1996-03-18 09:38:52 -04:00
|
|
|
<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Macintosh Python crash course</TITLE></HEAD>
|
|
|
|
|
<BODY>
|
|
|
|
|
<H1><IMG SRC="html.icons/python.gif">Macintosh Python crash course</H1>
|
|
|
|
|
<HR>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This set of documents provides an introduction to various aspects of
|
|
|
|
|
Python programming on the Mac. It is assumed that the reader is
|
|
|
|
|
already familiar with Python and, to some extent, with MacOS Toolbox
|
|
|
|
|
programming. Other readers may find something interesting here too,
|
|
|
|
|
your mileage may vary. <p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-04-10 11:52:59 -03:00
|
|
|
There is a companion document <a href="using.html">Using Python on the Mac</a>
|
|
|
|
|
which you should read before starting here: it explains the basics of using
|
|
|
|
|
python on the Macintosh. <p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-03-18 09:38:52 -04:00
|
|
|
Another set of Macintosh-savvy examples, more aimed at beginners, is
|
|
|
|
|
maintained by Joseph Strout, at <A
|
|
|
|
|
HREF="http://www-acs.ucsd.edu/~jstrout/python/">
|
|
|
|
|
http://www-acs.ucsd.edu/~jstrout/python/</A>.
|
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-07-18 13:07:05 -03:00
|
|
|
The <a href="http://www.python.org/doc/lib/Top.html">Python Library Reference</a> contains a section on
|
|
|
|
|
<a href="http://www.python.org/doc/lib/Macintosh-Specific-Services.html">Macintosh-specific modules</a>
|
|
|
|
|
that you should also read. Documentation is also available in PostScript and other
|
|
|
|
|
forms, see the <a href="http://www.python.org/doc/">documentation</a> section
|
|
|
|
|
on the webserver. <p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-04-19 12:56:08 -03:00
|
|
|
Some of these documents were actually written while I was working on a "real"
|
1996-03-18 09:38:52 -04:00
|
|
|
project: creating a single-button application that will allow my
|
|
|
|
|
girlfriend to read her mail (which actually pass thry <EM>my</EM>
|
|
|
|
|
mailbox, so I get to read it too, but don't tell her:-) without her
|
|
|
|
|
having to worry about internet connections, unix commands, etc. The
|
|
|
|
|
application, when finished, will connect to the net using InterSLIP,
|
|
|
|
|
start a (pseudo-)POP server on unix using rsh and use AppleScript to
|
|
|
|
|
tell Eudora to connect to that server and retrieve messages. <p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-05-20 08:32:49 -03:00
|
|
|
These examples were all built using Python 1.3.3, which can be downloaded
|
|
|
|
|
from <a href="ftp://ftp.cwi.nl/pub/jack/python/mac">ftp.cwi.nl, directory
|
|
|
|
|
/pub/jack/python/mac</a>, and possibly from the <a href="ftp://ftp.python/org">
|
|
|
|
|
ftp.python.org</a> server and its mirrors as well. Some examples may work
|
|
|
|
|
with earlier versions of Python, some will definitely not.
|
1996-03-18 09:38:52 -04:00
|
|
|
<H2>Table of contents</H2>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<UL>
|
1996-07-18 13:07:05 -03:00
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="example0.html">Using python to create Macintosh applications,
|
|
|
|
|
part zero</A> whets your appetite by showing you how to ask the user
|
|
|
|
|
for a filename, and how to display a message. It explains about end-of-line
|
|
|
|
|
confusion while doing so.
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-03-18 09:38:52 -04:00
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="example1.html">Using python to create Macintosh applications,
|
|
|
|
|
part one</A> explains how to create a simple modal-dialog application
|
|
|
|
|
in Python. It also takes a glance at using the toolbox modules Res and
|
|
|
|
|
Dlg, and EasyDialogs for simple question-dialogs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="example2.html">Using python to create Macintosh applications,
|
|
|
|
|
part two</A> turns the previous example program into a more complete
|
|
|
|
|
mac application, using a modeless dialog, menus, etc. It also explains
|
|
|
|
|
how to create applets, standalone applications written in Python.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
1996-04-19 12:56:08 -03:00
|
|
|
<A HREF="textedit.html">Using FrameWork and TextEdit</A> shows you
|
|
|
|
|
how to use <code>FrameWork</code> application framework and the
|
|
|
|
|
<code>TextEdit</code> toolbox to build a text editor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="waste.html">Using WASTE</A> expands on this editor by using
|
|
|
|
|
WASTE, an extended TextEdit replacement.
|
1996-03-18 09:38:52 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="plugins.html">Creating a C extension module on the Macintosh</A>
|
|
|
|
|
is meant for the hardcore programmer, and shows how to create an
|
|
|
|
|
extension module in C. It also handles using Modulator to create the
|
|
|
|
|
boilerplate for your module, and creating dynamically-loadable modules
|
|
|
|
|
on PowerPC Macs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="applescript.html">Using Open Scripting Architecture from Python</A> explains
|
|
|
|
|
how to create a Python module interfacing to a scriptable application,
|
|
|
|
|
and how to use that module in your python program.
|
1996-05-20 08:32:49 -03:00
|
|
|
|
1996-09-08 22:48:03 -03:00
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="cgi.html">Using python to create CGI scripts</A> is a preliminary
|
|
|
|
|
introduction to writing CGI scripts in Python and to writing scriptable applications
|
|
|
|
|
in Python.
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-05-20 08:32:49 -03:00
|
|
|
<LI>
|
1996-08-07 10:19:16 -03:00
|
|
|
<A HREF="building.html">Building Mac Python from source</A> explains
|
1996-05-20 08:32:49 -03:00
|
|
|
how to build a PPC or 68K interpreter from a source distribution.
|
1997-01-15 12:53:37 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="embed.html">Embedding Python on the Mac</A> is a minimal example of
|
|
|
|
|
how to embed Python in other Mac applications.
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-03-18 09:38:52 -04:00
|
|
|
</UL>
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-04-19 12:56:08 -03:00
|
|
|
The Python distribution contains a few more examples, all unexplained:
|
|
|
|
|
<UL>
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<I>PICTbrowse</I> is an application that locates PICT
|
|
|
|
|
resources and displays them, it demonstrates some quickdraw and the
|
|
|
|
|
resource and list managers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<I>Imgbrowse</I> displays image files in
|
|
|
|
|
many different formats (gif, tiff, pbm, etc). It shows how to use the
|
|
|
|
|
img modules on the mac.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<I>Quicktime</I> has the standard <code>MovieInWindow</code> and
|
|
|
|
|
<code>VerySimplePlayer</code> examples, re-coded in Python.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<LI>
|
|
|
|
|
<I>Resources</I>, <I>Sound</I> and <I>Speech</I> have some examples
|
|
|
|
|
on using the respective managers.
|
|
|
|
|
</UL>
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-03-18 09:38:52 -04:00
|
|
|
At some point in the (possibly distant) future, I will add chapters on
|
|
|
|
|
how to use bgen to create modules completely automatic and how to make
|
|
|
|
|
your Python program scriptable, but that will have to wait. <p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<HR>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please let me know if you miss critical information in this
|
|
|
|
|
document. I am quite sure that I will never find the time to turn it
|
|
|
|
|
into a complete MacPython programmers guide (which would probably be a
|
|
|
|
|
400-page book instead of 5 lousy html-files), but it should contain
|
|
|
|
|
at least the information that is neither in the standard Python
|
|
|
|
|
documentation nor in Inside Mac or other Mac programmers
|
|
|
|
|
documentation. <p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<HR>
|
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.cwi.nl/~jack">Jack Jansen</A>,
|
1996-09-08 22:48:03 -03:00
|
|
|
<A HREF="mailto:jack@cwi.nl">jack@cwi.nl</A>, 09-September-1996.
|
1996-07-18 13:07:05 -03:00
|
|
|
</BODY></HTML>
|
