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Éric Araujo3a9f58f2011-06-01 20:42:49 +02001.. _packaging-built-dist:
2
3****************************
4Creating Built Distributions
5****************************
6
7A "built distribution" is what you're probably used to thinking of either as a
8"binary package" or an "installer" (depending on your background). It's not
9necessarily binary, though, because it might contain only Python source code
10and/or byte-code; and we don't call it a package, because that word is already
11spoken for in Python. (And "installer" is a term specific to the world of
12mainstream desktop systems.)
13
14A built distribution is how you make life as easy as possible for installers of
15your module distribution: for users of RPM-based Linux systems, it's a binary
16RPM; for Windows users, it's an executable installer; for Debian-based Linux
17users, it's a Debian package; and so forth. Obviously, no one person will be
18able to create built distributions for every platform under the sun, so the
19Distutils are designed to enable module developers to concentrate on their
20specialty---writing code and creating source distributions---while an
21intermediary species called *packagers* springs up to turn source distributions
22into built distributions for as many platforms as there are packagers.
23
24Of course, the module developer could be his own packager; or the packager could
25be a volunteer "out there" somewhere who has access to a platform which the
26original developer does not; or it could be software periodically grabbing new
27source distributions and turning them into built distributions for as many
28platforms as the software has access to. Regardless of who they are, a packager
29uses the setup script and the :command:`bdist` command family to generate built
30distributions.
31
32As a simple example, if I run the following command in the Distutils source
33tree::
34
35 python setup.py bdist
36
37then the Distutils builds my module distribution (the Distutils itself in this
38case), does a "fake" installation (also in the :file:`build` directory), and
39creates the default type of built distribution for my platform. The default
40format for built distributions is a "dumb" tar file on Unix, and a simple
41executable installer on Windows. (That tar file is considered "dumb" because it
42has to be unpacked in a specific location to work.)
43
44Thus, the above command on a Unix system creates
45:file:`Distutils-1.0.{plat}.tar.gz`; unpacking this tarball from the right place
46installs the Distutils just as though you had downloaded the source distribution
47and run ``python setup.py install``. (The "right place" is either the root of
48the filesystem or Python's :file:`{prefix}` directory, depending on the options
49given to the :command:`bdist_dumb` command; the default is to make dumb
50distributions relative to :file:`{prefix}`.)
51
52Obviously, for pure Python distributions, this isn't any simpler than just
53running ``python setup.py install``\ ---but for non-pure distributions, which
54include extensions that would need to be compiled, it can mean the difference
55between someone being able to use your extensions or not. And creating "smart"
56built distributions, such as an executable installer for
57Windows, is far more convenient for users even if your distribution doesn't
58include any extensions.
59
60The :command:`bdist` command has a :option:`--formats` option, similar to the
61:command:`sdist` command, which you can use to select the types of built
62distribution to generate: for example, ::
63
64 python setup.py bdist --format=zip
65
66would, when run on a Unix system, create :file:`Distutils-1.0.{plat}.zip`\
67---again, this archive would be unpacked from the root directory to install the
68Distutils.
69
70The available formats for built distributions are:
71
72+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
73| Format | Description | Notes |
74+=============+==============================+=========+
75| ``gztar`` | gzipped tar file | (1),(3) |
76| | (:file:`.tar.gz`) | |
77+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
Éric Araujo3a9f58f2011-06-01 20:42:49 +020078| ``tar`` | tar file (:file:`.tar`) | \(3) |
79+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
80| ``zip`` | zip file (:file:`.zip`) | (2),(4) |
81+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
82| ``wininst`` | self-extracting ZIP file for | \(4) |
83| | Windows | |
84+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
85| ``msi`` | Microsoft Installer. | |
86+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
87
88
89Notes:
90
91(1)
92 default on Unix
93
94(2)
95 default on Windows
96
97(3)
Éric Araujo83ab3f32011-08-30 01:19:02 +020098 requires external utilities: :program:`tar` and possibly one of :program:`gzip`
99 or :program:`bzip2`
Éric Araujo3a9f58f2011-06-01 20:42:49 +0200100
101(4)
102 requires either external :program:`zip` utility or :mod:`zipfile` module (part
103 of the standard Python library since Python 1.6)
104
105You don't have to use the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`--formats`
106option; you can also use the command that directly implements the format you're
107interested in. Some of these :command:`bdist` "sub-commands" actually generate
108several similar formats; for instance, the :command:`bdist_dumb` command
Éric Araujo83ab3f32011-08-30 01:19:02 +0200109generates all the "dumb" archive formats (``tar``, ``gztar``, and
Éric Araujo3a9f58f2011-06-01 20:42:49 +0200110``zip``). The :command:`bdist` sub-commands, and the formats generated by
111each, are:
112
113+--------------------------+-----------------------+
114| Command | Formats |
115+==========================+=======================+
Éric Araujo83ab3f32011-08-30 01:19:02 +0200116| :command:`bdist_dumb` | tar, gztar, zip |
Éric Araujo3a9f58f2011-06-01 20:42:49 +0200117+--------------------------+-----------------------+
118| :command:`bdist_wininst` | wininst |
119+--------------------------+-----------------------+
120| :command:`bdist_msi` | msi |
121+--------------------------+-----------------------+
122
123The following sections give details on the individual :command:`bdist_\*`
124commands.
125
126
127.. _packaging-creating-dumb:
128
129Creating dumb built distributions
130=================================
131
132.. XXX Need to document absolute vs. prefix-relative packages here, but first
133 I have to implement it!
134
135
136.. _packaging-creating-wininst:
137
138Creating Windows Installers
139===========================
140
141Executable installers are the natural format for binary distributions on
142Windows. They display a nice graphical user interface, display some information
143about the module distribution to be installed taken from the metadata in the
144setup script, let the user select a few options, and start or cancel the
145installation.
146
147Since the metadata is taken from the setup script, creating Windows installers
148is usually as easy as running::
149
150 python setup.py bdist_wininst
151
152or the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`--formats` option::
153
154 python setup.py bdist --formats=wininst
155
156If you have a pure module distribution (only containing pure Python modules and
157packages), the resulting installer will be version independent and have a name
158like :file:`foo-1.0.win32.exe`. These installers can even be created on Unix
159platforms or Mac OS X.
160
161If you have a non-pure distribution, the extensions can only be created on a
162Windows platform, and will be Python version dependent. The installer filename
163will reflect this and now has the form :file:`foo-1.0.win32-py2.0.exe`. You
164have to create a separate installer for every Python version you want to
165support.
166
Éric Araujo88080152011-11-03 05:08:28 +0100167The installer will try to compile pure modules into :term:`bytecode` after installation
Éric Araujo3a9f58f2011-06-01 20:42:49 +0200168on the target system in normal and optimizing mode. If you don't want this to
169happen for some reason, you can run the :command:`bdist_wininst` command with
170the :option:`--no-target-compile` and/or the :option:`--no-target-optimize`
171option.
172
173By default the installer will display the cool "Python Powered" logo when it is
174run, but you can also supply your own 152x261 bitmap which must be a Windows
175:file:`.bmp` file with the :option:`--bitmap` option.
176
177The installer will also display a large title on the desktop background window
178when it is run, which is constructed from the name of your distribution and the
179version number. This can be changed to another text by using the
180:option:`--title` option.
181
182The installer file will be written to the "distribution directory" --- normally
183:file:`dist/`, but customizable with the :option:`--dist-dir` option.
184
185.. _packaging-cross-compile-windows:
186
187Cross-compiling on Windows
188==========================
189
190Starting with Python 2.6, packaging is capable of cross-compiling between
191Windows platforms. In practice, this means that with the correct tools
192installed, you can use a 32bit version of Windows to create 64bit extensions
193and vice-versa.
194
195To build for an alternate platform, specify the :option:`--plat-name` option
196to the build command. Valid values are currently 'win32', 'win-amd64' and
197'win-ia64'. For example, on a 32bit version of Windows, you could execute::
198
199 python setup.py build --plat-name=win-amd64
200
201to build a 64bit version of your extension. The Windows Installers also
202support this option, so the command::
203
204 python setup.py build --plat-name=win-amd64 bdist_wininst
205
206would create a 64bit installation executable on your 32bit version of Windows.
207
208To cross-compile, you must download the Python source code and cross-compile
209Python itself for the platform you are targetting - it is not possible from a
210binary installtion of Python (as the .lib etc file for other platforms are
211not included.) In practice, this means the user of a 32 bit operating
212system will need to use Visual Studio 2008 to open the
213:file:`PCBuild/PCbuild.sln` solution in the Python source tree and build the
214"x64" configuration of the 'pythoncore' project before cross-compiling
215extensions is possible.
216
217Note that by default, Visual Studio 2008 does not install 64bit compilers or
218tools. You may need to reexecute the Visual Studio setup process and select
219these tools (using Control Panel->[Add/Remove] Programs is a convenient way to
220check or modify your existing install.)
221
222.. _packaging-postinstallation-script:
223
224The Postinstallation script
225---------------------------
226
227Starting with Python 2.3, a postinstallation script can be specified with the
228:option:`--install-script` option. The basename of the script must be
229specified, and the script filename must also be listed in the scripts argument
230to the setup function.
231
232This script will be run at installation time on the target system after all the
233files have been copied, with ``argv[1]`` set to :option:`-install`, and again at
234uninstallation time before the files are removed with ``argv[1]`` set to
235:option:`-remove`.
236
237The installation script runs embedded in the windows installer, every output
238(``sys.stdout``, ``sys.stderr``) is redirected into a buffer and will be
239displayed in the GUI after the script has finished.
240
241Some functions especially useful in this context are available as additional
242built-in functions in the installation script.
243
244.. currentmodule:: bdist_wininst-postinst-script
245
246.. function:: directory_created(path)
247 file_created(path)
248
249 These functions should be called when a directory or file is created by the
250 postinstall script at installation time. It will register *path* with the
251 uninstaller, so that it will be removed when the distribution is uninstalled.
252 To be safe, directories are only removed if they are empty.
253
254
255.. function:: get_special_folder_path(csidl_string)
256
257 This function can be used to retrieve special folder locations on Windows like
258 the Start Menu or the Desktop. It returns the full path to the folder.
259 *csidl_string* must be one of the following strings::
260
261 "CSIDL_APPDATA"
262
263 "CSIDL_COMMON_STARTMENU"
264 "CSIDL_STARTMENU"
265
266 "CSIDL_COMMON_DESKTOPDIRECTORY"
267 "CSIDL_DESKTOPDIRECTORY"
268
269 "CSIDL_COMMON_STARTUP"
270 "CSIDL_STARTUP"
271
272 "CSIDL_COMMON_PROGRAMS"
273 "CSIDL_PROGRAMS"
274
275 "CSIDL_FONTS"
276
277 If the folder cannot be retrieved, :exc:`OSError` is raised.
278
279 Which folders are available depends on the exact Windows version, and probably
280 also the configuration. For details refer to Microsoft's documentation of the
Georg Brandld3b41c62011-07-09 11:48:50 +0200281 :c:func:`SHGetSpecialFolderPath` function.
Éric Araujo3a9f58f2011-06-01 20:42:49 +0200282
283
284.. function:: create_shortcut(target, description, filename[, arguments[, workdir[, iconpath[, iconindex]]]])
285
286 This function creates a shortcut. *target* is the path to the program to be
287 started by the shortcut. *description* is the description of the shortcut.
288 *filename* is the title of the shortcut that the user will see. *arguments*
289 specifies the command-line arguments, if any. *workdir* is the working directory
290 for the program. *iconpath* is the file containing the icon for the shortcut,
291 and *iconindex* is the index of the icon in the file *iconpath*. Again, for
292 details consult the Microsoft documentation for the :class:`IShellLink`
293 interface.
294
295
296Vista User Access Control (UAC)
297===============================
298
299Starting with Python 2.6, bdist_wininst supports a :option:`--user-access-control`
300option. The default is 'none' (meaning no UAC handling is done), and other
301valid values are 'auto' (meaning prompt for UAC elevation if Python was
302installed for all users) and 'force' (meaning always prompt for elevation).