995 lines
46 KiB
ReStructuredText
995 lines
46 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. highlightlang:: none
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.. _install-index:
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*****************************
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Installing Python Modules
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*****************************
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:Author: Greg Ward
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:Release: |version|
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:Date: |today|
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.. TODO: Fill in XXX comments
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.. The audience for this document includes people who don't know anything
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about Python and aren't about to learn the language just in order to
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install and maintain it for their users, i.e. system administrators.
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Thus, I have to be sure to explain the basics at some point:
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sys.path and PYTHONPATH at least. Should probably give pointers to
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other docs on "import site", PYTHONSTARTUP, PYTHONHOME, etc.
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Finally, it might be useful to include all the material from my "Care
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and Feeding of a Python Installation" talk in here somewhere. Yow!
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.. topic:: Abstract
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This document describes the Python Distribution Utilities ("Distutils") from the
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end-user's point-of-view, describing how to extend the capabilities of a
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standard Python installation by building and installing third-party Python
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modules and extensions.
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.. _inst-intro:
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Introduction
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============
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Although Python's extensive standard library covers many programming needs,
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there often comes a time when you need to add some new functionality to your
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Python installation in the form of third-party modules. This might be necessary
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to support your own programming, or to support an application that you want to
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use and that happens to be written in Python.
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In the past, there has been little support for adding third-party modules to an
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existing Python installation. With the introduction of the Python Distribution
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Utilities (Distutils for short) in Python 2.0, this changed.
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This document is aimed primarily at the people who need to install third-party
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Python modules: end-users and system administrators who just need to get some
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Python application running, and existing Python programmers who want to add some
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new goodies to their toolbox. You don't need to know Python to read this
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document; there will be some brief forays into using Python's interactive mode
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to explore your installation, but that's it. If you're looking for information
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on how to distribute your own Python modules so that others may use them, see
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the :ref:`distutils-index` manual.
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.. _inst-trivial-install:
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Best case: trivial installation
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-------------------------------
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In the best case, someone will have prepared a special version of the module
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distribution you want to install that is targeted specifically at your platform
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and is installed just like any other software on your platform. For example,
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the module developer might make an executable installer available for Windows
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users, an RPM package for users of RPM-based Linux systems (Red Hat, SuSE,
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Mandrake, and many others), a Debian package for users of Debian-based Linux
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systems, and so forth.
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In that case, you would download the installer appropriate to your platform and
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do the obvious thing with it: run it if it's an executable installer, ``rpm
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--install`` it if it's an RPM, etc. You don't need to run Python or a setup
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script, you don't need to compile anything---you might not even need to read any
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instructions (although it's always a good idea to do so anyways).
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Of course, things will not always be that easy. You might be interested in a
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module distribution that doesn't have an easy-to-use installer for your
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platform. In that case, you'll have to start with the source distribution
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released by the module's author/maintainer. Installing from a source
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distribution is not too hard, as long as the modules are packaged in the
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standard way. The bulk of this document is about building and installing
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modules from standard source distributions.
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.. _inst-new-standard:
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The new standard: Distutils
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---------------------------
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If you download a module source distribution, you can tell pretty quickly if it
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was packaged and distributed in the standard way, i.e. using the Distutils.
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First, the distribution's name and version number will be featured prominently
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in the name of the downloaded archive, e.g. :file:`foo-1.0.tar.gz` or
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:file:`widget-0.9.7.zip`. Next, the archive will unpack into a similarly-named
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directory: :file:`foo-1.0` or :file:`widget-0.9.7`. Additionally, the
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distribution will contain a setup script :file:`setup.py`, and a file named
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:file:`README.txt` or possibly just :file:`README`, which should explain that
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building and installing the module distribution is a simple matter of running ::
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python setup.py install
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If all these things are true, then you already know how to build and install the
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modules you've just downloaded: Run the command above. Unless you need to
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install things in a non-standard way or customize the build process, you don't
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really need this manual. Or rather, the above command is everything you need to
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get out of this manual.
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.. _inst-standard-install:
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Standard Build and Install
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==========================
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As described in section :ref:`inst-new-standard`, building and installing a module
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distribution using the Distutils is usually one simple command::
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python setup.py install
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On Unix, you'd run this command from a shell prompt; on Windows, you have to
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open a command prompt window ("DOS box") and do it there; on Mac OS X, you open
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a :command:`Terminal` window to get a shell prompt.
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.. _inst-platform-variations:
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Platform variations
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-------------------
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You should always run the setup command from the distribution root directory,
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i.e. the top-level subdirectory that the module source distribution unpacks
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into. For example, if you've just downloaded a module source distribution
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:file:`foo-1.0.tar.gz` onto a Unix system, the normal thing to do is::
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gunzip -c foo-1.0.tar.gz | tar xf - # unpacks into directory foo-1.0
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cd foo-1.0
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python setup.py install
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On Windows, you'd probably download :file:`foo-1.0.zip`. If you downloaded the
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archive file to :file:`C:\\Temp`, then it would unpack into
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:file:`C:\\Temp\\foo-1.0`; you can use either a archive manipulator with a
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graphical user interface (such as WinZip) or a command-line tool (such as
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:program:`unzip` or :program:`pkunzip`) to unpack the archive. Then, open a
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command prompt window ("DOS box"), and run::
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cd c:\Temp\foo-1.0
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python setup.py install
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.. _inst-splitting-up:
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Splitting the job up
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--------------------
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Running ``setup.py install`` builds and installs all modules in one run. If you
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prefer to work incrementally---especially useful if you want to customize the
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build process, or if things are going wrong---you can use the setup script to do
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one thing at a time. This is particularly helpful when the build and install
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will be done by different users---for example, you might want to build a module
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distribution and hand it off to a system administrator for installation (or do
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it yourself, with super-user privileges).
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For example, you can build everything in one step, and then install everything
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in a second step, by invoking the setup script twice::
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python setup.py build
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python setup.py install
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If you do this, you will notice that running the :command:`install` command
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first runs the :command:`build` command, which---in this case---quickly notices
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that it has nothing to do, since everything in the :file:`build` directory is
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up-to-date.
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You may not need this ability to break things down often if all you do is
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install modules downloaded off the 'net, but it's very handy for more advanced
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tasks. If you get into distributing your own Python modules and extensions,
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you'll run lots of individual Distutils commands on their own.
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.. _inst-how-build-works:
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How building works
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------------------
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As implied above, the :command:`build` command is responsible for putting the
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files to install into a *build directory*. By default, this is :file:`build`
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under the distribution root; if you're excessively concerned with speed, or want
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to keep the source tree pristine, you can change the build directory with the
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:option:`--build-base` option. For example::
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python setup.py build --build-base=/tmp/pybuild/foo-1.0
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(Or you could do this permanently with a directive in your system or personal
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Distutils configuration file; see section :ref:`inst-config-files`.) Normally, this
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isn't necessary.
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The default layout for the build tree is as follows::
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--- build/ --- lib/
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or
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--- build/ --- lib.<plat>/
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temp.<plat>/
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where ``<plat>`` expands to a brief description of the current OS/hardware
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platform and Python version. The first form, with just a :file:`lib` directory,
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is used for "pure module distributions"---that is, module distributions that
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include only pure Python modules. If a module distribution contains any
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extensions (modules written in C/C++), then the second form, with two ``<plat>``
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directories, is used. In that case, the :file:`temp.{plat}` directory holds
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temporary files generated by the compile/link process that don't actually get
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installed. In either case, the :file:`lib` (or :file:`lib.{plat}`) directory
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contains all Python modules (pure Python and extensions) that will be installed.
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In the future, more directories will be added to handle Python scripts,
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documentation, binary executables, and whatever else is needed to handle the job
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of installing Python modules and applications.
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.. _inst-how-install-works:
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How installation works
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----------------------
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After the :command:`build` command runs (whether you run it explicitly, or the
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:command:`install` command does it for you), the work of the :command:`install`
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command is relatively simple: all it has to do is copy everything under
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:file:`build/lib` (or :file:`build/lib.{plat}`) to your chosen installation
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directory.
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If you don't choose an installation directory---i.e., if you just run ``setup.py
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install``\ ---then the :command:`install` command installs to the standard
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location for third-party Python modules. This location varies by platform and
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by how you built/installed Python itself. On Unix (and Mac OS X, which is also
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Unix-based), it also depends on whether the module distribution being installed
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is pure Python or contains extensions ("non-pure"):
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+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
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| Platform | Standard installation location | Default value | Notes |
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+=================+=====================================================+==================================================+=======+
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| Unix (pure) | :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | :file:`/usr/local/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | \(1) |
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+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
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| Unix (non-pure) | :file:`{exec-prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | :file:`/usr/local/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | \(1) |
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+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
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| Windows | :file:`{prefix}` | :file:`C:\\Python` | \(2) |
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+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
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Notes:
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(1)
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Most Linux distributions include Python as a standard part of the system, so
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:file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}` are usually both :file:`/usr` on
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Linux. If you build Python yourself on Linux (or any Unix-like system), the
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default :file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}` are :file:`/usr/local`.
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(2)
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The default installation directory on Windows was :file:`C:\\Program
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Files\\Python` under Python 1.6a1, 1.5.2, and earlier.
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:file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}` stand for the directories that Python
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is installed to, and where it finds its libraries at run-time. They are always
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the same under Windows, and very often the same under Unix and Mac OS X. You
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can find out what your Python installation uses for :file:`{prefix}` and
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:file:`{exec-prefix}` by running Python in interactive mode and typing a few
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simple commands. Under Unix, just type ``python`` at the shell prompt. Under
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Windows, choose :menuselection:`Start --> Programs --> Python X.Y -->
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Python (command line)`. Once the interpreter is started, you type Python code
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at the prompt. For example, on my Linux system, I type the three Python
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statements shown below, and get the output as shown, to find out my
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:file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}`::
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Python 2.4 (#26, Aug 7 2004, 17:19:02)
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Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
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>>> import sys
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>>> sys.prefix
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'/usr'
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>>> sys.exec_prefix
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'/usr'
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If you don't want to install modules to the standard location, or if you don't
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have permission to write there, then you need to read about alternate
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installations in section :ref:`inst-alt-install`. If you want to customize your
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installation directories more heavily, see section :ref:`inst-custom-install` on
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custom installations.
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.. _inst-alt-install:
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Alternate Installation
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======================
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Often, it is necessary or desirable to install modules to a location other than
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the standard location for third-party Python modules. For example, on a Unix
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system you might not have permission to write to the standard third-party module
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directory. Or you might wish to try out a module before making it a standard
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part of your local Python installation. This is especially true when upgrading
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a distribution already present: you want to make sure your existing base of
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scripts still works with the new version before actually upgrading.
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The Distutils :command:`install` command is designed to make installing module
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distributions to an alternate location simple and painless. The basic idea is
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that you supply a base directory for the installation, and the
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:command:`install` command picks a set of directories (called an *installation
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scheme*) under this base directory in which to install files. The details
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differ across platforms, so read whichever of the following sections applies to
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you.
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.. _inst-alt-install-prefix:
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Alternate installation: the home scheme
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---------------------------------------
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The idea behind the "home scheme" is that you build and maintain a personal
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stash of Python modules. This scheme's name is derived from the idea of a
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"home" directory on Unix, since it's not unusual for a Unix user to make their
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home directory have a layout similar to :file:`/usr/` or :file:`/usr/local/`.
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This scheme can be used by anyone, regardless of the operating system their
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installing for.
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Installing a new module distribution is as simple as ::
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python setup.py install --home=<dir>
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where you can supply any directory you like for the :option:`--home` option. On
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Unix, lazy typists can just type a tilde (``~``); the :command:`install` command
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will expand this to your home directory::
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python setup.py install --home=~
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The :option:`--home` option defines the installation base directory. Files are
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installed to the following directories under the installation base as follows:
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| Type of file | Installation Directory | Override option |
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+==============================+===========================+=============================+
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| pure module distribution | :file:`{home}/lib/python` | :option:`--install-purelib` |
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| non-pure module distribution | :file:`{home}/lib/python` | :option:`--install-platlib` |
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| scripts | :file:`{home}/bin` | :option:`--install-scripts` |
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| data | :file:`{home}/share` | :option:`--install-data` |
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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.. _inst-alt-install-home:
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Alternate installation: Unix (the prefix scheme)
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------------------------------------------------
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The "prefix scheme" is useful when you wish to use one Python installation to
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perform the build/install (i.e., to run the setup script), but install modules
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into the third-party module directory of a different Python installation (or
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something that looks like a different Python installation). If this sounds a
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trifle unusual, it is---that's why the "home scheme" comes first. However,
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there are at least two known cases where the prefix scheme will be useful.
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First, consider that many Linux distributions put Python in :file:`/usr`, rather
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than the more traditional :file:`/usr/local`. This is entirely appropriate,
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since in those cases Python is part of "the system" rather than a local add-on.
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However, if you are installing Python modules from source, you probably want
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them to go in :file:`/usr/local/lib/python2.{X}` rather than
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:file:`/usr/lib/python2.{X}`. This can be done with ::
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/usr/bin/python setup.py install --prefix=/usr/local
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Another possibility is a network filesystem where the name used to write to a
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remote directory is different from the name used to read it: for example, the
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Python interpreter accessed as :file:`/usr/local/bin/python` might search for
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modules in :file:`/usr/local/lib/python2.{X}`, but those modules would have to
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be installed to, say, :file:`/mnt/{@server}/export/lib/python2.{X}`. This could
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be done with ::
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/usr/local/bin/python setup.py install --prefix=/mnt/@server/export
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In either case, the :option:`--prefix` option defines the installation base, and
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the :option:`--exec-prefix` option defines the platform-specific installation
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base, which is used for platform-specific files. (Currently, this just means
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non-pure module distributions, but could be expanded to C libraries, binary
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executables, etc.) If :option:`--exec-prefix` is not supplied, it defaults to
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:option:`--prefix`. Files are installed as follows:
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+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| Type of file | Installation Directory | Override option |
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+==============================+=====================================================+=============================+
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| pure module distribution | :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | :option:`--install-purelib` |
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+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| non-pure module distribution | :file:`{exec-prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | :option:`--install-platlib` |
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+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| scripts | :file:`{prefix}/bin` | :option:`--install-scripts` |
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+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| data | :file:`{prefix}/share` | :option:`--install-data` |
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+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
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There is no requirement that :option:`--prefix` or :option:`--exec-prefix`
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actually point to an alternate Python installation; if the directories listed
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above do not already exist, they are created at installation time.
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Incidentally, the real reason the prefix scheme is important is simply that a
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standard Unix installation uses the prefix scheme, but with :option:`--prefix`
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and :option:`--exec-prefix` supplied by Python itself as ``sys.prefix`` and
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``sys.exec_prefix``. Thus, you might think you'll never use the prefix scheme,
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but every time you run ``python setup.py install`` without any other options,
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you're using it.
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Note that installing extensions to an alternate Python installation has no
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effect on how those extensions are built: in particular, the Python header files
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(:file:`Python.h` and friends) installed with the Python interpreter used to run
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the setup script will be used in compiling extensions. It is your
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responsibility to ensure that the interpreter used to run extensions installed
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in this way is compatible with the interpreter used to build them. The best way
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to do this is to ensure that the two interpreters are the same version of Python
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(possibly different builds, or possibly copies of the same build). (Of course,
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if your :option:`--prefix` and :option:`--exec-prefix` don't even point to an
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alternate Python installation, this is immaterial.)
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.. _inst-alt-install-windows:
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Alternate installation: Windows (the prefix scheme)
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---------------------------------------------------
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Windows has no concept of a user's home directory, and since the standard Python
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installation under Windows is simpler than under Unix, the :option:`--prefix`
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option has traditionally been used to install additional packages in separate
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locations on Windows. ::
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python setup.py install --prefix="\Temp\Python"
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to install modules to the :file:`\\Temp\\Python` directory on the current drive.
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The installation base is defined by the :option:`--prefix` option; the
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:option:`--exec-prefix` option is not supported under Windows. Files are
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installed as follows:
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| Type of file | Installation Directory | Override option |
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+==============================+===========================+=============================+
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| pure module distribution | :file:`{prefix}` | :option:`--install-purelib` |
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| non-pure module distribution | :file:`{prefix}` | :option:`--install-platlib` |
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| scripts | :file:`{prefix}\\Scripts` | :option:`--install-scripts` |
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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| data | :file:`{prefix}\\Data` | :option:`--install-data` |
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+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
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.. _inst-custom-install:
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Custom Installation
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===================
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Sometimes, the alternate installation schemes described in section
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:ref:`inst-alt-install` just don't do what you want. You might want to tweak just
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|
one or two directories while keeping everything under the same base directory,
|
|
or you might want to completely redefine the installation scheme. In either
|
|
case, you're creating a *custom installation scheme*.
|
|
|
|
You probably noticed the column of "override options" in the tables describing
|
|
the alternate installation schemes above. Those options are how you define a
|
|
custom installation scheme. These override options can be relative, absolute,
|
|
or explicitly defined in terms of one of the installation base directories.
|
|
(There are two installation base directories, and they are normally the same---
|
|
they only differ when you use the Unix "prefix scheme" and supply different
|
|
:option:`--prefix` and :option:`--exec-prefix` options.)
|
|
|
|
For example, say you're installing a module distribution to your home directory
|
|
under Unix---but you want scripts to go in :file:`~/scripts` rather than
|
|
:file:`~/bin`. As you might expect, you can override this directory with the
|
|
:option:`--install-scripts` option; in this case, it makes most sense to supply
|
|
a relative path, which will be interpreted relative to the installation base
|
|
directory (your home directory, in this case)::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py install --home=~ --install-scripts=scripts
|
|
|
|
Another Unix example: suppose your Python installation was built and installed
|
|
with a prefix of :file:`/usr/local/python`, so under a standard installation
|
|
scripts will wind up in :file:`/usr/local/python/bin`. If you want them in
|
|
:file:`/usr/local/bin` instead, you would supply this absolute directory for the
|
|
:option:`--install-scripts` option::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py install --install-scripts=/usr/local/bin
|
|
|
|
(This performs an installation using the "prefix scheme," where the prefix is
|
|
whatever your Python interpreter was installed with--- :file:`/usr/local/python`
|
|
in this case.)
|
|
|
|
If you maintain Python on Windows, you might want third-party modules to live in
|
|
a subdirectory of :file:`{prefix}`, rather than right in :file:`{prefix}`
|
|
itself. This is almost as easy as customizing the script installation directory
|
|
---you just have to remember that there are two types of modules to worry about,
|
|
pure modules and non-pure modules (i.e., modules from a non-pure distribution).
|
|
For example::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py install --install-purelib=Site --install-platlib=Site
|
|
|
|
The specified installation directories are relative to :file:`{prefix}`. Of
|
|
course, you also have to ensure that these directories are in Python's module
|
|
search path, such as by putting a :file:`.pth` file in :file:`{prefix}`. See
|
|
section :ref:`inst-search-path` to find out how to modify Python's search path.
|
|
|
|
If you want to define an entire installation scheme, you just have to supply all
|
|
of the installation directory options. The recommended way to do this is to
|
|
supply relative paths; for example, if you want to maintain all Python
|
|
module-related files under :file:`python` in your home directory, and you want a
|
|
separate directory for each platform that you use your home directory from, you
|
|
might define the following installation scheme::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py install --home=~ \
|
|
--install-purelib=python/lib \
|
|
--install-platlib=python/lib.$PLAT \
|
|
--install-scripts=python/scripts
|
|
--install-data=python/data
|
|
|
|
or, equivalently, ::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py install --home=~/python \
|
|
--install-purelib=lib \
|
|
--install-platlib='lib.$PLAT' \
|
|
--install-scripts=scripts
|
|
--install-data=data
|
|
|
|
``$PLAT`` is not (necessarily) an environment variable---it will be expanded by
|
|
the Distutils as it parses your command line options, just as it does when
|
|
parsing your configuration file(s).
|
|
|
|
Obviously, specifying the entire installation scheme every time you install a
|
|
new module distribution would be very tedious. Thus, you can put these options
|
|
into your Distutils config file (see section :ref:`inst-config-files`)::
|
|
|
|
[install]
|
|
install-base=$HOME
|
|
install-purelib=python/lib
|
|
install-platlib=python/lib.$PLAT
|
|
install-scripts=python/scripts
|
|
install-data=python/data
|
|
|
|
or, equivalently, ::
|
|
|
|
[install]
|
|
install-base=$HOME/python
|
|
install-purelib=lib
|
|
install-platlib=lib.$PLAT
|
|
install-scripts=scripts
|
|
install-data=data
|
|
|
|
Note that these two are *not* equivalent if you supply a different installation
|
|
base directory when you run the setup script. For example, ::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py install --install-base=/tmp
|
|
|
|
would install pure modules to :file:`{/tmp/python/lib}` in the first case, and
|
|
to :file:`{/tmp/lib}` in the second case. (For the second case, you probably
|
|
want to supply an installation base of :file:`/tmp/python`.)
|
|
|
|
You probably noticed the use of ``$HOME`` and ``$PLAT`` in the sample
|
|
configuration file input. These are Distutils configuration variables, which
|
|
bear a strong resemblance to environment variables. In fact, you can use
|
|
environment variables in config files on platforms that have such a notion but
|
|
the Distutils additionally define a few extra variables that may not be in your
|
|
environment, such as ``$PLAT``. (And of course, on systems that don't have
|
|
environment variables, such as Mac OS 9, the configuration variables supplied by
|
|
the Distutils are the only ones you can use.) See section :ref:`inst-config-files`
|
|
for details.
|
|
|
|
.. XXX need some Windows examples---when would custom installation schemes be
|
|
needed on those platforms?
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. XXX I'm not sure where this section should go.
|
|
|
|
.. _inst-search-path:
|
|
|
|
Modifying Python's Search Path
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
|
|
When the Python interpreter executes an :keyword:`import` statement, it searches
|
|
for both Python code and extension modules along a search path. A default value
|
|
for the path is configured into the Python binary when the interpreter is built.
|
|
You can determine the path by importing the :mod:`sys` module and printing the
|
|
value of ``sys.path``. ::
|
|
|
|
$ python
|
|
Python 2.2 (#11, Oct 3 2002, 13:31:27)
|
|
[GCC 2.96 20000731 (Red Hat Linux 7.3 2.96-112)] on linux2
|
|
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
|
|
>>> import sys
|
|
>>> sys.path
|
|
['', '/usr/local/lib/python2.3', '/usr/local/lib/python2.3/plat-linux2',
|
|
'/usr/local/lib/python2.3/lib-tk', '/usr/local/lib/python2.3/lib-dynload',
|
|
'/usr/local/lib/python2.3/site-packages']
|
|
>>>
|
|
|
|
The null string in ``sys.path`` represents the current working directory.
|
|
|
|
The expected convention for locally installed packages is to put them in the
|
|
:file:`{...}/site-packages/` directory, but you may want to install Python
|
|
modules into some arbitrary directory. For example, your site may have a
|
|
convention of keeping all software related to the web server under :file:`/www`.
|
|
Add-on Python modules might then belong in :file:`/www/python`, and in order to
|
|
import them, this directory must be added to ``sys.path``. There are several
|
|
different ways to add the directory.
|
|
|
|
The most convenient way is to add a path configuration file to a directory
|
|
that's already on Python's path, usually to the :file:`.../site-packages/`
|
|
directory. Path configuration files have an extension of :file:`.pth`, and each
|
|
line must contain a single path that will be appended to ``sys.path``. (Because
|
|
the new paths are appended to ``sys.path``, modules in the added directories
|
|
will not override standard modules. This means you can't use this mechanism for
|
|
installing fixed versions of standard modules.)
|
|
|
|
Paths can be absolute or relative, in which case they're relative to the
|
|
directory containing the :file:`.pth` file. See the documentation of
|
|
the :mod:`site` module for more information.
|
|
|
|
A slightly less convenient way is to edit the :file:`site.py` file in Python's
|
|
standard library, and modify ``sys.path``. :file:`site.py` is automatically
|
|
imported when the Python interpreter is executed, unless the :option:`-S` switch
|
|
is supplied to suppress this behaviour. So you could simply edit
|
|
:file:`site.py` and add two lines to it::
|
|
|
|
import sys
|
|
sys.path.append('/www/python/')
|
|
|
|
However, if you reinstall the same major version of Python (perhaps when
|
|
upgrading from 2.2 to 2.2.2, for example) :file:`site.py` will be overwritten by
|
|
the stock version. You'd have to remember that it was modified and save a copy
|
|
before doing the installation.
|
|
|
|
There are two environment variables that can modify ``sys.path``.
|
|
:envvar:`PYTHONHOME` sets an alternate value for the prefix of the Python
|
|
installation. For example, if :envvar:`PYTHONHOME` is set to ``/www/python``,
|
|
the search path will be set to ``['', '/www/python/lib/pythonX.Y/',
|
|
'/www/python/lib/pythonX.Y/plat-linux2', ...]``.
|
|
|
|
The :envvar:`PYTHONPATH` variable can be set to a list of paths that will be
|
|
added to the beginning of ``sys.path``. For example, if :envvar:`PYTHONPATH` is
|
|
set to ``/www/python:/opt/py``, the search path will begin with
|
|
``['/www/python', '/opt/py']``. (Note that directories must exist in order to
|
|
be added to ``sys.path``; the :mod:`site` module removes paths that don't
|
|
exist.)
|
|
|
|
Finally, ``sys.path`` is just a regular Python list, so any Python application
|
|
can modify it by adding or removing entries.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _inst-config-files:
|
|
|
|
Distutils Configuration Files
|
|
=============================
|
|
|
|
As mentioned above, you can use Distutils configuration files to record personal
|
|
or site preferences for any Distutils options. That is, any option to any
|
|
command can be stored in one of two or three (depending on your platform)
|
|
configuration files, which will be consulted before the command-line is parsed.
|
|
This means that configuration files will override default values, and the
|
|
command-line will in turn override configuration files. Furthermore, if
|
|
multiple configuration files apply, values from "earlier" files are overridden
|
|
by "later" files.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _inst-config-filenames:
|
|
|
|
Location and names of config files
|
|
----------------------------------
|
|
|
|
The names and locations of the configuration files vary slightly across
|
|
platforms. On Unix and Mac OS X, the three configuration files (in the order
|
|
they are processed) are:
|
|
|
|
+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+-------+
|
|
| Type of file | Location and filename | Notes |
|
|
+==============+==========================================================+=======+
|
|
| system | :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{ver}/distutils/distutils.cfg` | \(1) |
|
|
+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+-------+
|
|
| personal | :file:`$HOME/.pydistutils.cfg` | \(2) |
|
|
+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+-------+
|
|
| local | :file:`setup.cfg` | \(3) |
|
|
+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+-------+
|
|
|
|
And on Windows, the configuration files are:
|
|
|
|
+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+-------+
|
|
| Type of file | Location and filename | Notes |
|
|
+==============+=================================================+=======+
|
|
| system | :file:`{prefix}\\Lib\\distutils\\distutils.cfg` | \(4) |
|
|
+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+-------+
|
|
| personal | :file:`%HOME%\\pydistutils.cfg` | \(5) |
|
|
+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+-------+
|
|
| local | :file:`setup.cfg` | \(3) |
|
|
+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+-------+
|
|
|
|
Notes:
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
|
Strictly speaking, the system-wide configuration file lives in the directory
|
|
where the Distutils are installed; under Python 1.6 and later on Unix, this is
|
|
as shown. For Python 1.5.2, the Distutils will normally be installed to
|
|
:file:`{prefix}/lib/python1.5/site-packages/distutils`, so the system
|
|
configuration file should be put there under Python 1.5.2.
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
On Unix, if the :envvar:`HOME` environment variable is not defined, the user's
|
|
home directory will be determined with the :func:`getpwuid` function from the
|
|
standard :mod:`pwd` module. This is done by the :func:`os.path.expanduser`
|
|
function used by Distutils.
|
|
|
|
(3)
|
|
I.e., in the current directory (usually the location of the setup script).
|
|
|
|
(4)
|
|
(See also note (1).) Under Python 1.6 and later, Python's default "installation
|
|
prefix" is :file:`C:\\Python`, so the system configuration file is normally
|
|
:file:`C:\\Python\\Lib\\distutils\\distutils.cfg`. Under Python 1.5.2, the
|
|
default prefix was :file:`C:\\Program Files\\Python`, and the Distutils were not
|
|
part of the standard library---so the system configuration file would be
|
|
:file:`C:\\Program Files\\Python\\distutils\\distutils.cfg` in a standard Python
|
|
1.5.2 installation under Windows.
|
|
|
|
(5)
|
|
On Windows, if the :envvar:`HOME` environment variable is not defined,
|
|
:envvar:`USERPROFILE` then :envvar:`HOMEDRIVE` and :envvar:`HOMEPATH` will
|
|
be tried. This is done by the :func:`os.path.expanduser` function used
|
|
by Distutils.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _inst-config-syntax:
|
|
|
|
Syntax of config files
|
|
----------------------
|
|
|
|
The Distutils configuration files all have the same syntax. The config files
|
|
are grouped into sections. There is one section for each Distutils command,
|
|
plus a ``global`` section for global options that affect every command. Each
|
|
section consists of one option per line, specified as ``option=value``.
|
|
|
|
For example, the following is a complete config file that just forces all
|
|
commands to run quietly by default::
|
|
|
|
[global]
|
|
verbose=0
|
|
|
|
If this is installed as the system config file, it will affect all processing of
|
|
any Python module distribution by any user on the current system. If it is
|
|
installed as your personal config file (on systems that support them), it will
|
|
affect only module distributions processed by you. And if it is used as the
|
|
:file:`setup.cfg` for a particular module distribution, it affects only that
|
|
distribution.
|
|
|
|
You could override the default "build base" directory and make the
|
|
:command:`build\*` commands always forcibly rebuild all files with the
|
|
following::
|
|
|
|
[build]
|
|
build-base=blib
|
|
force=1
|
|
|
|
which corresponds to the command-line arguments ::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py build --build-base=blib --force
|
|
|
|
except that including the :command:`build` command on the command-line means
|
|
that command will be run. Including a particular command in config files has no
|
|
such implication; it only means that if the command is run, the options in the
|
|
config file will apply. (Or if other commands that derive values from it are
|
|
run, they will use the values in the config file.)
|
|
|
|
You can find out the complete list of options for any command using the
|
|
:option:`--help` option, e.g.::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py build --help
|
|
|
|
and you can find out the complete list of global options by using
|
|
:option:`--help` without a command::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py --help
|
|
|
|
See also the "Reference" section of the "Distributing Python Modules" manual.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _inst-building-ext:
|
|
|
|
Building Extensions: Tips and Tricks
|
|
====================================
|
|
|
|
Whenever possible, the Distutils try to use the configuration information made
|
|
available by the Python interpreter used to run the :file:`setup.py` script.
|
|
For example, the same compiler and linker flags used to compile Python will also
|
|
be used for compiling extensions. Usually this will work well, but in
|
|
complicated situations this might be inappropriate. This section discusses how
|
|
to override the usual Distutils behaviour.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _inst-tweak-flags:
|
|
|
|
Tweaking compiler/linker flags
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Compiling a Python extension written in C or C++ will sometimes require
|
|
specifying custom flags for the compiler and linker in order to use a particular
|
|
library or produce a special kind of object code. This is especially true if the
|
|
extension hasn't been tested on your platform, or if you're trying to
|
|
cross-compile Python.
|
|
|
|
In the most general case, the extension author might have foreseen that
|
|
compiling the extensions would be complicated, and provided a :file:`Setup` file
|
|
for you to edit. This will likely only be done if the module distribution
|
|
contains many separate extension modules, or if they often require elaborate
|
|
sets of compiler flags in order to work.
|
|
|
|
A :file:`Setup` file, if present, is parsed in order to get a list of extensions
|
|
to build. Each line in a :file:`Setup` describes a single module. Lines have
|
|
the following structure::
|
|
|
|
module ... [sourcefile ...] [cpparg ...] [library ...]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Let's examine each of the fields in turn.
|
|
|
|
* *module* is the name of the extension module to be built, and should be a
|
|
valid Python identifier. You can't just change this in order to rename a module
|
|
(edits to the source code would also be needed), so this should be left alone.
|
|
|
|
* *sourcefile* is anything that's likely to be a source code file, at least
|
|
judging by the filename. Filenames ending in :file:`.c` are assumed to be
|
|
written in C, filenames ending in :file:`.C`, :file:`.cc`, and :file:`.c++` are
|
|
assumed to be C++, and filenames ending in :file:`.m` or :file:`.mm` are assumed
|
|
to be in Objective C.
|
|
|
|
* *cpparg* is an argument for the C preprocessor, and is anything starting with
|
|
:option:`-I`, :option:`-D`, :option:`-U` or :option:`-C`.
|
|
|
|
* *library* is anything ending in :file:`.a` or beginning with :option:`-l` or
|
|
:option:`-L`.
|
|
|
|
If a particular platform requires a special library on your platform, you can
|
|
add it by editing the :file:`Setup` file and running ``python setup.py build``.
|
|
For example, if the module defined by the line ::
|
|
|
|
foo foomodule.c
|
|
|
|
must be linked with the math library :file:`libm.a` on your platform, simply add
|
|
:option:`-lm` to the line::
|
|
|
|
foo foomodule.c -lm
|
|
|
|
Arbitrary switches intended for the compiler or the linker can be supplied with
|
|
the :option:`-Xcompiler` *arg* and :option:`-Xlinker` *arg* options::
|
|
|
|
foo foomodule.c -Xcompiler -o32 -Xlinker -shared -lm
|
|
|
|
The next option after :option:`-Xcompiler` and :option:`-Xlinker` will be
|
|
appended to the proper command line, so in the above example the compiler will
|
|
be passed the :option:`-o32` option, and the linker will be passed
|
|
:option:`-shared`. If a compiler option requires an argument, you'll have to
|
|
supply multiple :option:`-Xcompiler` options; for example, to pass ``-x c++``
|
|
the :file:`Setup` file would have to contain ``-Xcompiler -x -Xcompiler c++``.
|
|
|
|
Compiler flags can also be supplied through setting the :envvar:`CFLAGS`
|
|
environment variable. If set, the contents of :envvar:`CFLAGS` will be added to
|
|
the compiler flags specified in the :file:`Setup` file.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _inst-non-ms-compilers:
|
|
|
|
Using non-Microsoft compilers on Windows
|
|
----------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. sectionauthor:: Rene Liebscher <R.Liebscher@gmx.de>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Borland/CodeGear C++
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
|
|
This subsection describes the necessary steps to use Distutils with the Borland
|
|
C++ compiler version 5.5. First you have to know that Borland's object file
|
|
format (OMF) is different from the format used by the Python version you can
|
|
download from the Python or ActiveState Web site. (Python is built with
|
|
Microsoft Visual C++, which uses COFF as the object file format.) For this
|
|
reason you have to convert Python's library :file:`python25.lib` into the
|
|
Borland format. You can do this as follows:
|
|
|
|
.. Should we mention that users have to create cfg-files for the compiler?
|
|
.. see also http://community.borland.com/article/0,1410,21205,00.html
|
|
|
|
::
|
|
|
|
coff2omf python25.lib python25_bcpp.lib
|
|
|
|
The :file:`coff2omf` program comes with the Borland compiler. The file
|
|
:file:`python25.lib` is in the :file:`Libs` directory of your Python
|
|
installation. If your extension uses other libraries (zlib, ...) you have to
|
|
convert them too.
|
|
|
|
The converted files have to reside in the same directories as the normal
|
|
libraries.
|
|
|
|
How does Distutils manage to use these libraries with their changed names? If
|
|
the extension needs a library (eg. :file:`foo`) Distutils checks first if it
|
|
finds a library with suffix :file:`_bcpp` (eg. :file:`foo_bcpp.lib`) and then
|
|
uses this library. In the case it doesn't find such a special library it uses
|
|
the default name (:file:`foo.lib`.) [#]_
|
|
|
|
To let Distutils compile your extension with Borland C++ you now have to type::
|
|
|
|
python setup.py build --compiler=bcpp
|
|
|
|
If you want to use the Borland C++ compiler as the default, you could specify
|
|
this in your personal or system-wide configuration file for Distutils (see
|
|
section :ref:`inst-config-files`.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. seealso::
|
|
|
|
`C++Builder Compiler <http://www.codegear.com/downloads/free/cppbuilder>`_
|
|
Information about the free C++ compiler from Borland, including links to the
|
|
download pages.
|
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`Creating Python Extensions Using Borland's Free Compiler <http://www.cyberus.ca/~g_will/pyExtenDL.shtml>`_
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Document describing how to use Borland's free command-line C++ compiler to build
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Python.
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GNU C / Cygwin / MinGW
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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These instructions only apply if you're using a version of Python prior to
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2.4.1 with a MinGW prior to 3.0.0 (with binutils-2.13.90-20030111-1).
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This section describes the necessary steps to use Distutils with the GNU C/C++
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compilers in their Cygwin and MinGW distributions. [#]_ For a Python interpreter
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that was built with Cygwin, everything should work without any of these
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following steps.
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These compilers require some special libraries. This task is more complex than
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for Borland's C++, because there is no program to convert the library. First
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you have to create a list of symbols which the Python DLL exports. (You can find
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a good program for this task at http://www.emmestech.com/software/cygwin/pexports-0.43/download_pexports.html)
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.. I don't understand what the next line means. --amk
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.. (inclusive the references on data structures.)
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::
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pexports python25.dll >python25.def
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The location of an installed :file:`python25.dll` will depend on the
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installation options and the version and language of Windows. In a "just for
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me" installation, it will appear in the root of the installation directory. In
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a shared installation, it will be located in the system directory.
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Then you can create from these information an import library for gcc. ::
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/cygwin/bin/dlltool --dllname python25.dll --def python25.def --output-lib libpython25.a
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The resulting library has to be placed in the same directory as
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:file:`python25.lib`. (Should be the :file:`libs` directory under your Python
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installation directory.)
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If your extension uses other libraries (zlib,...) you might have to convert
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them too. The converted files have to reside in the same directories as the
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normal libraries do.
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To let Distutils compile your extension with Cygwin you now have to type ::
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python setup.py build --compiler=cygwin
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and for Cygwin in no-cygwin mode [#]_ or for MinGW type::
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python setup.py build --compiler=mingw32
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If you want to use any of these options/compilers as default, you should
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consider to write it in your personal or system-wide configuration file for
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Distutils (see section :ref:`inst-config-files`.)
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.. seealso::
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`Building Python modules on MS Windows platform with MinGW <http://www.zope.org/Members/als/tips/win32_mingw_modules>`_
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Information about building the required libraries for the MinGW environment.
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.. rubric:: Footnotes
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.. [#] This also means you could replace all existing COFF-libraries with OMF-libraries
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of the same name.
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.. [#] Check http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/ and http://www.mingw.org/ for more
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information
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.. [#] Then you have no POSIX emulation available, but you also don't need
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:file:`cygwin1.dll`.
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