Doc/distutils/builtdist.rst - platform/external/python/cpython2 - Git at Google


            
            .. _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 their 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`)      | (2),(4) |

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

            
            |             | Windows                      |         |

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

            
            | ``msi``     | Microsoft Installer.         |         |

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


            Notes:


            (1)

            
               default on Unix


            (2)

            
               default on Windows


            (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               |

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

            
            | :command:`bdist_msi`     | msi                   |

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


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

            
            commands.


            .. _creating-dumb:


            Creating dumb built distributions

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


            .. XXX 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                                     | ``name``                                     |

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

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

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

            
            | Version                                  | ``version``                                  |

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

            
            | Vendor                                   | ``author`` and ``author_email``,             |

            
            |                                          | or  --- & ``maintainer`` and                 |

            
            |                                          | ``maintainer_email``                         |

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

            
            | Copyright                                | ``license``                                  |

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

            
            | Url                                      | ``url``                                      |

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

            
            | %description (section)                   | ``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                       | ``release``                 | "1"                     |

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

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

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

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

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

            
            | Packager                      | ``packager``                | (none)                  |

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

            
            | Provides                      | ``provides``                | (none)                  |

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

            
            | Requires                      | ``requires``                | (none)                  |

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

            
            | Conflicts                     | ``conflicts``               | (none)                  |

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

            
            | Obsoletes                     | ``obsoletes``               | (none)                  |

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

            
            | Distribution                  | ``distribution_name``       | (none)                  |

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

            
            | BuildRequires                 | ``build_requires``          | (none)                  |

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

            
            | Icon                          | ``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`).  If you want to temporarily disable

            
            this file, you can pass the --no-user-cfg option to setup.py.


            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 152x261 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 targeting - it is not possible from a

            
            binary installation 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 with 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

            
               :c:func:`SHGetSpecialFolderPath` function.


            .. 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.


            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).
	.. _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 their 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`) \| (2),(4) \|
	+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
	\| ``rpm`` \| RPM \| \(5) \|
	+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
	\| ``pkgtool`` \| Solaris :program:`pkgtool` \| \|
	+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
	\| ``sdux`` \| HP-UX :program:`swinstall` \| \|
	+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
	\| ``wininst`` \| self-extracting ZIP file for \| \(4) \|
	\| \| Windows \| \|
	+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
	\| ``msi`` \| Microsoft Installer. \| \|
	+-------------+------------------------------+---------+


	Notes:

	(1)
	default on Unix

	(2)
	default on Windows

	(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 \|
	+--------------------------+-----------------------+
	\| :command:`bdist_msi` \| msi \|
	+--------------------------+-----------------------+

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


	.. _creating-dumb:

	Creating dumb built distributions
	=================================

	.. XXX 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 \| ``name`` \|
	+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
	\| Summary (in preamble) \| ``description`` \|
	+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
	\| Version \| ``version`` \|
	+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
	\| Vendor \| ``author`` and ``author_email``, \|
	\| \| or --- & ``maintainer`` and \|
	\| \| ``maintainer_email`` \|
	+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
	\| Copyright \| ``license`` \|
	+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
	\| Url \| ``url`` \|
	+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
	\| %description (section) \| ``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 \| ``release`` \| "1" \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| Group \| ``group`` \| "Development/Libraries" \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| Vendor \| ``vendor`` \| (see above) \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| Packager \| ``packager`` \| (none) \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| Provides \| ``provides`` \| (none) \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| Requires \| ``requires`` \| (none) \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| Conflicts \| ``conflicts`` \| (none) \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| Obsoletes \| ``obsoletes`` \| (none) \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| Distribution \| ``distribution_name`` \| (none) \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| BuildRequires \| ``build_requires`` \| (none) \|
	+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
	\| Icon \| ``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`). If you want to temporarily disable
	this file, you can pass the --no-user-cfg option to setup.py.

	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 152x261 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 targeting - it is not possible from a
	binary installation 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 with 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
	:c:func:`SHGetSpecialFolderPath` function.


	.. 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.


	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).