Set Up Your AI Agent Project: Virtual Environment Guide for Beginners

So, now start building your application. So, what is the first step is create your project folder. We want to

organize everything perfectly from the day one. So, create a folder named AI Agent

Development. So, this is the name of the folder which we will create. After you have created this folder,

you open the project in the Visual Studio Code. So, you open Visual Studio Code and select file open folder.

That means you will go to the file menu, open folder, and select that particular folder, AI Agent Development folder.

You should see now this folder in the Explorer panel on the left. We will see this into the demonstration also.

Now, the next thing we have to do is create a virtual environment. A virtual environment

keeps the libraries for this project separate from the other Python projects on your computer.

So, we'll try to understand clearly, but I also want to tell even if you don't understand it right now, there is no

issue with it. You will be able to run the program even if it is not clear to you. Later, it will be clear to you once

you are comfortable with the programming. So, what happens normally without a

virtual environment? So, suppose you do not create any virtual environment, what happens?

So, suppose this is your computer, and you have you are developing two projects. So, this is project A folder,

this is project B folder, and you have written certain Python program into this. This program is written inside

this folder, this program is written inside this folder. Now, when you write any program in

Python, it uses some libraries. Libraries means already built-in function, which you can directly

utilize. If you don't understand library right now, it is it is not an issue at all. We will later on see what a library

is, what a function is. So, just try to understand that there are some components which is

already available in the Python, and we utilize those components. Right? Now, I think that is clear.

Now, what Python does is it is stores those common components in a hidden folder

here somewhere. Now, generally these libraries may have version as they keep on updating.

Somebody has made that library. So, it will have some version, and people keep on updating that version.

Now, suppose you used this particular version. That means version one.

And he when he wrote the program, he wanted to use the version two. So, if this library is

changed from version one to version two, this particular program will not run because it was written using the version

one library functions. So, that is the disadvantage of not creating a virtual environment.

So, because this hidden system folder is shared, project A and project B are forced to use the exact same libraries.

If project B updates that library to version two, project A might break because its code was not designed for

the update. So, this program may not work because it was designed for version one, but somebody changed the library to

the version two. So, therefore, we create a virtual environment. So, what a virtual

environment actually does? When you create a virtual environment, it physically copies a fresh mini

version of Python and a brand new empty library folder directly inside your project folder. So, now there is nothing

common library, rather than your folder has a folder a small folder inside it, which contains its own library.

And the second project, it has also a folder which contains its own libraries. So, it may have version one library, it

may have version two libraries, it will not conflict, so both the program will work. So, now the libraries are

literally sitting inside the separate project folders. They are completely locked away from

each other. Therefore, they will not disturb each other. So, how to create the virtual

environment? Open the integrated terminal in the VS code.

So, in the VS code software, you open the terminal. I will show it in the demonstration also. And then you run

python {minus} m venv.venv. This is the command which you will run on the terminal.

This creates a new folder named {dot} venv. So,

this has created a new folder. Now, you have to activate the virtual environment. For ac-

activating the virtual environment, you run this command on Windows and this command on Linux.

So, this is the command which you will run. If this command run properly and the

activation happened, then you will see something like this at the beginning of your terminal prompt.

So, earlier you may be seeing the name of the folders at the terminal prompt. Now, you will see

this at the terminal prompt and that tells you that the virtual environment has been activated.

For example, suppose right now you don't understand what is the need of the virtual environment, then do not worry.

Just run this and this these two commands on the terminal prompt of Visual Studio Code and the virtual

environment is created. Later on, when you will be able to understand the libraries and functions better, you will

understand what was the use of the virtual environment. And suppose when you try to activate

and you did not get this, you did not get this, then that means it is not activated

and there is an error which it will show. So, if you will get an error, then you have to run this command from the

command prompt or the PowerShell of the Windows. Once you run this command and then you close it, thereafter again go

to the Visual Studio Code and run this, then it will run properly. Only if you get an error. If you don't get

[clears throat] any error, then it is done. But, if you get an error, then you have to run this command from the

command prompt. Now, the question is why the terminal prompt changes?

Because you now have multiple copies of Python on your computer, you have to tell your terminal which one to use.

When you turn on the environment for project A, your terminal prompt changes to project A environment.

Just to show you, any library you install right now will go inside project A's folder, not

the hidden system folder. So, whenever you will download or install any library which we require to use in your program,

now it will go inside your project folder. It will not go to the common folder. So, that is the main advantage

of using the virtual environment. I hope this is clear to you. Even if it is not clear to you, just go and create

the virtual environment. Later at some point of time, I will explain it again to you.

I hope it is clear. Thank you.