dynload
/Users/user_name/PyCharmProjects/TrainingProjects/project_name/venv/lib/python3.10/site-packages

If I understand this output correctly, it means that there is no python 3.9 in my PYTHONPATH for now.

In my settings.py, there are:

import os
import sys #not active
from pathlib import Path

BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))

which $PYTHONPATH 

brings me PYTHONPATH not found.

echo $PYTHONPATH

brings me nothing.

The export:

export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.9/bin/python3

didn't help.

Answer 1

OK, I dunno if writing an answer is a good approach, but I may have some suggestions and I need a clean slate to write it in. So...

First, let's forget about Python 3.9 and Python 3.10 and PYTHONPATH for a sec.

Second, let's try to find where django is installed. This looks for a bin that django uses/delivers.

mdfind -name django-admin.py

which returned

/Users/me/kds2/issues2/500.macos/010.fixed.p1.bin_old_py/obsolete/opt.python@3.8/django-admin.py
👉/Users/me/kds2/venvs/bme/bin/django-admin.py 1️⃣
👉/Users/me/kds2/venvs/bme/lib/python3.10/site-packages/django/bin/django-admin.py 2️⃣
/usr/local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/django/bin/django-admin.py

I know my own environment, so I know what's interesting are the 2 under /venvs/bme.

In fact, I know 1️⃣, in /bin/ basically loads 2️⃣ in /site-packages/

Your django will be structured the same way, just in another location.

From your posting so far, I assume your own venv is at

/Users/user_name/PyCharmProjects/TrainingProjects/project_name/venv

So, cd to its bin (which is also probably where you ran source activate)

cd /Users/user_name/PyCharmProjects/TrainingProjects/project_name/venv/bin

type the following command

ls -l

This is what it gets me (after I trim off some files from the output):

-rw-r--r--   1 me  staff  1991  8 Jan  2022 activate
-rw-r--r--   1 me  staff   917  8 Jan  2022 activate.csh
-rw-r--r--   1 me  staff  2059  8 Jan  2022 activate.fish
-rwxr-xr-x   1 me  staff   242 24 Jun 14:04 pip
-rwxr-xr-x   1 me  staff   242 24 Jun 14:04 pip3
-rwxr-xr-x   1 me  staff   242 24 Jun 14:04 pip3.10
lrwxr-xr-x   1 me  staff    21  8 Jan  2022👉python -> /opt/local/bin/python
lrwxr-xr-x   1 me  staff     6  8 Jan  2022 python3 -> python
lrwxr-xr-x   1 me  staff     6  8 Jan  2022👉python3.10 -> python

OK, the important this is that these are symlinks pointing to the actual Python that is driving/hosting this venv. My python is pointing to /opt/local/bin/python because I installed via macports but yours ought to be pointing to homebrews.

Maybe /opt/homebrew/Cellar/python@3.10 ?

And my venv is using Python3.10, as you can see. I expect yours will be as, rather than 3.9.

OK, now let's see what that venv has set up as its environment?

./python3 -m site doc about command

Notice the leading dot. What this does is ignore PATH and whatever and just run this local python3.

What it outputs for me is a whole of useful information, about this virtualenv.

sys.path = [
    '/Users/me/kds2/venvs/bme/bin',
    '/Users/me/Library/Python/3.10/lib/python/site-packages/_pdbpp_path_hack',
    '/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python310.zip',
    '/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python3.10',
    '/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python3.10/lib-dynload',
    '/Users/me/kds2/venvs/bme/lib/python3.10/site-packages', 👈
    '/Users/me/kds2/mygithub/pynoorm',
    '/Users/me/kds2/mygithub/bmedev',
    '/Users/me/kds2/mygithub/pip_stripper',
    '/Users/me/kds2/py2',
    '/Users/me/kds2/mygithub/lazy-regression-tests/lazy_regression_tests',
    '/Users/me/Library/Python/3.10/lib/python/site-packages',
    '/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python3.10/site-packages',
]
USER_BASE: '/Users/me/Library/Python/3.10' (exists)
USER_SITE: '/Users/me/Library/Python/3.10/lib/python/site-packages' (exists)
ENABLE_USER_SITE: True

That sys.path list above is location at which import will try to find things. Look for ones ending with /site-packages`.

And for those, try to see if there is a django package. Like this.

ls -d /Users/me/kds2/venvs/bme/lib/python3.10/site-packages/django

Sure enough, in the same location where I found my django-admin before.

/Users/jluc/kds2/venvs/bme/lib/python3.10/site-packages/django

Now, I don't know how pycharm and 3.9 figure into this, but that should give a little bit of an idea how your venv is put together.

Maybe you'd be better off reinstalling another venv with django and starting afresh. Your code wouldn't affected. Your call.