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+.. highlightlang:: none
+
+.. _using-on-windows:
+
+*************************
+ Using Python on Windows
+*************************
+
+.. sectionauthor:: Robert Lehmann <lehmannro@gmail.com>
+
+This document aims to give an overview of Windows-specific behaviour you should
+know about when using Python on Microsoft Windows.
+
+
+Installing Python
+=================
+
+Unlike most Unix systems and services, Windows does not require Python natively
+and thus does not pre-install a version of Python. However, the CPython team
+has compiled Windows installers (MSI packages) with every `release
+<http://www.python.org/download/releases/>`_ for many years.
+
+With ongoing development of Python, some platforms that used to be supported
+earlier are no longer supported (due to the lack of users or developers).
+Check :pep:`11` for details on all unsupported platforms.
+
+* DOS and Windows 3.x are deprecated since Python 2.0 and code specific to these
+ systems was removed in Python 2.1.
+* Up to 2.5, Python was still compatible with Windows 95, 98 and ME (but already
+ raised a deprecation warning on installation). For Python 2.6 (and all
+ following releases), this support was dropped and new releases are just
+ expected to work on the Windows NT family.
+* `Windows CE <http://pythonce.sourceforge.net/>`_ is still supported.
+* The `Cygwin <http://cygwin.com/>`_ installer offers to install the `Python
+ interpreter <http://cygwin.com/packages/python>`_ as well; it is located under
+ "Interpreters." (cf. `Cygwin package source
+ <ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/pc/gnuwin32/cygwin/mirrors/cygnus/
+ release/python>`_, `Maintainer releases
+ <http://www.tishler.net/jason/software/python/>`_)
+
+See `Python for Windows (and DOS) <http://www.python.org/download/windows/>`_
+for detailed information about platforms with precompiled installers.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+ `Python on XP <http://www.richarddooling.com/index.php/2006/03/14/python-on-xp-7-minutes-to-hello-world/>`_
+ "7 Minutes to "Hello World!""
+ by Richard Dooling, 2006
+
+ `Installing on Windows <http://diveintopython.org/installing_python/windows.html>`_
+ in "`Dive into Python: Python from novice to pro
+ <http://diveintopython.org/index.html>`_"
+ by Mark Pilgrim, 2004,
+ ISBN 1-59059-356-1
+
+ `For Windows users <http://swaroopch.com/text/Byte_of_Python:Installing_Python#For_Windows_users>`_
+ in "Installing Python"
+ in "`A Byte of Python <http://www.byteofpython.info>`_"
+ by Swaroop C H, 2003
+
+
+Alternative bundles
+===================
+
+Besides the standard CPython distribution, there are modified packages including
+additional functionality. The following is a list of popular versions and their
+key features:
+
+`ActivePython <http://www.activestate.com/Products/activepython/>`_
+ Installer with multi-platform compatibility, documentation, PyWin32
+
+`Python Enthought Edition <http://code.enthought.com/enthon/>`_
+ Popular modules (such as PyWin32) with their respective documentation, tool
+ suite for building extensible python applications
+
+Notice that these packages are likely to install *older* versions of Python.
+
+
+
+Configuring Python
+==================
+
+In order to run Python flawlessly, you might have to change certain environment
+settings in Windows.
+
+
+Excursus: Setting environment variables
+---------------------------------------
+
+Windows has a built-in dialog for changing environment variables (following
+guide applies to XP classical view): Right-click the icon for your machine
+(usually located on your Desktop and called "My Computer") and choose
+:menuselection:`Properties` there. Then, open the :guilabel:`Advanced` tab
+and click the :guilabel:`Environment Variables` button.
+
+In short, your path is:
+
+ :menuselection:`My Computer
+ --> Properties
+ --> Advanced
+ --> Environment Variables`
+
+In this dialog, you can add or modify User and System variables. To change
+System variables, you need non-restricted access to your machine
+(i.e. Administrator rights).
+
+Another way of adding variables to your environment is using the :command:`set`
+command::
+
+ set PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;C:\My_python_lib
+
+To make this setting permanent, you could add the corresponding command line to
+your :file:`autoexec.bat`. :program:`msconfig` is a graphical interface to this
+file.
+
+Viewing environment variables can also be done more straight-forward: The
+command prompt will expand strings wrapped into percent signs automatically::
+
+ echo %PATH%
+
+Consult :command:`set /?` for details on this behaviour.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/100843
+ Environment variables in Windows NT
+
+ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310519
+ How To Manage Environment Variables in Windows XP
+
+ http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~louis/software/faq/q1.html
+ Setting Environment variables, Louis J. Farrugia
+
+
+Finding the Python executable
+-----------------------------
+
+Besides using the automatically created start menu entry for the Python
+interpreter, you might want to start Python in the DOS prompt. To make this
+work, you need to set your :envvar:`%PATH%` environment variable to include the
+directory of your Python distribution, delimited by a semicolon from other
+entries. An example variable could look like this (assuming the first two
+entries are Windows' default)::
+
+ C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\Python25
+
+Typing :command:`python` on your command prompt will now fire up the Python
+interpreter. Thus, you can also execute your scripts with command line options,
+see :ref:`using-on-cmdline` documentation.
+
+
+Finding modules
+---------------
+
+Python usually stores its library (and thereby your site-packages folder) in the
+installation directory. So, if you had installed Python to
+:file:`C:\\Python\\`, the default library would reside in
+:file:`C:\\Python\\Lib\\` and third-party modules should be stored in
+:file:`C:\\Python\\Lib\\site-packages\\`.
+
+.. `` this fixes syntax highlighting errors in some editors due to the \\ hackery
+
+You can add folders to your search path to make Python's import mechanism search
+in these directories as well. Use :envvar:`PYTHONPATH`, as described in
+:ref:`using-on-envvars`, to modify :data:`sys.path`. On Windows, paths are
+separated by semicolons, though, to distinguish them from drive identifiers
+(:file:`C:\\` etc.).
+
+.. ``
+
+Modifying the module search path can also be done through the Windows registry:
+Edit
+:file:`HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Python\\PythonCore\\{version}\\PythonPath\\`,
+as described above for the environment variable :envvar:`%PYTHONPATH%`. A
+convenient registry editor is :program:`regedit` (start it by typing "regedit"
+into :menuselection:`Start --> Run`).
+
+
+Executing scripts
+-----------------
+
+Python scripts (files with the extension ``.py``) will be executed by
+:program:`python.exe` by default. This executable opens a terminal, which stays
+open even if the program uses a GUI. If you do not want this to happen, use the
+extension ``.pyw`` which will cause the script to be executed by
+:program:`pythonw.exe` by default (both executables are located in the top-level
+of your Python installation directory). This suppresses the terminal window on
+startup.
+
+You can also make all ``.py`` scripts execute with :program:`pythonw.exe`,
+setting this through the usual facilities, for example (might require
+administrative rights):
+
+#. Launch a command prompt.
+#. Associate the correct file group with ``.py`` scripts::
+
+ assoc .py=Python.File
+
+#. Redirect all Python files to the new executable::
+
+ ftype Python.File=C:\Path\to\pythonw.exe "%1" %*
+
+
+Additional modules
+==================
+
+Even though Python aims to be portable among all platforms, there are features
+that are unique to Windows. A couple of modules, both in the standard library
+and external, and snippets exist to use these features.
+
+The Windows-specific standard modules are documented in
+:ref:`mswin-specific-services`.
+
+
+PyWin32
+-------
+
+The `PyWin32 <http://python.net/crew/mhammond/win32/>`_ module by Mark Hammond
+is a collection of modules for advanced Windows-specific support. This includes
+utilities for:
+
+* `Component Object Model <http://www.microsoft.com/com/>`_ (COM)
+* Win32 API calls
+* Registry
+* Event log
+* `Microsoft Foundation Classes <http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/
+ en-us/vclib/html/_mfc_Class_Library_Reference_Introduction.asp>`_ (MFC)
+ user interfaces
+
+`PythonWin <http://web.archive.org/web/20060524042422/
+http://www.python.org/windows/pythonwin/>`_ is a sample MFC application
+shipped with PyWin32. It is an embeddable IDE with a built-in debugger.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+ `Win32 How Do I...? <http://timgolden.me.uk/python/win32_how_do_i.html>`_
+ by Tim Golden
+
+ `Python and COM <http://www.boddie.org.uk/python/COM.html>`_
+ by David and Paul Boddie
+
+
+Py2exe
+------
+
+`Py2exe <http://www.py2exe.org/>`_ is a :mod:`distutils` extension (see
+:ref:`extending-distutils`) which wraps Python scripts into executable Windows
+programs (:file:`{*}.exe` files). When you have done this, you can distribute
+your application without requiring your users to install Python.
+
+
+WConio
+------
+
+Since Python's advanced terminal handling layer, :mod:`curses`, is restricted to
+Unix-like systems, there is a library exclusive to Windows as well: Windows
+Console I/O for Python.
+
+`WConio <http://newcenturycomputers.net/projects/wconio.html>`_ is a wrapper for
+Turbo-C's :file:`CONIO.H`, used to create text user interfaces.
+
+
+
+Compiling Python on Windows
+===========================
+
+If you want to compile CPython yourself, first thing you should do is get the
+`source <http://python.org/download/source/>`_. You can download either the
+latest release's source or just grab a fresh `checkout
+<http://www.python.org/dev/faq/#how-do-i-get-a-checkout-of-the-repository-read-only-and-read-write>`_.
+
+For Microsoft Visual C++, which is the compiler with which official Python
+releases are built, the source tree contains solutions/project files. View the
+:file:`readme.txt` in their respective directories:
+
++--------------------+--------------+-----------------------+
+| Directory | MSVC version | Visual Studio version |
++====================+==============+=======================+
+| :file:`PC/VC6/` | 6.0 | 97 |
++--------------------+--------------+-----------------------+
+| :file:`PC/VS7.1/` | 7.1 | 2003 |
++--------------------+--------------+-----------------------+
+| :file:`PC/VS8.0/` | 8.0 | 2005 |
++--------------------+--------------+-----------------------+
+| :file:`PCbuild/` | 9.0 | 2008 |
++--------------------+--------------+-----------------------+
+
+Note that not all of these build directories are fully supported. Read the
+release notes to see which compiler version the official releases for your
+version are built with.
+
+Check :file:`PC/readme.txt` for general information on the build process.
+
+
+For extension modules, consult :ref:`building-on-windows`.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+ `Python + Windows + distutils + SWIG + gcc MinGW <http://sebsauvage.net/python/mingw.html>`_
+ or "Creating Python extensions in C/C++ with SWIG and compiling them with
+ MinGW gcc under Windows" or "Installing Python extension with distutils
+ and without Microsoft Visual C++" by Sébastien Sauvage, 2003
+
+ `MingW -- Python extensions <http://www.mingw.org/MinGWiki/index.php/Python%20extensions>`_
+ by Trent Apted et al, 2007
+
+
+Other resources
+===============
+
+.. seealso::
+
+ `Python Programming On Win32 <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pythonwin32/>`_
+ "Help for Windows Programmers"
+ by Mark Hammond and Andy Robinson, O'Reilly Media, 2000,
+ ISBN 1-56592-621-8
+
+ `A Python for Windows Tutorial <http://www.imladris.com/Scripts/PythonForWindows.html>`_
+ by Amanda Birmingham, 2004
+