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:mod:`py_compile` --- Compile Python source files
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.. module:: py_compile
:synopsis: Generate byte-code files from Python source files.
.. sectionauthor:: Fred L. Drake, Jr. <fdrake@acm.org>
.. documentation based on module docstrings
.. index:: pair: file; byte-code
**Source code:** :source:`Lib/py_compile.py`
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The :mod:`py_compile` module provides a function to generate a byte-code file
from a source file, and another function used when the module source file is
invoked as a script.
Though not often needed, this function can be useful when installing modules for
shared use, especially if some of the users may not have permission to write the
byte-code cache files in the directory containing the source code.
.. exception:: PyCompileError
Exception raised when an error occurs while attempting to compile the file.
.. function:: compile(file, cfile=None, dfile=None, doraise=False, optimize=-1)
Compile a source file to byte-code and write out the byte-code cache file.
The source code is loaded from the file name *file*. The byte-code is
written to *cfile*, which defaults to the :PEP:`3147` path, ending in
``.pyc`` (``.pyo`` if optimization is enabled in the current interpreter).
For example, if *file* is ``/foo/bar/baz.py`` *cfile* will default to
``/foo/bar/__pycache__/baz.cpython-32.pyc`` for Python 3.2. If *dfile* is
specified, it is used as the name of the source file in error messages when
instead of *file*. If *doraise* is true, a :exc:`PyCompileError` is raised
when an error is encountered while compiling *file*. If *doraise* is false
(the default), an error string is written to ``sys.stderr``, but no exception
is raised. This function returns the path to byte-compiled file, i.e.
whatever *cfile* value was used.
*optimize* controls the optimization level and is passed to the built-in
:func:`compile` function. The default of ``-1`` selects the optimization
level of the current interpreter.
.. versionchanged:: 3.2
Changed default value of *cfile* to be :PEP:`3147`-compliant. Previous
default was *file* + ``'c'`` (``'o'`` if optimization was enabled).
Also added the *optimize* parameter.
.. versionchanged:: 3.4
Changed code to use :mod:`importlib` for the byte-code cache file writing.
This means file creation/writing semantics now match what :mod:`importlib`
does, e.g. permissions, write-and-move semantics, etc.
.. function:: main(args=None)
Compile several source files. The files named in *args* (or on the command
line, if *args* is ``None``) are compiled and the resulting bytecode is
cached in the normal manner. This function does not search a directory
structure to locate source files; it only compiles files named explicitly.
If ``'-'`` is the only parameter in args, the list of files is taken from
standard input.
.. versionchanged:: 3.2
Added support for ``'-'``.
When this module is run as a script, the :func:`main` is used to compile all the
files named on the command line. The exit status is nonzero if one of the files
could not be compiled.
.. seealso::
Module :mod:`compileall`
Utilities to compile all Python source files in a directory tree.