.. _built-dist:

****************************

Creating Built Distributions

****************************

A "built distribution" is what you're probably used to thinking of either as a

"binary package" or an "installer" (depending on your background).  It's not

necessarily binary, though, because it might contain only Python source code

and/or byte-code; and we don't call it a package, because that word is already

spoken for in Python.  (And "installer" is a term specific to the world of

mainstream desktop systems.)

A built distribution is how you make life as easy as possible for installers of

your module distribution: for users of RPM-based Linux systems, it's a binary

RPM; for Windows users, it's an executable installer; for Debian-based Linux

users, it's a Debian package; and so forth.  Obviously, no one person will be

able to create built distributions for every platform under the sun, so the

Distutils are designed to enable module developers to concentrate on their

specialty---writing code and creating source distributions---while an

intermediary species called *packagers* springs up to turn source distributions

into built distributions for as many platforms as there are packagers.

Of course, the module developer could be his own packager; or the packager could

be a volunteer "out there" somewhere who has access to a platform which the

original developer does not; or it could be software periodically grabbing new

source distributions and turning them into built distributions for as many

platforms as the software has access to.  Regardless of who they are, a packager

uses the setup script and the :command:`bdist` command family to generate built

distributions.

As a simple example, if I run the following command in the Distutils source

tree::

   python setup.py bdist

then the Distutils builds my module distribution (the Distutils itself in this

case), does a "fake" installation (also in the :file:`build` directory), and

creates the default type of built distribution for my platform.  The default

format for built distributions is a "dumb" tar file on Unix, and a simple

executable installer on Windows.  (That tar file is considered "dumb" because it

has to be unpacked in a specific location to work.)

Thus, the above command on a Unix system creates

:file:`Distutils-1.0.{plat}.tar.gz`; unpacking this tarball from the right place

installs the Distutils just as though you had downloaded the source distribution

and run ``python setup.py install``.  (The "right place" is either the root of

the filesystem or  Python's :file:`{prefix}` directory, depending on the options

given to the :command:`bdist_dumb` command; the default is to make dumb

distributions relative to :file:`{prefix}`.)

Obviously, for pure Python distributions, this isn't any simpler than just

running ``python setup.py install``\ ---but for non-pure distributions, which

include extensions that would need to be compiled, it can mean the difference

between someone being able to use your extensions or not.  And creating "smart"

built distributions, such as an RPM package or an executable installer for

Windows, is far more convenient for users even if your distribution doesn't

include any extensions.

The :command:`bdist` command has a :option:`--formats` option, similar to the

:command:`sdist` command, which you can use to select the types of built

distribution to generate: for example, ::

   python setup.py bdist --format=zip

would, when run on a Unix system, create :file:`Distutils-1.0.{plat}.zip`\

---again, this archive would be unpacked from the root directory to install the

Distutils.

The available formats for built distributions are:

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

| Format      | Description                  | Notes   |

+=============+==============================+=========+

| ``gztar``   | gzipped tar file             | (1),(3) |

|             | (:file:`.tar.gz`)            |         |

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

| ``ztar``    | compressed tar file          | \(3)    |

|             | (:file:`.tar.Z`)             |         |

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

| ``tar``     | tar file (:file:`.tar`)      | \(3)    |

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

| ``zip``     | zip file (:file:`.zip`)      | \(4)    |

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

| ``rpm``     | RPM                          | \(5)    |

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

| ``pkgtool`` | Solaris :program:`pkgtool`   |         |

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

| ``sdux``    | HP-UX :program:`swinstall`   |         |

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

| ``rpm``     | RPM                          | \(5)    |

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

| ``wininst`` | self-extracting ZIP file for | (2),(4) |

|             | Windows                      |         |

+-------------+------------------------------+---------+

Notes:

(1)

   default on Unix

(2)

   default on Windows

   **\*\*** to-do! **\*\***

(3)

   requires external utilities: :program:`tar` and possibly one of :program:`gzip`,

   :program:`bzip2`, or :program:`compress`

(4)

   requires either external :program:`zip` utility or :mod:`zipfile` module (part

   of the standard Python library since Python 1.6)

(5)

   requires external :program:`rpm` utility, version 3.0.4 or better (use ``rpm

   --version`` to find out which version you have)

You don't have to use the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`--formats`

option; you can also use the command that directly implements the format you're

interested in.  Some of these :command:`bdist` "sub-commands" actually generate

several similar formats; for instance, the :command:`bdist_dumb` command

generates all the "dumb" archive formats (``tar``, ``ztar``, ``gztar``, and

``zip``), and :command:`bdist_rpm` generates both binary and source RPMs.  The

:command:`bdist` sub-commands, and the formats generated by each, are:

+--------------------------+-----------------------+

| Command                  | Formats               |

+==========================+=======================+

| :command:`bdist_dumb`    | tar, ztar, gztar, zip |

+--------------------------+-----------------------+

| :command:`bdist_rpm`     | rpm, srpm             |

+--------------------------+-----------------------+

| :command:`bdist_wininst` | wininst               |

+--------------------------+-----------------------+

The following sections give details on the individual :command:`bdist_\*`

commands.

.. _creating-dumb:

Creating dumb built distributions

=================================

**\*\*** Need to document absolute vs. prefix-relative packages here, but first

I have to implement it! **\*\***

.. _creating-rpms:

Creating RPM packages

=====================

The RPM format is used by many popular Linux distributions, including Red Hat,

SuSE, and Mandrake.  If one of these (or any of the other RPM-based Linux

distributions) is your usual environment, creating RPM packages for other users

of that same distribution is trivial. Depending on the complexity of your module

distribution and differences between Linux distributions, you may also be able

to create RPMs that work on different RPM-based distributions.

The usual way to create an RPM of your module distribution is to run the

:command:`bdist_rpm` command::

   python setup.py bdist_rpm

or the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`--format` option::

   python setup.py bdist --formats=rpm

The former allows you to specify RPM-specific options; the latter allows  you to

easily specify multiple formats in one run.  If you need to do both, you can

explicitly specify multiple :command:`bdist_\*` commands and their options::

   python setup.py bdist_rpm --packager="John Doe <jdoe@example.org>" \

                   bdist_wininst --target_version="2.0"

Creating RPM packages is driven by a :file:`.spec` file, much as using the

Distutils is driven by the setup script.  To make your life easier, the

:command:`bdist_rpm` command normally creates a :file:`.spec` file based on the

information you supply in the setup script, on the command line, and in any

Distutils configuration files.  Various options and sections in the

:file:`.spec` file are derived from options in the setup script as follows:

+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+

| RPM :file:`.spec` file option or section | Distutils setup script option                |

+==========================================+==============================================+

| Name                                     | :option:`name`                               |

+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+

| Summary (in preamble)                    | :option:`description`                        |

+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+

| Version                                  | :option:`version`                            |

+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+

| Vendor                                   | :option:`author` and :option:`author_email`, |

|                                          | or  --- & :option:`maintainer` and           |

|                                          | :option:`maintainer_email`                   |

+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+

| Copyright                                | :option:`license`                            |

+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+

| Url                                      | :option:`url`                                |

+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+

| %description (section)                   | :option:`long_description`                   |

+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+

Additionally, there are many options in :file:`.spec` files that don't have

corresponding options in the setup script.  Most of these are handled through

options to the :command:`bdist_rpm` command as follows:

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| RPM :file:`.spec` file option | :command:`bdist_rpm` option | default value           |

| or section                    |                             |                         |

+===============================+=============================+=========================+

| Release                       | :option:`release`           | "1"                     |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| Group                         | :option:`group`             | "Development/Libraries" |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| Vendor                        | :option:`vendor`            | (see above)             |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| Packager                      | :option:`packager`          | (none)                  |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| Provides                      | :option:`provides`          | (none)                  |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| Requires                      | :option:`requires`          | (none)                  |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| Conflicts                     | :option:`conflicts`         | (none)                  |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| Obsoletes                     | :option:`obsoletes`         | (none)                  |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| Distribution                  | :option:`distribution_name` | (none)                  |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| BuildRequires                 | :option:`build_requires`    | (none)                  |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

| Icon                          | :option:`icon`              | (none)                  |

+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+

Obviously, supplying even a few of these options on the command-line would be

tedious and error-prone, so it's usually best to put them in the setup

configuration file, :file:`setup.cfg`\ ---see section :ref:`setup-config`.  If

you distribute or package many Python module distributions, you might want to

put options that apply to all of them in your personal Distutils configuration

file (:file:`~/.pydistutils.cfg`).

There are three steps to building a binary RPM package, all of which are

handled automatically by the Distutils:

#. create a :file:`.spec` file, which describes the package (analogous  to the

   Distutils setup script; in fact, much of the information in the  setup script

   winds up in the :file:`.spec` file)

#. create the source RPM

#. create the "binary" RPM (which may or may not contain binary code, depending

   on whether your module distribution contains Python extensions)

Normally, RPM bundles the last two steps together; when you use the Distutils,

all three steps are typically bundled together.

If you wish, you can separate these three steps.  You can use the

:option:`--spec-only` option to make :command:`bdist_rpm` just create the

:file:`.spec` file and exit; in this case, the :file:`.spec` file will be

written to the "distribution directory"---normally :file:`dist/`, but

customizable with the :option:`--dist-dir` option.  (Normally, the :file:`.spec`

file winds up deep in the "build tree," in a temporary directory created by

:command:`bdist_rpm`.)

.. % \XXX{this isn't implemented yet---is it needed?!}

.. % You can also specify a custom \file{.spec} file with the

.. % \longprogramopt{spec-file} option; used in conjunction with

.. % \longprogramopt{spec-only}, this gives you an opportunity to customize

.. % the \file{.spec} file manually:

.. % 

.. % \ begin{verbatim}

.. % > python setup.py bdist_rpm --spec-only

.. % # ...edit dist/FooBar-1.0.spec

.. % > python setup.py bdist_rpm --spec-file=dist/FooBar-1.0.spec

.. % \ end{verbatim}

.. % 

.. % (Although a better way to do this is probably to override the standard

.. % \command{bdist\_rpm} command with one that writes whatever else you want

.. % to the \file{.spec} file.)

.. _creating-wininst:

Creating Windows Installers

===========================

Executable installers are the natural format for binary distributions on

Windows.  They display a nice graphical user interface, display some information

about the module distribution to be installed taken from the metadata in the

setup script, let the user select a few options, and start or cancel the

installation.

Since the metadata is taken from the setup script, creating Windows installers

is usually as easy as running::

   python setup.py bdist_wininst

or the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`--formats` option::

   python setup.py bdist --formats=wininst

If you have a pure module distribution (only containing pure Python modules and

packages), the resulting installer will be version independent and have a name

like :file:`foo-1.0.win32.exe`.  These installers can even be created on Unix

platforms or Mac OS X.

If you have a non-pure distribution, the extensions can only be created on a

Windows platform, and will be Python version dependent. The installer filename

will reflect this and now has the form :file:`foo-1.0.win32-py2.0.exe`.  You

have to create a separate installer for every Python version you want to

support.

The installer will try to compile pure modules into :term:`bytecode` after installation

on the target system in normal and optimizing mode.  If you don't want this to

happen for some reason, you can run the :command:`bdist_wininst` command with

the :option:`--no-target-compile` and/or the :option:`--no-target-optimize`

option.

By default the installer will display the cool "Python Powered" logo when it is

run, but you can also supply your own bitmap which must be a Windows

:file:`.bmp` file with the :option:`--bitmap` option.

The installer will also display a large title on the desktop background window

when it is run, which is constructed from the name of your distribution and the

version number.  This can be changed to another text by using the

:option:`--title` option.

The installer file will be written to the "distribution directory" --- normally

:file:`dist/`, but customizable with the :option:`--dist-dir` option.

.. _cross-compile-windows:

Cross-compiling on Windows

==========================

Starting with Python 2.6, distutils is capable of cross-compiling between 

Windows platforms.  In practice, this means that with the correct tools 

installed, you can use a 32bit version of Windows to create 64bit extensions

and vice-versa.

To build for an alternate platform, specify the :option:`--plat-name` option 

to the build command.  Valid values are currently 'win32', 'win-amd64' and 

'win-ia64'.  For example, on a 32bit version of Windows, you could execute::

   python setup.py build --plat-name=win-amd64

to build a 64bit version of your extension.  The Windows Installers also 

support this option, so the command::

   python setup.py build --plat-name=win-amd64 bdist_wininst

would create a 64bit installation executable on your 32bit version of Windows.

To cross-compile, you must download the Python source code and cross-compile 

Python itself for the platform you are targetting - it is not possible from a

binary installtion of Python (as the .lib etc file for other platforms are

not included.)  In practice, this means the user of a 32 bit operating 

system will need to use Visual Studio 2008 to open the 

:file:`PCBuild/PCbuild.sln` solution in the Python source tree and build the 

"x64" configuration of the 'pythoncore' project before cross-compiling 

extensions is possible.

Note that by default, Visual Studio 2008 does not install 64bit compilers or

tools.  You may need to reexecute the Visual Studio setup process and select

these tools (using Control Panel->[Add/Remove] Programs is a convenient way to

check or modify your existing install.)

.. _postinstallation-script:

The Postinstallation script

---------------------------

Starting with Python 2.3, a postinstallation script can be specified which the

:option:`--install-script` option.  The basename of the script must be

specified, and the script filename must also be listed in the scripts argument

to the setup function.

This script will be run at installation time on the target system after all the

files have been copied, with ``argv[1]`` set to :option:`-install`, and again at

uninstallation time before the files are removed with ``argv[1]`` set to

:option:`-remove`.

The installation script runs embedded in the windows installer, every output

(``sys.stdout``, ``sys.stderr``) is redirected into a buffer and will be

displayed in the GUI after the script has finished.

Some functions especially useful in this context are available as additional

built-in functions in the installation script.

.. function:: directory_created(path)

              file_created(path)

   These functions should be called when a directory or file is created by the

   postinstall script at installation time.  It will register *path* with the

   uninstaller, so that it will be removed when the distribution is uninstalled.

   To be safe, directories are only removed if they are empty.

.. function:: get_special_folder_path(csidl_string)

   This function can be used to retrieve special folder locations on Windows like

   the Start Menu or the Desktop.  It returns the full path to the folder.

   *csidl_string* must be one of the following strings::

      "CSIDL_APPDATA"

      "CSIDL_COMMON_STARTMENU"

      "CSIDL_STARTMENU"

      "CSIDL_COMMON_DESKTOPDIRECTORY"

      "CSIDL_DESKTOPDIRECTORY"

      "CSIDL_COMMON_STARTUP"

      "CSIDL_STARTUP"

      "CSIDL_COMMON_PROGRAMS"

      "CSIDL_PROGRAMS"

      "CSIDL_FONTS"

   If the folder cannot be retrieved, :exc:`OSError` is raised.

   Which folders are available depends on the exact Windows version, and probably

   also the configuration.  For details refer to Microsoft's documentation of the

   :cfunc:`SHGetSpecialFolderPath` function.

Vista User Access Control (UAC)

===============================

Starting with Python 2.6, bdist_wininst supports a :option:`--user-access-control`

option.  The default is 'none' (meaning no UAC handling is done), and other

valid values are 'auto' (meaning prompt for UAC elevation if Python was

installed for all users) and 'force' (meaning always prompt for elevation)

.. function:: create_shortcut(target, description, filename[, arguments[, workdir[, iconpath[, iconindex]]]])

   This function creates a shortcut. *target* is the path to the program to be

   started by the shortcut. *description* is the description of the shortcut.

   *filename* is the title of the shortcut that the user will see. *arguments*

   specifies the command line arguments, if any. *workdir* is the working directory

   for the program. *iconpath* is the file containing the icon for the shortcut,

   and *iconindex* is the index of the icon in the file *iconpath*.  Again, for

   details consult the Microsoft documentation for the :class:`IShellLink`

   interface.