2002-08-02 18:45:27 -03:00
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Building and using a framework-based Python on Mac OS X.
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This document provides a quick introduction to framework-based Python.
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It is rather terse and probably incomplete, please send me feedback.
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1. Why would I want a framework Python in stead of a normal static Python?
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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The main reason is because you want to create GUI programs in Python. With
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the exception of X11/XDarwin-based GUI toolkits it appears that all GUI programs
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need to be run from a fullblown MacOSX application (a ".app" bundle).
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While it is technically possible to create a .app without using frameworks
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you will have to do the work yourself if you really want this.
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A second reason for using frameworks is that they put Python-related items
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in only two places: /Library/Framework/Python.framework and /Applications/Python.
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This simplifies matters for users installing Python from a binary distribution
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if they want to get rid of it again. Moreover, due to the way frameworks
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work a user without admin privileges can install a binary distribution in
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his or her home directory without recompilation.
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2. How does a framework Python differ from a normal static Python?
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------------------------------------------------------------------
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In everyday use there is no difference, except that things are stored in
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a different place. If you look in /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework
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you will see lots of relative symlinks, see the Apple documentation for
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details. If you are used to a normal unix Python file layout go down to
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Versions/Current and you will see the familiar bin and lib directories.
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3. Do I need extra packages?
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----------------------------
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Yes, probably. If you want to be able to use the PythonIDE you will need to
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get Waste, an all-singing-all-dancing TextEdit replacement, from www.merzwaren.com.
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It will unpack into a folder named something like "Waste 2.1 Distribution". Make
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a symlink called "waste" to this folder, somewhere beside your Python source
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distribution (it can be "../waste", "../../waste", etc).
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If you want Tkinter support you need to get the OSX AquaTk distribution. If you
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want wxPython you need to get that. If you want Cocoa you need to get pyobjc.
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Because all these are currently in a state of flux please refer to
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http://www.cwi.nl/~jack/macpython.html, which should contain pointers to more
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information.
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4. How do I build a framework Python?
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-------------------------------------
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2002-08-02 11:11:24 -03:00
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This directory contains a Makefile that will create a couple of python-related
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applications (fullblown OSX .app applications, that is) in /Applications/Python,
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and a hidden helper application Python.app inside the Python.framework. In addition
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it has a target "installmacsubtree" that installs the relevant portions of the
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Mac subtree into the Python.framework.
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2001-09-06 13:36:42 -03:00
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2002-08-02 11:11:24 -03:00
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It is normally invoked indirectly through the main Makefile, as the last step
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in the sequence
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1. configure --enable-framework
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2. make
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3. make frameworkinstall
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4. make osxapps
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2002-08-02 18:45:27 -03:00
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5. [optional] in Mac/OSX do "make installunixprograms", see below.
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This sequence will put the framework in /Library/Framework/Python.framework and
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the applications in /Applications/Python. Building in another place, for instance
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$HOME/Library/Frameworks if you have no admin privileges on your machine, has only
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been tested very lightly.
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5. What do all these programs do?
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---------------------------------
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PythonIDE.app is an integrated development environment for Python: editor,
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debugger, etc.
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PythonLauncher.app is a helper application that will handle things when you
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double-click a .py, .pyc or .pyw file. For the first two it creates a Terminal
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window and runs the scripts with the normal command-line Python. For the latter
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it runs the script in the Python.app interpreter so the script can do GUI-things.
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Keep the "alt" key depressed while dragging or double-clicking a script to set
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runtime options. These options can be set once and for all through PythonLauncher's
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preferences dialog.
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BuildApplet.app creates an applet from a Python script. Drop the script on it
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and out comes a full-featured MacOS application. There is much more to this, to
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be supplied later. Some useful (but outdated) info can be found in Mac/Demo.
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If you install the commandline scripts /usr/local/bin/python and pythonw these
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can be used to run non-GUI and GUI python scripts from the command line, respectively.
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6. Odds and ends.
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-----------------
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2001-09-06 13:36:42 -03:00
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2002-08-02 11:11:24 -03:00
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The interesting targets in the makefile are:
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installmacsubtree - explained above,
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dontinstallmacsubtree - Put only a .pth file into the framework (pointing to this
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sourcetree), which may be easier for development,
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install_all - install all three .app applications,
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install_Python - install the hidden interpreter .app into the framework,
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install_PythonLauncher - install the user-visible script launch helper
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install_IDE - install the IDE
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installunixprograms - install symlinks/scripts mimicking normal unix Python into
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/usr/local.
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2002-08-02 18:45:27 -03:00
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The PythonLauncher is actually an Objective C Cocoa app built with Project Builder.
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It could be a Python program, except for the fact that pyobjc is not a part of
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the core distribution, and is not completely finished yet as of this writing.
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2001-09-11 08:30:02 -03:00
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2001-09-06 13:36:42 -03:00
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Something to take note of is that the ".rsrc" files in the distribution are not
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2002-08-02 18:45:27 -03:00
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actually resource files, they're AppleSingle encoded resource files. The macresource
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module and the Mac/OSX/Makefile cater for this, and create ".rsrc.df.rsrc" files
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on the fly that are normal datafork-based resource files.
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2001-09-06 13:36:42 -03:00
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2002-08-02 11:11:24 -03:00
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Jack Jansen, jack@oratrix.com, 02-Aug-02
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