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1 <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Macintosh Python crash course</TITLE></HEAD> |
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2 <BODY> |
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3 <H1><IMG SRC="html.icons/python.gif">Macintosh Python crash course</H1> |
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4 <HR> |
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5 |
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6 <p>This set of documents provides an introduction to various aspects of |
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7 Python programming on the Mac. It is assumed that the reader is |
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8 already familiar with Python and, to some extent, with MacOS Toolbox |
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9 programming. Other readers may find something interesting here too, |
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10 your mileage may vary. </p> |
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11 |
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12 <p>As the previous paragraph reveals to the careful observer these examples |
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13 are dated, most of them were writting before OSX and haven't been updated |
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14 afterwards. They still show how to use the Carbon wrappers but aren't |
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15 necessarily the best way to use the Carbon API's in OSX.</p> |
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16 |
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17 Another set of Macintosh-savvy examples, more aimed at beginners, is |
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18 maintained by Joseph Strout, at Python Tidbits in <A |
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19 HREF="http://www.strout.net/python/"> |
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20 http://www.strout.net/python/</A>. |
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21 <P> |
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22 |
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23 The <a href="http://www.python.org/doc/lib/Top.html">Python Library |
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24 Reference</a> contains a section on <a |
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25 href="http://www.python.org/doc/lib/Macintosh-Specific-Services.html">Macintosh-specific |
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26 modules</a> that you should also read. Documentation is also available |
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27 in PostScript and other forms, see the <a |
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28 href="http://www.python.org/doc/">documentation</a> section on the |
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29 webserver. <p> |
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30 |
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31 <p>The W widget set by Just van Rossum, does not have complete documentation as |
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32 of this writing, but Corran Webster has documented most of it on his |
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33 <A HREF="http://www.nevada.edu/~cwebster/Python/">Python Page</A>.</p> |
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34 |
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35 There are also some documentation links, as well as other MacPython-related |
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36 pages, in the |
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37 <A HREF="http://dmoz.org/Computers/Systems/Macintosh/Development/Scripting/Python/"> |
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38 Open Directory</A>. |
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39 |
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40 |
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41 <H2>Table of contents</H2> |
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42 |
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43 <blockquote><B>Note:</B> |
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44 Some of these documents were actually written a long time ago and have seen |
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45 little maintainance, so use with care. </blockquote> |
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46 <UL> |
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47 <LI> |
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48 <A HREF="example0.html">Using python to create Macintosh applications, |
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49 part zero</A> whets your appetite by showing you how to ask the user |
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50 for a filename, and how to display a message. It explains about end-of-line |
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51 confusion while doing so. |
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52 |
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53 <LI> |
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54 <A HREF="example1.html">Using python to create Macintosh applications, |
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55 part one</A> explains how to create a simple modal-dialog application |
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56 in Python. It also takes a glance at using the toolbox modules Res and |
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57 Dlg, and EasyDialogs for simple question-dialogs. |
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58 |
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59 <LI> |
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60 <A HREF="example2.html">Using python to create Macintosh applications, |
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61 part two</A> turns the previous example program into a more complete |
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62 mac application, using a modeless dialog, menus, etc. It also explains |
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63 how to create applets, standalone applications written in Python. |
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64 |
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65 <LI> |
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66 <A HREF="freezing.html">Freezing Python programs</A> extends on this concept, |
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67 and shows you how to create applications that can be used on machines without |
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68 a full Python installed. This one is probably best skipped on first contact |
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69 with MacPython. |
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70 |
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71 <LI> |
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72 <A HREF="textedit.html">Using FrameWork and TextEdit</A> shows you |
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73 how to use <code>FrameWork</code> application framework and the |
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74 <code>TextEdit</code> toolbox to build a text editor. |
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75 |
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76 <LI> |
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77 <A HREF="plugins.html">Creating a C extension module on the Macintosh</A> |
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78 is meant for the hardcore programmer, and shows how to create an |
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79 extension module in C. It also handles using Modulator to create the |
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80 boilerplate for your module, and creating dynamically-loadable modules |
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81 on PowerPC Macs. It assumes you use CodeWarrior for you development. |
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82 |
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83 <LI> |
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84 <A HREF="mpwextensions.html">Creating C extension modules using MPW</A> |
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85 is a companion document, written by Corran Webster, which explains how you |
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86 can develop Python extensions using Apple's free MPW compiler environment. |
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87 |
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88 <LI> |
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89 <A HREF="applescript.html">Using Open Scripting Architecture from Python</A> explains |
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90 how to create a Python module interfacing to a scriptable application, |
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91 and how to use that module in your python program. |
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92 |
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93 <LI> |
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94 <A HREF="cgi.html">Using python to create CGI scripts</A> is a preliminary |
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95 introduction to writing CGI scripts in Python and to writing scriptable applications |
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96 in Python. |
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97 |
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98 <LI> |
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99 <A HREF="building.html">Building Mac Python from source</A> explains |
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100 how to build a PPC or 68K interpreter from a source distribution. |
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101 |
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102 <LI> |
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103 <A HREF="embed.html">Embedding Python on the Mac</A> is a minimal example of |
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104 how to embed Python in other Mac applications. |
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105 |
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106 </UL> |
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107 |
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108 The Python distribution contains a few more examples, all unexplained: |
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109 <UL> |
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110 <LI> |
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111 <I>PICTbrowse</I> is an application that locates PICT |
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112 resources and displays them, it demonstrates some quickdraw and the |
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113 resource and list managers. In the same folder you will find the very |
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114 similar scripts ICONbrowse and cicnbrowse. oldPICTbrowse is the same program |
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115 but form the pre-Appearance era, it uses a dialog with a user item and |
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116 creates and manages its own List object. |
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117 |
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118 <LI> |
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119 <I>Imgbrowse</I> displays image files in |
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120 many different formats (gif, tiff, pbm, etc). It shows how to use the |
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121 img modules on the mac. |
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122 |
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123 <LI> |
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124 <I>Quicktime</I> has the standard <code>MovieInWindow</code> and |
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125 <code>VerySimplePlayer</code> examples, re-coded in Python. |
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126 |
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127 <LI> |
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128 <I>Resources</I>, <I>Sound</I> and <I>Speech</I> have some examples |
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129 on using the respective managers. In the <i>Mac:Lib</i> folder you |
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130 will also find modules that do useful things with the Communications |
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131 Toolbox, the Finder interface, etc. |
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132 |
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133 <LI> |
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134 <I>Printing</I> has an example on using the Printing module to, you guessed |
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135 it, print from Python. The code is somewhat self-documenting. Donated |
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136 by Just van Rossum, who also donated the Printing module itself. |
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137 </UL> |
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138 |
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139 At some point in the (possibly distant) future, I will add chapters on |
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140 how to use bgen to create modules completely automatic and how to make |
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141 your Python program scriptable, but that will have to wait. <p> |
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142 |
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143 <HR> |
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144 |
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145 Please let me know if you miss critical information in this |
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146 document. I am quite sure that I will never find the time to turn it |
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147 into a complete MacPython programmers guide (which would probably be a |
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148 400-page book instead of 10 lousy html-files), but it should contain |
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149 at least the information that is neither in the standard Python |
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150 documentation nor in Inside Mac or other Mac programmers |
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151 documentation. <p> |
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152 |
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153 <HR> |
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154 <A HREF="http://www.cwi.nl/~jack">Jack Jansen</A>, |
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155 <A HREF="mailto:jack@cwi.nl">jack@cwi.nl</A>, 22-Apr-00. |
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156 </BODY></HTML> |