Doc/using/mac.rst - platform/external/python/cpython2 - Gitiles


 .. _using-on-mac:

 ***************************
 Using Python on a Macintosh
 ***************************

 :Author: Bob Savage <bobsavage@mac.com>


 Python on a Macintosh running Mac OS X is in principle very similar to Python on
 any other Unix platform, but there are a number of additional features such as
 the IDE and the Package Manager that are worth pointing out.

 .. _getting-osx:

 Getting and Installing MacPython
 ================================

 Mac OS X 10.5 comes with Python 2.5.1 pre-installed by Apple.  If you wish, you
 are invited to install the most recent version of Python from the Python website
 (http://www.python.org).  A current "universal binary" build of Python, which
 runs natively on the Mac's new Intel and legacy PPC CPU's, is available there.

 What you get after installing is a number of things:

 * A :file:`MacPython 2.5` folder in your :file:`Applications` folder. In here
   you find IDLE, the development environment that is a standard part of official
   Python distributions; PythonLauncher, which handles double-clicking Python
   scripts from the Finder; and the "Build Applet" tool, which allows you to
   package Python scripts as standalone applications on your system.

 * A framework :file:`/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework`, which includes the
   Python executable and libraries. The installer adds this location to your shell
   path. To uninstall MacPython, you can simply remove these three things. A
   symlink to the Python executable is placed in /usr/local/bin/.

 The Apple-provided build of Python is installed in
 :file:`/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework` and :file:`/usr/bin/python`,
 respectively. You should never modify or delete these, as they are
 Apple-controlled and are used by Apple- or third-party software.  Remember that
 if you choose to install a newer Python version from python.org, you will have
 two different but functional Python installations on your computer, so it will
 be important that your paths and usages are consistent with what you want to do.

 IDLE includes a help menu that allows you to access Python documentation. If you
 are completely new to Python you should start reading the tutorial introduction
 in that document.

 If you are familiar with Python on other Unix platforms you should read the
 section on running Python scripts from the Unix shell.


 How to run a Python script
 --------------------------

 Your best way to get started with Python on Mac OS X is through the IDLE
 integrated development environment, see section :ref:`ide` and use the Help menu
 when the IDE is running.

 If you want to run Python scripts from the Terminal window command line or from
 the Finder you first need an editor to create your script. Mac OS X comes with a
 number of standard Unix command line editors, :program:`vim` and
 :program:`emacs` among them. If you want a more Mac-like editor,
 :program:`BBEdit` or :program:`TextWrangler` from Bare Bones Software (see
 http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/index.shtml) are good choices, as is
 :program:`TextMate` (see http://macromates.com/). Other editors include
 :program:`Gvim` (http://macvim.org) and :program:`Aquamacs`
 (http://aquamacs.org/).

 To run your script from the Terminal window you must make sure that
 :file:`/usr/local/bin` is in your shell search path.

 To run your script from the Finder you have two options:

 * Drag it to :program:`PythonLauncher`

 * Select :program:`PythonLauncher` as the default application to open your
   script (or any .py script) through the finder Info window and double-click it.
   :program:`PythonLauncher` has various preferences to control how your script is
   launched. Option-dragging allows you to change these for one invocation, or use
   its Preferences menu to change things globally.


 .. _osx-gui-scripts:

 Running scripts with a GUI
 --------------------------

 With older versions of Python, there is one Mac OS X quirk that you need to be
 aware of: programs that talk to the Aqua window manager (in other words,
 anything that has a GUI) need to be run in a special way. Use :program:`pythonw`
 instead of :program:`python` to start such scripts.

 With Python 2.5, you can use either :program:`python` or :program:`pythonw`.


 Configuration
 -------------

 Python on OS X honors all standard Unix environment variables such as
 :envvar:`PYTHONPATH`, but setting these variables for programs started from the
 Finder is non-standard as the Finder does not read your :file:`.profile` or
 :file:`.cshrc` at startup. You need to create a file :file:`~
 /.MacOSX/environment.plist`. See Apple's Technical Document QA1067 for details.

 For more information on installation Python packages in MacPython, see section
 :ref:`mac-package-manager`.


 .. _ide:

 The IDE
 =======

 MacPython ships with the standard IDLE development environment. A good
 introduction to using IDLE can be found at
 http://hkn.eecs.berkeley.edu/~dyoo/python/idle_intro/index.html.


 .. _mac-package-manager:

 Installing Additional Python Packages
 =====================================

 There are several methods to install additional Python packages:

 * http://pythonmac.org/packages/ contains selected compiled packages for Python
   2.5, 2.4, and 2.3.

 * Packages can be installed via the standard Python distutils mode (``python
   setup.py install``).

 * Many packages can also be installed via the :program:`setuptools` extension.


 GUI Programming on the Mac
 ==========================

 There are several options for building GUI applications on the Mac with Python.

 *PyObjC* is a Python binding to Apple's Objective-C/Cocoa framework, which is
 the foundation of most modern Mac development. Information on PyObjC is
 available from http://pyobjc.sourceforge.net.

 The standard Python GUI toolkit is :mod:`tkinter`, based on the cross-platform
 Tk toolkit (http://www.tcl.tk). An Aqua-native version of Tk is bundled with OS
 X by Apple, and the latest version can be downloaded and installed from
 http://www.activestate.com; it can also be built from source.

 *wxPython* is another popular cross-platform GUI toolkit that runs natively on
 Mac OS X. Packages and documentation are available from http://www.wxpython.org.

 *PyQt* is another popular cross-platform GUI toolkit that runs natively on Mac
 OS X. More information can be found at
 http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/software/pyqt/intro.


 Distributing Python Applications on the Mac
 ===========================================

 The "Build Applet" tool that is placed in the MacPython 2.5 folder is fine for
 packaging small Python scripts on your own machine to run as a standard Mac
 application. This tool, however, is not robust enough to distribute Python
 applications to other users.

 The standard tool for deploying standalone Python applications on the Mac is
 :program:`py2app`. More information on installing and using py2app can be found
 at http://undefined.org/python/#py2app.


 Application Scripting
 =====================

 Python can also be used to script other Mac applications via Apple's Open
 Scripting Architecture (OSA); see http://appscript.sourceforge.net. Appscript is
 a high-level, user-friendly Apple event bridge that allows you to control
 scriptable Mac OS X applications using ordinary Python scripts. Appscript makes
 Python a serious alternative to Apple's own *AppleScript* language for
 automating your Mac. A related package, *PyOSA*, is an OSA language component
 for the Python scripting language, allowing Python code to be executed by any
 OSA-enabled application (Script Editor, Mail, iTunes, etc.). PyOSA makes Python
 a full peer to AppleScript.


 Other Resources
 ===============

 The MacPython mailing list is an excellent support resource for Python users and
 developers on the Mac:

 http://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/pythonmac-sig/

 Another useful resource is the MacPython wiki:

 http://wiki.python.org/moin/MacPython

	.. _using-on-mac:

	***************************
	Using Python on a Macintosh
	***************************

	:Author: Bob Savage <bobsavage@mac.com>


	Python on a Macintosh running Mac OS X is in principle very similar to Python on
	any other Unix platform, but there are a number of additional features such as
	the IDE and the Package Manager that are worth pointing out.

	.. _getting-osx:

	Getting and Installing MacPython
	================================

	Mac OS X 10.5 comes with Python 2.5.1 pre-installed by Apple. If you wish, you
	are invited to install the most recent version of Python from the Python website
	(http://www.python.org). A current "universal binary" build of Python, which
	runs natively on the Mac's new Intel and legacy PPC CPU's, is available there.

	What you get after installing is a number of things:

	* A :file:`MacPython 2.5` folder in your :file:`Applications` folder. In here
	you find IDLE, the development environment that is a standard part of official
	Python distributions; PythonLauncher, which handles double-clicking Python
	scripts from the Finder; and the "Build Applet" tool, which allows you to
	package Python scripts as standalone applications on your system.

	* A framework :file:`/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework`, which includes the
	Python executable and libraries. The installer adds this location to your shell
	path. To uninstall MacPython, you can simply remove these three things. A
	symlink to the Python executable is placed in /usr/local/bin/.

	The Apple-provided build of Python is installed in
	:file:`/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework` and :file:`/usr/bin/python`,
	respectively. You should never modify or delete these, as they are
	Apple-controlled and are used by Apple- or third-party software. Remember that
	if you choose to install a newer Python version from python.org, you will have
	two different but functional Python installations on your computer, so it will
	be important that your paths and usages are consistent with what you want to do.

	IDLE includes a help menu that allows you to access Python documentation. If you
	are completely new to Python you should start reading the tutorial introduction
	in that document.

	If you are familiar with Python on other Unix platforms you should read the
	section on running Python scripts from the Unix shell.


	How to run a Python script
	--------------------------

	Your best way to get started with Python on Mac OS X is through the IDLE
	integrated development environment, see section :ref:`ide` and use the Help menu
	when the IDE is running.

	If you want to run Python scripts from the Terminal window command line or from
	the Finder you first need an editor to create your script. Mac OS X comes with a
	number of standard Unix command line editors, :program:`vim` and
	:program:`emacs` among them. If you want a more Mac-like editor,
	:program:`BBEdit` or :program:`TextWrangler` from Bare Bones Software (see
	http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/index.shtml) are good choices, as is
	:program:`TextMate` (see http://macromates.com/). Other editors include
	:program:`Gvim` (http://macvim.org) and :program:`Aquamacs`
	(http://aquamacs.org/).

	To run your script from the Terminal window you must make sure that
	:file:`/usr/local/bin` is in your shell search path.

	To run your script from the Finder you have two options:

	* Drag it to :program:`PythonLauncher`

	* Select :program:`PythonLauncher` as the default application to open your
	script (or any .py script) through the finder Info window and double-click it.
	:program:`PythonLauncher` has various preferences to control how your script is
	launched. Option-dragging allows you to change these for one invocation, or use
	its Preferences menu to change things globally.


	.. _osx-gui-scripts:

	Running scripts with a GUI
	--------------------------

	With older versions of Python, there is one Mac OS X quirk that you need to be
	aware of: programs that talk to the Aqua window manager (in other words,
	anything that has a GUI) need to be run in a special way. Use :program:`pythonw`
	instead of :program:`python` to start such scripts.

	With Python 2.5, you can use either :program:`python` or :program:`pythonw`.


	Configuration
	-------------

	Python on OS X honors all standard Unix environment variables such as
	:envvar:`PYTHONPATH`, but setting these variables for programs started from the
	Finder is non-standard as the Finder does not read your :file:`.profile` or
	:file:`.cshrc` at startup. You need to create a file :file:`~
	/.MacOSX/environment.plist`. See Apple's Technical Document QA1067 for details.

	For more information on installation Python packages in MacPython, see section
	:ref:`mac-package-manager`.


	.. _ide:

	The IDE
	=======

	MacPython ships with the standard IDLE development environment. A good
	introduction to using IDLE can be found at
	http://hkn.eecs.berkeley.edu/~dyoo/python/idle_intro/index.html.


	.. _mac-package-manager:

	Installing Additional Python Packages
	=====================================

	There are several methods to install additional Python packages:

	* http://pythonmac.org/packages/ contains selected compiled packages for Python
	2.5, 2.4, and 2.3.

	* Packages can be installed via the standard Python distutils mode (``python
	setup.py install``).

	* Many packages can also be installed via the :program:`setuptools` extension.


	GUI Programming on the Mac
	==========================

	There are several options for building GUI applications on the Mac with Python.

	PyObjC is a Python binding to Apple's Objective-C/Cocoa framework, which is
	the foundation of most modern Mac development. Information on PyObjC is
	available from http://pyobjc.sourceforge.net.

	The standard Python GUI toolkit is :mod:`tkinter`, based on the cross-platform
	Tk toolkit (http://www.tcl.tk). An Aqua-native version of Tk is bundled with OS
	X by Apple, and the latest version can be downloaded and installed from
	http://www.activestate.com; it can also be built from source.

	wxPython is another popular cross-platform GUI toolkit that runs natively on
	Mac OS X. Packages and documentation are available from http://www.wxpython.org.

	PyQt is another popular cross-platform GUI toolkit that runs natively on Mac
	OS X. More information can be found at
	http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/software/pyqt/intro.


	Distributing Python Applications on the Mac
	===========================================

	The "Build Applet" tool that is placed in the MacPython 2.5 folder is fine for
	packaging small Python scripts on your own machine to run as a standard Mac
	application. This tool, however, is not robust enough to distribute Python
	applications to other users.

	The standard tool for deploying standalone Python applications on the Mac is
	:program:`py2app`. More information on installing and using py2app can be found
	at http://undefined.org/python/#py2app.


	Application Scripting
	=====================

	Python can also be used to script other Mac applications via Apple's Open
	Scripting Architecture (OSA); see http://appscript.sourceforge.net. Appscript is
	a high-level, user-friendly Apple event bridge that allows you to control
	scriptable Mac OS X applications using ordinary Python scripts. Appscript makes
	Python a serious alternative to Apple's own AppleScript language for
	automating your Mac. A related package, PyOSA, is an OSA language component
	for the Python scripting language, allowing Python code to be executed by any
	OSA-enabled application (Script Editor, Mail, iTunes, etc.). PyOSA makes Python
	a full peer to AppleScript.


	Other Resources
	===============

	The MacPython mailing list is an excellent support resource for Python users and
	developers on the Mac:

	http://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/pythonmac-sig/

	Another useful resource is the MacPython wiki:

	http://wiki.python.org/moin/MacPython