---
title: "PyCharm Setup Instructions — Spiff Arena 0.1 documentation"
description: "This guide provides instructions for setting up PyCharm IDE for SpiffWorkflow backend development."
source_url: https://spiff.works/docs/spiff-arena/explanation/dev/pycharm_setup.html
---

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# PyCharm Setup Instructions[](#pycharm-setup-instructions "Link to this heading")

This guide provides instructions for setting up PyCharm IDE for SpiffWorkflow backend development.

## Pre-Requisites[](#pre-requisites "Link to this heading")

- Before starting, ensure you can run `bin/run_server_locally` script successfully.
  This will prove that your libraries are properly configured.
- Checkout a git repository with sample process models such as our [Sample Process Models](https://github.com/sartography/sample-process-models)

## Step 1 - Python Interpreter[](#step-1-python-interpreter "Link to this heading")

In the settings, ensure that you have configured your Python interpreter to use the poetry environment you have created.

## Step 2 - Configuration Settings[](#step-2-configuration-settings "Link to this heading")

Create a config.py file in the src/instance directory, with the following base settings

```
FLASK_SESSION_SECRET_KEY="[PUT SOME RANDOM STUFF HERE]"
SPIFFWORKFLOW_BACKEND_APPLICATION_ROOT="/"
SPIFFWORKFLOW_BACKEND_BPMN_SPEC_ABSOLUTE_DIR="[FULL PATH TO SAMPLE PROCESS MODEL GIT CLONE]"

# This will configure your application to use a built in login rather than
# relying on keycloak etc...
SPIFFWORKFLOW_BACKEND_AUTH_CONFIGS = [
    {
    "identifier":"default",
    "label":"internal openid",
    "uri":"http://localhost:7000/openid",
    "client_id":"spiffworkflow-backend",
    "client_secret":"JXeQExm0JhQPLumgHtIIqf52bDalHz0q"
    }
]

# You can modify the permissions by creating your own permissions file and setting it here.
# See example.yml in the src/spiffworkflow_backend/config/permissions directory
SPIFFWORKFLOW_BACKEND_PERMISSIONS_FILE_NAME="example.yml"
```

Check the default.py config file in src/spiffworkflow\_backend/config directory for more options you can specify as needed.

## Step 3 - Run Configuration[](#step-3-run-configuration "Link to this heading")

Configure your Run configuration with the following settings:

- Select Flask Server as the run type
- Set the target to: spiffworkflow\_backend
- Set the port to 7000 (-p 7000)
- See the screenshot below for reference:

![PyCharm Run Configuration](../../_images/pycharm_config.png)

## Step 4 - Code Formatting[](#step-4-code-formatting "Link to this heading")

We are using [Black](https://black.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) for code formatting.
To avoid the madness of having Black enforce one style, and your editor enforcing another, follow [the directions outlined here](https://black.readthedocs.io/en/stable/integrations/editors.html#pycharm-intellij-idea).

Start the application using the play / debug buttons.

## IMPORTANT[](#important "Link to this heading")

- Before committing changes to the repository, be sure to execute the `run_pyl` command in the top level spiff-arena directory and fix any issues it reports.
- When doing so, be sure to have the poetry environment *AT THAT TOP LEVEL* activated NOT the one in the backend. Otherwise, you will get invalid information.