PyCharm – Adding QGIS-Specific Python Interpreter to PyCharm on Windows

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I am having trouble adding a QGIS-specific Python interpreter to PyCharm. Ideally, I would like to be able to switch between both Python2 and Python3 in PyCharm. I thought this might be possible by setting the .exe files from C:\OSGeo4W64\apps\Python27 and C:\OSGeo4W64\apps\Python36 as Python interpreters. However, none of this works, the error always looks like here below, where I tried to add C:\OSGeo4W64\bin\python.exe

After reading through some blogs and questions (links below), here is what I tried:

1) I created this pycharm-pyqgis.bat file below, that I am now using to start PyCharm.

@echo off
SET OSGEO4W_ROOT=C:\OSGeo4W
SET QGISNAME=qgis
SET QGIS=%OSGEO4W_ROOT%apps%QGISNAME%
SET QGIS_PREFIX_PATH=%QGIS%
SET PYCHARM="C:\Program Files (x86)\JetBrains\PyCharm Community Edition 2016.3.1\bin\pycharm.exe"

CALL qt5_env.bat
CALL py3_env.bat

CALL %OSGEO4W_ROOT%bin\o4w_env.bat

SET PATH=%PATH%;%QGIS%\bin
SET PATH=%PATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\bin
SET PYTHONPATH=%QGIS%\python
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\python
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27\Scripts
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27\Lib
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27\Lib\site-packages
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27\DLLs
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis-dev\python

start "PyCharm aware of QGIS" /B %PYCHARM% %*

2) I modified the Windows environment variables to the folders indicated above (C:\OSGeo4W64\bin..). However, I am a little uncertain what should really go into PATH, PYTHONPATH, PYTHONHOME and PYTHON.

Related Links

This is not a working answer, just an extended reply to the comment above from Andreas Müller.

I now created two batch files as Andreas Müller suggested in the comment above.

Python27

@echo off
SET OSGEO4W_ROOT=C:\OSGeo4W
SET QGISNAME=qgis
SET QGIS=%OSGEO4W_ROOT%apps%QGISNAME%
SET QGIS_PREFIX_PATH=%QGIS%
SET PYCHARM="C:\Program Files (x86)\JetBrains\PyCharm Community Edition 2016.3.1\bin\pycharm.exe"

CALL %OSGEO4W_ROOT%bin\o4w_env.bat

SET PATH=%PATH%;%QGIS%\bin
SET PATH=%PATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\bin

SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27\Scripts
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27\Lib
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27\Lib\site-packages
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27\DLLs

start "PyCharm aware of QGIS" /B %PYCHARM% %*

Python36

@echo off
SET OSGEO4W_ROOT=C:\OSGeo4W
SET QGISNAME=qgis
SET QGIS=%OSGEO4W_ROOT%apps%QGISNAME%
SET QGIS_PREFIX_PATH=%QGIS%
SET PYCHARM="C:\Program Files (x86)\JetBrains\PyCharm Community Edition 2016.3.1\bin\pycharm.exe"

CALL qt5_env.bat
CALL py3_env.bat

CALL %OSGEO4W_ROOT%bin\o4w_env.bat

SET PATH=%PATH%;%QGIS%\bin
SET PATH=%PATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\bin

SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\python
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python36
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python36\Scripts
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python36\lib
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python36\Lib\site-packages
SET PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python36\DLLs

start "PyCharm aware of QGIS" /B %PYCHARM% %*

I am not sure if I did it correctly, but it doesn't solve the problem:

Best Answer

At least i managed to start Pycharm with an OSGEO4W Environment. My PyCharm is 2017.3, 64bit-Edition. My OSGEO4W is 32bit and uses QGIS3/Python3. I think it will be easy to change it for QGIS2/Python2.7 or anything with 64bit. I do start PyCharm with the batch-file in PyCharms bin directory, called by a custom Script to set the needed environment variables, allowing to make QGIS-Plugins with Qt and QGIS-Standalone-Applications. When PyCharm opens I create a new Project and set the Interpreter to the QGIS python in %OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python36.

This is the batch file content:

@echo off
REM CHANGE THESE
SET OSGEO4W_ROOT=C:\OSGeo4W64
SET PYCHARMBIN=%~d0\software\pycharm\bin

if not exist %OSGEO4W_ROOT% (
    echo Can't find "%OSGEO4W_ROOT%". Please edit.
    pause
    goto eof
)

set path=%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\bin;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\bin;%WINDIR%\system32;%WINDIR%;%WINDIR%\system32\WBem

for %%F in ("%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\etc\ini\*.bat") do call "%%F"

call %OSGEO4W_ROOT%\bin\py3_env.bat
call %OSGEO4W_ROOT%\bin\qt5_env.bat

set QGIS_PREFIX_PATH=%OSGEO4W_ROOT:\=/%/apps/qgis
set GDAL_FILENAME_IS_UTF8=YES
rem Set VSI cache to be used as buffer, see #6448
set VSI_CACHE=TRUE
set VSI_CACHE_SIZE=1000000
set QT_PLUGIN_PATH=%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\qtplugins;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qt5\plugins

REM for QGIS
set PYTHONPATH=%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\python;%PYTHONPATH%

call "%PYCHARMBIN%\pycharm.bat %*

EDIT: I too encountered the the SDK-Error, starting PyCharm without a batch file, right from the windows start menue. When it asked for opening/creating a project, i choosed "Create New Project" and then under "Project Interpreter" choosed Existing Interpreter with just pointing to a OSGEO4W-python.exe never used before in pycharm, it shows the SDK-Error. I bet you can delete the bad project and create a new one, starting pycharm with the correct batch file...

Editing Path

Edit the PATH variable by going to Control Panel>System>Advanced system settings then click on Environment Variables in the below window.

Edit the PATH User Variable and add ;C:\Program Files\QGIS Essen\bin\;C:\Program Files\QGIS Essen\apps\qgis-ltr\bin, note the version Essen as well as the use of qgis-ltr\bin here. The latter was necessary in order for Python to be able to find the qgis_core.dll.

Create a Virtual Environment

Create a new virtual environment in the command line: virtualenv qgisenv -p "C:\path\to\Python27.exe" specifying the Python 2.7 location. Note this will create a folder for your virtual environment, you should put any projects you develop in here.

Next add paths to the installed QGIS python libraries to the virtual environment's site-packages folder using .pth files. For example in QGIS 2.14.9 python packages can be found at the following locations (why?), so create a file qgisenv\Lib\site-packages\qgis.pth with:

C:\Program Files\QGIS Essen\apps\qgis-ltr\python
C:\Program Files\QGIS Essen\apps\Python27\
C:\Program Files\QGIS Essen\apps\Python27\Lib\
C:\Program Files\QGIS Essen\apps\Python27\Lib\site-packages
C:\Program Files\QGIS Essen\bin
C:\Program Files\QGIS Essen\include
C:\Program Files\QGIS Essen\apps\qgis-ltr\bin

this list can probably be shortened

Activate Environment and Test

Back in the Command Prompt cd into the qgisenv directory and activate the virtual environment with Scripts\activate

Then open a python console and type

>>> from qgis.core import *

And you should be good to go!

How to use an IDE?

If you use anaconda and Spyder, you could use conda to set up the environment and then call spyder after activating the environment. Other IDEs might have the option of setting a virtual environment from the settings.

[GIS] Understanding qgis.core import error: no module named qgis.core

I found it, it was just a small tricky approach.

in OsGeo4w website says you have to install QGIS by Osgeo4w setup which it sets all kinds of path variables for you ...

( it was NOT entirely true, in my case)

leave your PATH, Path, PYTHONPATH, PYTHONHOME to where it's functional for all modules unless qgis's.

I removed QGIS standalone and installed QGIS via OsGeo4w however. so the path variables that I wrote in the question must change to the same directories but NOT in QGIS 2.18 ROOT, rather in C:\OSGeo4W64.

for example, my PYTHONHOME is now :

C:\OSGeo4W64\apps\Python27

and so on...

so I created a whatever.cmd file using notepad, with this information in it :

@echo off

SET OSGEO4W_ROOT=C:\OSGeo4W64

call "%OSGEO4W_ROOT%"\bin\o4w_env.bat

call "%OSGEO4W_ROOT%"\apps\grass\grass-6.4.3\etc\env.bat

@echo off

path %PATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\bin

path %PATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\grass\grass-6.4.3\lib

set PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis\python;

set PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\Python27\Lib\site-packages

set QGIS_PREFIX_PATH=%OSGEO4W_ROOT%\apps\qgis

set PATH=C:\Program Files\JetBrains\PyCharm Community Edition 2017.1.4\bin;%PATH%

start "PyCharm aware of Quantum GIS" /B "C:\Program Files\JetBrains\PyCharm Community Edition 2017.1.4\bin\pycharm64.exe" %*

and saved it to somewhere.

So if you use Qgis standalone just instead of osgeo_root write your qgis_root directory.

the few last line are dedicated to familiarizing all this mess to Pycharm.

be careful of typing mistakes. I learned, one wrong char can mess it up...