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authorÉric Araujo <merwok@netwok.org>2011-06-01 18:42:49 (GMT)
committerÉric Araujo <merwok@netwok.org>2011-06-01 18:42:49 (GMT)
commit3a9f58f6b3938823328374f34a3b52a167fed871 (patch)
tree10cc586248124e3c921dd921602e9730f7064397 /Doc/install/index.rst
parenta003af1ce9d008e03371b3d16c4d6361961c2e78 (diff)
downloadcpython-3a9f58f6b3938823328374f34a3b52a167fed871.zip
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Add documentation for the packaging module.
This updates the user guide to refer to Packaging instead of Distutils. Some files still require an update.
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-.. highlightlang:: none
-
-.. _install-index:
-
-*****************************
- Installing Python Modules
-*****************************
-
-:Author: Greg Ward
-:Release: |version|
-:Date: |today|
-
-.. TODO: Fill in XXX comments
-
-.. The audience for this document includes people who don't know anything
- about Python and aren't about to learn the language just in order to
- install and maintain it for their users, i.e. system administrators.
- Thus, I have to be sure to explain the basics at some point:
- sys.path and PYTHONPATH at least. Should probably give pointers to
- other docs on "import site", PYTHONSTARTUP, PYTHONHOME, etc.
-
- Finally, it might be useful to include all the material from my "Care
- and Feeding of a Python Installation" talk in here somewhere. Yow!
-
-.. topic:: Abstract
-
- This document describes the Python Distribution Utilities ("Distutils") from the
- end-user's point-of-view, describing how to extend the capabilities of a
- standard Python installation by building and installing third-party Python
- modules and extensions.
-
-
-.. _inst-intro:
-
-Introduction
-============
-
-Although Python's extensive standard library covers many programming needs,
-there often comes a time when you need to add some new functionality to your
-Python installation in the form of third-party modules. This might be necessary
-to support your own programming, or to support an application that you want to
-use and that happens to be written in Python.
-
-In the past, there has been little support for adding third-party modules to an
-existing Python installation. With the introduction of the Python Distribution
-Utilities (Distutils for short) in Python 2.0, this changed.
-
-This document is aimed primarily at the people who need to install third-party
-Python modules: end-users and system administrators who just need to get some
-Python application running, and existing Python programmers who want to add some
-new goodies to their toolbox. You don't need to know Python to read this
-document; there will be some brief forays into using Python's interactive mode
-to explore your installation, but that's it. If you're looking for information
-on how to distribute your own Python modules so that others may use them, see
-the :ref:`distutils-index` manual.
-
-
-.. _inst-trivial-install:
-
-Best case: trivial installation
--------------------------------
-
-In the best case, someone will have prepared a special version of the module
-distribution you want to install that is targeted specifically at your platform
-and is installed just like any other software on your platform. For example,
-the module developer might make an executable installer available for Windows
-users, an RPM package for users of RPM-based Linux systems (Red Hat, SuSE,
-Mandrake, and many others), a Debian package for users of Debian-based Linux
-systems, and so forth.
-
-In that case, you would download the installer appropriate to your platform and
-do the obvious thing with it: run it if it's an executable installer, ``rpm
---install`` it if it's an RPM, etc. You don't need to run Python or a setup
-script, you don't need to compile anything---you might not even need to read any
-instructions (although it's always a good idea to do so anyways).
-
-Of course, things will not always be that easy. You might be interested in a
-module distribution that doesn't have an easy-to-use installer for your
-platform. In that case, you'll have to start with the source distribution
-released by the module's author/maintainer. Installing from a source
-distribution is not too hard, as long as the modules are packaged in the
-standard way. The bulk of this document is about building and installing
-modules from standard source distributions.
-
-
-.. _inst-new-standard:
-
-The new standard: Distutils
----------------------------
-
-If you download a module source distribution, you can tell pretty quickly if it
-was packaged and distributed in the standard way, i.e. using the Distutils.
-First, the distribution's name and version number will be featured prominently
-in the name of the downloaded archive, e.g. :file:`foo-1.0.tar.gz` or
-:file:`widget-0.9.7.zip`. Next, the archive will unpack into a similarly-named
-directory: :file:`foo-1.0` or :file:`widget-0.9.7`. Additionally, the
-distribution will contain a setup script :file:`setup.py`, and a file named
-:file:`README.txt` or possibly just :file:`README`, which should explain that
-building and installing the module distribution is a simple matter of running ::
-
- python setup.py install
-
-If all these things are true, then you already know how to build and install the
-modules you've just downloaded: Run the command above. Unless you need to
-install things in a non-standard way or customize the build process, you don't
-really need this manual. Or rather, the above command is everything you need to
-get out of this manual.
-
-
-.. _inst-standard-install:
-
-Standard Build and Install
-==========================
-
-As described in section :ref:`inst-new-standard`, building and installing a module
-distribution using the Distutils is usually one simple command::
-
- python setup.py install
-
-On Unix, you'd run this command from a shell prompt; on Windows, you have to
-open a command prompt window ("DOS box") and do it there; on Mac OS X, you open
-a :command:`Terminal` window to get a shell prompt.
-
-
-.. _inst-platform-variations:
-
-Platform variations
--------------------
-
-You should always run the setup command from the distribution root directory,
-i.e. the top-level subdirectory that the module source distribution unpacks
-into. For example, if you've just downloaded a module source distribution
-:file:`foo-1.0.tar.gz` onto a Unix system, the normal thing to do is::
-
- gunzip -c foo-1.0.tar.gz | tar xf - # unpacks into directory foo-1.0
- cd foo-1.0
- python setup.py install
-
-On Windows, you'd probably download :file:`foo-1.0.zip`. If you downloaded the
-archive file to :file:`C:\\Temp`, then it would unpack into
-:file:`C:\\Temp\\foo-1.0`; you can use either a archive manipulator with a
-graphical user interface (such as WinZip) or a command-line tool (such as
-:program:`unzip` or :program:`pkunzip`) to unpack the archive. Then, open a
-command prompt window ("DOS box"), and run::
-
- cd c:\Temp\foo-1.0
- python setup.py install
-
-
-.. _inst-splitting-up:
-
-Splitting the job up
---------------------
-
-Running ``setup.py install`` builds and installs all modules in one run. If you
-prefer to work incrementally---especially useful if you want to customize the
-build process, or if things are going wrong---you can use the setup script to do
-one thing at a time. This is particularly helpful when the build and install
-will be done by different users---for example, you might want to build a module
-distribution and hand it off to a system administrator for installation (or do
-it yourself, with super-user privileges).
-
-For example, you can build everything in one step, and then install everything
-in a second step, by invoking the setup script twice::
-
- python setup.py build
- python setup.py install
-
-If you do this, you will notice that running the :command:`install` command
-first runs the :command:`build` command, which---in this case---quickly notices
-that it has nothing to do, since everything in the :file:`build` directory is
-up-to-date.
-
-You may not need this ability to break things down often if all you do is
-install modules downloaded off the 'net, but it's very handy for more advanced
-tasks. If you get into distributing your own Python modules and extensions,
-you'll run lots of individual Distutils commands on their own.
-
-
-.. _inst-how-build-works:
-
-How building works
-------------------
-
-As implied above, the :command:`build` command is responsible for putting the
-files to install into a *build directory*. By default, this is :file:`build`
-under the distribution root; if you're excessively concerned with speed, or want
-to keep the source tree pristine, you can change the build directory with the
-:option:`--build-base` option. For example::
-
- python setup.py build --build-base=/tmp/pybuild/foo-1.0
-
-(Or you could do this permanently with a directive in your system or personal
-Distutils configuration file; see section :ref:`inst-config-files`.) Normally, this
-isn't necessary.
-
-The default layout for the build tree is as follows::
-
- --- build/ --- lib/
- or
- --- build/ --- lib.<plat>/
- temp.<plat>/
-
-where ``<plat>`` expands to a brief description of the current OS/hardware
-platform and Python version. The first form, with just a :file:`lib` directory,
-is used for "pure module distributions"---that is, module distributions that
-include only pure Python modules. If a module distribution contains any
-extensions (modules written in C/C++), then the second form, with two ``<plat>``
-directories, is used. In that case, the :file:`temp.{plat}` directory holds
-temporary files generated by the compile/link process that don't actually get
-installed. In either case, the :file:`lib` (or :file:`lib.{plat}`) directory
-contains all Python modules (pure Python and extensions) that will be installed.
-
-In the future, more directories will be added to handle Python scripts,
-documentation, binary executables, and whatever else is needed to handle the job
-of installing Python modules and applications.
-
-
-.. _inst-how-install-works:
-
-How installation works
-----------------------
-
-After the :command:`build` command runs (whether you run it explicitly, or the
-:command:`install` command does it for you), the work of the :command:`install`
-command is relatively simple: all it has to do is copy everything under
-:file:`build/lib` (or :file:`build/lib.{plat}`) to your chosen installation
-directory.
-
-If you don't choose an installation directory---i.e., if you just run ``setup.py
-install``\ ---then the :command:`install` command installs to the standard
-location for third-party Python modules. This location varies by platform and
-by how you built/installed Python itself. On Unix (and Mac OS X, which is also
-Unix-based), it also depends on whether the module distribution being installed
-is pure Python or contains extensions ("non-pure"):
-
-+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| Platform | Standard installation location | Default value | Notes |
-+=================+=====================================================+==================================================+=======+
-| Unix (pure) | :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | :file:`/usr/local/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | \(1) |
-+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| Unix (non-pure) | :file:`{exec-prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | :file:`/usr/local/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | \(1) |
-+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
-| Windows | :file:`{prefix}\\Lib\\site-packages` | :file:`C:\\Python{XY}\\Lib\\site-packages` | \(2) |
-+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------+-------+
-
-Notes:
-
-(1)
- Most Linux distributions include Python as a standard part of the system, so
- :file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}` are usually both :file:`/usr` on
- Linux. If you build Python yourself on Linux (or any Unix-like system), the
- default :file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}` are :file:`/usr/local`.
-
-(2)
- The default installation directory on Windows was :file:`C:\\Program
- Files\\Python` under Python 1.6a1, 1.5.2, and earlier.
-
-:file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}` stand for the directories that Python
-is installed to, and where it finds its libraries at run-time. They are always
-the same under Windows, and very often the same under Unix and Mac OS X. You
-can find out what your Python installation uses for :file:`{prefix}` and
-:file:`{exec-prefix}` by running Python in interactive mode and typing a few
-simple commands. Under Unix, just type ``python`` at the shell prompt. Under
-Windows, choose :menuselection:`Start --> Programs --> Python X.Y -->
-Python (command line)`. Once the interpreter is started, you type Python code
-at the prompt. For example, on my Linux system, I type the three Python
-statements shown below, and get the output as shown, to find out my
-:file:`{prefix}` and :file:`{exec-prefix}`::
-
- Python 2.4 (#26, Aug 7 2004, 17:19:02)
- Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
- >>> import sys
- >>> sys.prefix
- '/usr'
- >>> sys.exec_prefix
- '/usr'
-
-If you don't want to install modules to the standard location, or if you don't
-have permission to write there, then you need to read about alternate
-installations in section :ref:`inst-alt-install`. If you want to customize your
-installation directories more heavily, see section :ref:`inst-custom-install` on
-custom installations.
-
-
-.. _inst-alt-install:
-
-Alternate Installation
-======================
-
-Often, it is necessary or desirable to install modules to a location other than
-the standard location for third-party Python modules. For example, on a Unix
-system you might not have permission to write to the standard third-party module
-directory. Or you might wish to try out a module before making it a standard
-part of your local Python installation. This is especially true when upgrading
-a distribution already present: you want to make sure your existing base of
-scripts still works with the new version before actually upgrading.
-
-The Distutils :command:`install` command is designed to make installing module
-distributions to an alternate location simple and painless. The basic idea is
-that you supply a base directory for the installation, and the
-:command:`install` command picks a set of directories (called an *installation
-scheme*) under this base directory in which to install files. The details
-differ across platforms, so read whichever of the following sections applies to
-you.
-
-
-.. _inst-alt-install-prefix:
-
-Alternate installation: the home scheme
----------------------------------------
-
-The idea behind the "home scheme" is that you build and maintain a personal
-stash of Python modules. This scheme's name is derived from the idea of a
-"home" directory on Unix, since it's not unusual for a Unix user to make their
-home directory have a layout similar to :file:`/usr/` or :file:`/usr/local/`.
-This scheme can be used by anyone, regardless of the operating system they
-are installing for.
-
-Installing a new module distribution is as simple as ::
-
- python setup.py install --home=<dir>
-
-where you can supply any directory you like for the :option:`--home` option. On
-Unix, lazy typists can just type a tilde (``~``); the :command:`install` command
-will expand this to your home directory::
-
- python setup.py install --home=~
-
-The :option:`--home` option defines the installation base directory. Files are
-installed to the following directories under the installation base as follows:
-
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| Type of file | Installation Directory | Override option |
-+==============================+===========================+=============================+
-| pure module distribution | :file:`{home}/lib/python` | :option:`--install-purelib` |
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| non-pure module distribution | :file:`{home}/lib/python` | :option:`--install-platlib` |
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| scripts | :file:`{home}/bin` | :option:`--install-scripts` |
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| data | :file:`{home}/share` | :option:`--install-data` |
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-
-
-.. _inst-alt-install-home:
-
-Alternate installation: Unix (the prefix scheme)
-------------------------------------------------
-
-The "prefix scheme" is useful when you wish to use one Python installation to
-perform the build/install (i.e., to run the setup script), but install modules
-into the third-party module directory of a different Python installation (or
-something that looks like a different Python installation). If this sounds a
-trifle unusual, it is---that's why the "home scheme" comes first. However,
-there are at least two known cases where the prefix scheme will be useful.
-
-First, consider that many Linux distributions put Python in :file:`/usr`, rather
-than the more traditional :file:`/usr/local`. This is entirely appropriate,
-since in those cases Python is part of "the system" rather than a local add-on.
-However, if you are installing Python modules from source, you probably want
-them to go in :file:`/usr/local/lib/python2.{X}` rather than
-:file:`/usr/lib/python2.{X}`. This can be done with ::
-
- /usr/bin/python setup.py install --prefix=/usr/local
-
-Another possibility is a network filesystem where the name used to write to a
-remote directory is different from the name used to read it: for example, the
-Python interpreter accessed as :file:`/usr/local/bin/python` might search for
-modules in :file:`/usr/local/lib/python2.{X}`, but those modules would have to
-be installed to, say, :file:`/mnt/{@server}/export/lib/python2.{X}`. This could
-be done with ::
-
- /usr/local/bin/python setup.py install --prefix=/mnt/@server/export
-
-In either case, the :option:`--prefix` option defines the installation base, and
-the :option:`--exec-prefix` option defines the platform-specific installation
-base, which is used for platform-specific files. (Currently, this just means
-non-pure module distributions, but could be expanded to C libraries, binary
-executables, etc.) If :option:`--exec-prefix` is not supplied, it defaults to
-:option:`--prefix`. Files are installed as follows:
-
-+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| Type of file | Installation Directory | Override option |
-+==============================+=====================================================+=============================+
-| pure module distribution | :file:`{prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | :option:`--install-purelib` |
-+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| non-pure module distribution | :file:`{exec-prefix}/lib/python{X.Y}/site-packages` | :option:`--install-platlib` |
-+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| scripts | :file:`{prefix}/bin` | :option:`--install-scripts` |
-+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| data | :file:`{prefix}/share` | :option:`--install-data` |
-+------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
-
-There is no requirement that :option:`--prefix` or :option:`--exec-prefix`
-actually point to an alternate Python installation; if the directories listed
-above do not already exist, they are created at installation time.
-
-Incidentally, the real reason the prefix scheme is important is simply that a
-standard Unix installation uses the prefix scheme, but with :option:`--prefix`
-and :option:`--exec-prefix` supplied by Python itself as ``sys.prefix`` and
-``sys.exec_prefix``. Thus, you might think you'll never use the prefix scheme,
-but every time you run ``python setup.py install`` without any other options,
-you're using it.
-
-Note that installing extensions to an alternate Python installation has no
-effect on how those extensions are built: in particular, the Python header files
-(:file:`Python.h` and friends) installed with the Python interpreter used to run
-the setup script will be used in compiling extensions. It is your
-responsibility to ensure that the interpreter used to run extensions installed
-in this way is compatible with the interpreter used to build them. The best way
-to do this is to ensure that the two interpreters are the same version of Python
-(possibly different builds, or possibly copies of the same build). (Of course,
-if your :option:`--prefix` and :option:`--exec-prefix` don't even point to an
-alternate Python installation, this is immaterial.)
-
-
-.. _inst-alt-install-windows:
-
-Alternate installation: Windows (the prefix scheme)
----------------------------------------------------
-
-Windows has no concept of a user's home directory, and since the standard Python
-installation under Windows is simpler than under Unix, the :option:`--prefix`
-option has traditionally been used to install additional packages in separate
-locations on Windows. ::
-
- python setup.py install --prefix="\Temp\Python"
-
-to install modules to the :file:`\\Temp\\Python` directory on the current drive.
-
-The installation base is defined by the :option:`--prefix` option; the
-:option:`--exec-prefix` option is not supported under Windows. Files are
-installed as follows:
-
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| Type of file | Installation Directory | Override option |
-+==============================+===========================+=============================+
-| pure module distribution | :file:`{prefix}` | :option:`--install-purelib` |
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| non-pure module distribution | :file:`{prefix}` | :option:`--install-platlib` |
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| scripts | :file:`{prefix}\\Scripts` | :option:`--install-scripts` |
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-| data | :file:`{prefix}\\Data` | :option:`--install-data` |
-+------------------------------+---------------------------+-----------------------------+
-
-
-.. _inst-custom-install:
-
-Custom Installation
-===================
-
-Sometimes, the alternate installation schemes described in section
-:ref:`inst-alt-install` just don't do what you want. You might want to tweak just
-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) |
-+--------------+-------------------------------------------------+-------+
-
-On all platforms, the "personal" file can be temporarily disabled by
-passing the `--no-user-cfg` option.
-
-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.
-
- `Creating Python Extensions Using Borland's Free Compiler <http://www.cyberus.ca/~g_will/pyExtenDL.shtml>`_
- Document describing how to use Borland's free command-line C++ compiler to build
- Python.
-
-
-GNU C / Cygwin / MinGW
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-
-This section describes the necessary steps to use Distutils with the GNU C/C++
-compilers in their Cygwin and MinGW distributions. [#]_ For a Python interpreter
-that was built with Cygwin, everything should work without any of these
-following steps.
-
-Not all extensions can be built with MinGW or Cygwin, but many can. Extensions
-most likely to not work are those that use C++ or depend on Microsoft Visual C
-extensions.
-
-To let Distutils compile your extension with Cygwin you have to type::
-
- python setup.py build --compiler=cygwin
-
-and for Cygwin in no-cygwin mode [#]_ or for MinGW type::
-
- python setup.py build --compiler=mingw32
-
-If you want to use any of these options/compilers as default, you should
-consider writing it in your personal or system-wide configuration file for
-Distutils (see section :ref:`inst-config-files`.)
-
-Older Versions of Python and MinGW
-""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
-The following instructions only apply if you're using a version of Python
-inferior to 2.4.1 with a MinGW inferior to 3.0.0 (with
-binutils-2.13.90-20030111-1).
-
-These compilers require some special libraries. This task is more complex than
-for Borland's C++, because there is no program to convert the library. First
-you have to create a list of symbols which the Python DLL exports. (You can find
-a good program for this task at
-http://www.emmestech.com/software/pexports-0.43/download_pexports.html).
-
-.. I don't understand what the next line means. --amk
-.. (inclusive the references on data structures.)
-
-::
-
- pexports python25.dll >python25.def
-
-The location of an installed :file:`python25.dll` will depend on the
-installation options and the version and language of Windows. In a "just for
-me" installation, it will appear in the root of the installation directory. In
-a shared installation, it will be located in the system directory.
-
-Then you can create from these information an import library for gcc. ::
-
- /cygwin/bin/dlltool --dllname python25.dll --def python25.def --output-lib libpython25.a
-
-The resulting library has to be placed in the same directory as
-:file:`python25.lib`. (Should be the :file:`libs` directory under your Python
-installation directory.)
-
-If your extension uses other libraries (zlib,...) you might have to convert
-them too. The converted files have to reside in the same directories as the
-normal libraries do.
-
-
-.. seealso::
-
- `Building Python modules on MS Windows platform with MinGW <http://www.zope.org/Members/als/tips/win32_mingw_modules>`_
- Information about building the required libraries for the MinGW environment.
-
-
-.. rubric:: Footnotes
-
-.. [#] This also means you could replace all existing COFF-libraries with OMF-libraries
- of the same name.
-
-.. [#] Check http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/ and http://www.mingw.org/ for more
- information
-
-.. [#] Then you have no POSIX emulation available, but you also don't need
- :file:`cygwin1.dll`.