SetEnv not supported in mod_python

[eraoul]

The docs say that the DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE environment variable should be set using SetEnv in an Apache "Location" directive, as follows:

<Location "/mysite/">
    SetHandler python-program
    PythonHandler django.core.handlers.modpython
    SetEnv DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE mysite.settings
    PythonDebug On
</Location>

However, I get an error message that the DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE env. var is undefined. After several hours of debugging, and finding another person with the same problem but without a resolution, I found the following note in the mod_python FAQ itself:

"Environment. The apache SetEnv & PassEnv (etc) directives have no effect on the os.environ seen by mod_python. If you need to pass environment to mod_python, you need to set it before starting apache. Or consider using the PythonOption apache directive to pass config info into mod_python scripts."

So, can anyone recommend the best way to get DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE set up correctly? It seems that SetEnv is not correct here.

[Karen Tracey <kmtracey@…>]

Django's code accounts for the fact that mod_python does not process SetEnv (see ​http://code.djangoproject.com/browser/django/trunk/django/core/handlers/modpython.py#L139). Do you really get a message that the environment variable is undefined? Or is the error that the settings module could not be loaded? The latter could be explained by a missing PythonPath statement to include your project's path in the python path for code run under mod_python. The django-users list would probably be a better place to try to work this out, with details of your actual config instead of examples from the doc. The doc is correct.