import QGIS modules into Python (Anaconda)

Question

control QGIS from within Anaconda's Spyder.

I set PAYTHONPATH to C:\Program Files\QGIS Pisa\apps\qgis\bin, but it still gives this error while import qgis.core module:

import qgis.core

ImportError: No module named qgis.core

How can I import the module?

No, there is already PYTHONPATH manager tool in Spyder which helps to select the desired path. I use it. — user1949719, Feb 25 '16 at 09:26
I hope you understood Radu's comment: there's a typo in your environment variable `P*A*ython`? If that's not the error, ensure the qgis library is on your path, which you can check by carefully examining `>>> import sys >>> print(sys.path)` — Oliver W., Feb 25 '16 at 11:05

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered May 18 '16 at 09:45

3

The Python packages shipped with QGIS live in \path\to\QGIS\apps\Python27\Lib. So you need to add that to PYTHONPATH, rather than ...\qgis\bin.

It is best to do this on script-basis, rather than system-wide, like so:

import sys
sys.path.append("C:\Program Files\QGIS Pisa\apps\Python27\Lib")

import qgis.core

But be aware that the QGIS Python packages were likely built for a different version of Python. So things might not work smoothly.

Note: QGIS Python plugins are installed here: ~\.qgis2\python\plugins, so you might need to sys.path.append that too.

answered May 18 '16 at 09:45

j08lue

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I know this is more than 2yrs old but QGIS 3.x ships with python 3. so it is now optional to work with qgis modules in a python 3 environment. – Dror Bogin Oct 21 '18 at 13:23
Thanks, @Dror, but that is not really related to this question, is it? And Python 3 has been available via OSGeo4W for a long time. QGIS 3 unfortunately does not make it less awkward to link the QGIS / OSGeo4W Python environment to an external Anaconda one. But you can now install QGIS via Anaconda https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/qgis – j08lue Oct 22 '18 at 18:12

score 3 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 21 '21 at 09:23

The answer provided by j08lue works for me. But we also could do this in an Anaconda virtual environment in a specific environment-wide way. So, please try the following steps:

Create a conda environment using conda create -n conda-qgis and then activate this new environment by using conda activate conda-qgis.
Install QGIS through conda-forge in the current environment using conda install -c conda-forge qgis.
Open QGIS by running qgis.

Use the Python console in QGIS GUI, and run:

import sys
sys.path

and you might get system paths like below:

'C:/Anaconda3/envs/conda-qgis/Library/./python', 'C:/Users/Guohan/AppData/Roaming/QGIS/QGIS3\\profiles\\default/python', 'C:/Users/Guohan/AppData/Roaming/QGIS/QGIS3\\profiles\\default/python/plugins', 'C:/Anaconda3/envs/conda-qgis/Library/./python/plugins', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\Library\\python', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\Library\\python\\plugins', 'C:\\', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\python39.zip', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\DLLs', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\lib', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\Library\\bin', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\lib\\site-packages', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\lib\\site-packages\\win32', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\lib\\site-packages\\win32\\lib', 'C:\\Anaconda3\\envs\\conda-qgis\\lib\\site-packages\\Pythonwin', 'C:/Users/Guohan/AppData/Roaming/QGIS/QGIS3\\profiles\\default/python'

Copy all the paths above and get back to the command prompt and run:
```
conda-develop PASTEHERE -n conda-qgis
```
This will create a conda.pth file at the site-package directory, which stores all the environment path variables specified for this conda-qgis environment.
Finally, you should be able to use import qgis in an Anaconda environment.

This works. The only thing is I don't have conda-develop, so used "conda develop PASTEHERE -n conda-qgis" — Richard, Oct 15 '21 at 17:13

import QGIS modules into Python (Anaconda)

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