Doc/using/mac.rst - platform/external/python/cpython3 - Git at Google


 .. _using-on-mac:

 *********************
 Using Python on a Mac
 *********************

 :Author: Bob Savage <bobsavage@mac.com>


 Python on a Mac running macOS is in principle very similar to Python on
 any other Unix platform, but there are a number of additional features such as
 the integrated development environment (IDE) and the Package Manager that are
 worth pointing out.


 .. _getting-osx:
 .. _getting-and-installing-macpython:

 Getting and Installing Python
 =============================

 macOS used to come with Python 2.7 pre-installed between versions
 10.8 and `12.3 <https://developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-notes/macos-12_3-release-notes#Python>`_.
 You are invited to install the most recent version of Python 3 from the `Python
 website <https://www.python.org/downloads/macos/>`__.
 A current "universal2 binary" build of Python, which runs natively on the Mac's
 new Apple Silicon and legacy Intel processors, is available there.

 What you get after installing is a number of things:

 * A |python_version_literal| folder in your :file:`Applications` folder. In here
   you find IDLE, the development environment that is a standard part of official
   Python distributions; and :program:`Python Launcher`, which handles double-clicking Python
   scripts from the Finder.

 * A framework :file:`/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework`, which includes the
   Python executable and libraries. The installer adds this location to your shell
   path. To uninstall Python, you can remove these three things. A
   symlink to the Python executable is placed in :file:`/usr/local/bin/`.

 .. note::

    On macOS 10.8-12.3, the Apple-provided build of Python is installed in
    :file:`/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework` and :file:`/usr/bin/python`,
    respectively. You should never modify or delete these, as they are
    Apple-controlled and are used by Apple- or third-party software.  Remember that
    if you choose to install a newer Python version from python.org, you will have
    two different but functional Python installations on your computer, so it will
    be important that your paths and usages are consistent with what you want to do.

 IDLE includes a Help menu that allows you to access Python documentation. If you
 are completely new to Python you should start reading the tutorial introduction
 in that document.

 If you are familiar with Python on other Unix platforms you should read the
 section on running Python scripts from the Unix shell.


 How to run a Python script
 --------------------------

 Your best way to get started with Python on macOS is through the IDLE
 integrated development environment; see section :ref:`ide` and use the Help menu
 when the IDE is running.

 If you want to run Python scripts from the Terminal window command line or from
 the Finder you first need an editor to create your script. macOS comes with a
 number of standard Unix command line editors, :program:`vim`
 :program:`nano` among them. If you want a more Mac-like editor,
 :program:`BBEdit` from Bare Bones Software (see
 https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/index.html) are good choices, as is
 :program:`TextMate` (see https://macromates.com). Other editors include
 :program:`MacVim` (https://macvim.org) and :program:`Aquamacs`
 (https://aquamacs.org).

 To run your script from the Terminal window you must make sure that
 :file:`/usr/local/bin` is in your shell search path.

 To run your script from the Finder you have two options:

 * Drag it to :program:`Python Launcher`.

 * Select :program:`Python Launcher` as the default application to open your
   script (or any ``.py`` script) through the finder Info window and double-click it.
   :program:`Python Launcher` has various preferences to control how your script is
   launched. Option-dragging allows you to change these for one invocation, or use
   its Preferences menu to change things globally.


 .. _osx-gui-scripts:

 Running scripts with a GUI
 --------------------------

 With older versions of Python, there is one macOS quirk that you need to be
 aware of: programs that talk to the Aqua window manager (in other words,
 anything that has a GUI) need to be run in a special way. Use :program:`pythonw`
 instead of :program:`python` to start such scripts.

 With Python 3.9, you can use either :program:`python` or :program:`pythonw`.


 Configuration
 -------------

 Python on macOS honors all standard Unix environment variables such as
 :envvar:`PYTHONPATH`, but setting these variables for programs started from the
 Finder is non-standard as the Finder does not read your :file:`.profile` or
 :file:`.cshrc` at startup. You need to create a file
 :file:`~/.MacOSX/environment.plist`. See Apple's
 `Technical Q&A QA1067 <https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/qa/qa1067/_index.html>`__
 for details.

 For more information on installation Python packages, see section
 :ref:`mac-package-manager`.


 .. _ide:

 The IDE
 =======

 Python ships with the standard IDLE development environment. A good
 introduction to using IDLE can be found at
 https://www.hashcollision.org/hkn/python/idle_intro/index.html.


 .. _mac-package-manager:

 Installing Additional Python Packages
 =====================================

 This section has moved to the `Python Packaging User Guide`_.

 .. _Python Packaging User Guide: https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/tutorials/installing-packages/


 .. _gui-programming-on-the-mac:

 GUI Programming
 ===============

 There are several options for building GUI applications on the Mac with Python.

 *PyObjC* is a Python binding to Apple's Objective-C/Cocoa framework, which is
 the foundation of most modern Mac development. Information on PyObjC is
 available from https://pypi.org/project/pyobjc/.

 The standard Python GUI toolkit is :mod:`tkinter`, based on the cross-platform
 Tk toolkit (https://www.tcl.tk). An Aqua-native version of Tk is bundled with
 macOS by Apple, and the latest version can be downloaded and installed from
 https://www.activestate.com; it can also be built from source.

 *wxPython* is another popular cross-platform GUI toolkit that runs natively on
 macOS. Packages and documentation are available from https://www.wxpython.org.

 *PyQt* is another popular cross-platform GUI toolkit that runs natively on
 macOS. More information can be found at
 https://riverbankcomputing.com/software/pyqt/intro.

 *PySide* is another cross-platform Qt-based toolkit. More information at
 https://www.qt.io/qt-for-python.


 .. _distributing-python-applications-on-the-mac:

 Distributing Python Applications
 ================================

 The standard tool for deploying standalone Python applications on the Mac is
 :program:`py2app`. More information on installing and using :program:`py2app`
 can be found at https://pypi.org/project/py2app/.


 Other Resources
 ===============

 The Pythonmac-SIG mailing list is an excellent support resource for Python users
 and developers on the Mac:

 https://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/pythonmac-sig/

 Another useful resource is the MacPython wiki:

 https://wiki.python.org/moin/MacPython

	.. _using-on-mac:

	*********************
	Using Python on a Mac
	*********************

	:Author: Bob Savage <bobsavage@mac.com>


	Python on a Mac running macOS is in principle very similar to Python on
	any other Unix platform, but there are a number of additional features such as
	the integrated development environment (IDE) and the Package Manager that are
	worth pointing out.


	.. _getting-osx:
	.. _getting-and-installing-macpython:

	Getting and Installing Python
	=============================

	macOS used to come with Python 2.7 pre-installed between versions
	10.8 and `12.3 <https://developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-notes/macos-12_3-release-notes#Python>`_.
	You are invited to install the most recent version of Python 3 from the `Python
	website <https://www.python.org/downloads/macos/>`__.
	A current "universal2 binary" build of Python, which runs natively on the Mac's
	new Apple Silicon and legacy Intel processors, is available there.

	What you get after installing is a number of things:

	* A \|python_version_literal\| folder in your :file:`Applications` folder. In here
	you find IDLE, the development environment that is a standard part of official
	Python distributions; and :program:`Python Launcher`, which handles double-clicking Python
	scripts from the Finder.

	* A framework :file:`/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework`, which includes the
	Python executable and libraries. The installer adds this location to your shell
	path. To uninstall Python, you can remove these three things. A
	symlink to the Python executable is placed in :file:`/usr/local/bin/`.

	.. note::

	On macOS 10.8-12.3, the Apple-provided build of Python is installed in
	:file:`/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework` and :file:`/usr/bin/python`,
	respectively. You should never modify or delete these, as they are
	Apple-controlled and are used by Apple- or third-party software. Remember that
	if you choose to install a newer Python version from python.org, you will have
	two different but functional Python installations on your computer, so it will
	be important that your paths and usages are consistent with what you want to do.

	IDLE includes a Help menu that allows you to access Python documentation. If you
	are completely new to Python you should start reading the tutorial introduction
	in that document.

	If you are familiar with Python on other Unix platforms you should read the
	section on running Python scripts from the Unix shell.


	How to run a Python script
	--------------------------

	Your best way to get started with Python on macOS is through the IDLE
	integrated development environment; see section :ref:`ide` and use the Help menu
	when the IDE is running.

	If you want to run Python scripts from the Terminal window command line or from
	the Finder you first need an editor to create your script. macOS comes with a
	number of standard Unix command line editors, :program:`vim`
	:program:`nano` among them. If you want a more Mac-like editor,
	:program:`BBEdit` from Bare Bones Software (see
	https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/index.html) are good choices, as is
	:program:`TextMate` (see https://macromates.com). Other editors include
	:program:`MacVim` (https://macvim.org) and :program:`Aquamacs`
	(https://aquamacs.org).

	To run your script from the Terminal window you must make sure that
	:file:`/usr/local/bin` is in your shell search path.

	To run your script from the Finder you have two options:

	* Drag it to :program:`Python Launcher`.

	* Select :program:`Python Launcher` as the default application to open your
	script (or any ``.py`` script) through the finder Info window and double-click it.
	:program:`Python Launcher` has various preferences to control how your script is
	launched. Option-dragging allows you to change these for one invocation, or use
	its Preferences menu to change things globally.


	.. _osx-gui-scripts:

	Running scripts with a GUI
	--------------------------

	With older versions of Python, there is one macOS quirk that you need to be
	aware of: programs that talk to the Aqua window manager (in other words,
	anything that has a GUI) need to be run in a special way. Use :program:`pythonw`
	instead of :program:`python` to start such scripts.

	With Python 3.9, you can use either :program:`python` or :program:`pythonw`.


	Configuration
	-------------

	Python on macOS honors all standard Unix environment variables such as
	:envvar:`PYTHONPATH`, but setting these variables for programs started from the
	Finder is non-standard as the Finder does not read your :file:`.profile` or
	:file:`.cshrc` at startup. You need to create a file
	:file:`~/.MacOSX/environment.plist`. See Apple's
	`Technical Q&A QA1067 <https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/qa/qa1067/_index.html>`__
	for details.

	For more information on installation Python packages, see section
	:ref:`mac-package-manager`.


	.. _ide:

	The IDE
	=======

	Python ships with the standard IDLE development environment. A good
	introduction to using IDLE can be found at
	https://www.hashcollision.org/hkn/python/idle_intro/index.html.


	.. _mac-package-manager:

	Installing Additional Python Packages
	=====================================

	This section has moved to the `Python Packaging User Guide`_.

	.. _Python Packaging User Guide: https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/tutorials/installing-packages/


	.. _gui-programming-on-the-mac:

	GUI Programming
	===============

	There are several options for building GUI applications on the Mac with Python.

	PyObjC is a Python binding to Apple's Objective-C/Cocoa framework, which is
	the foundation of most modern Mac development. Information on PyObjC is
	available from https://pypi.org/project/pyobjc/.

	The standard Python GUI toolkit is :mod:`tkinter`, based on the cross-platform
	Tk toolkit (https://www.tcl.tk). An Aqua-native version of Tk is bundled with
	macOS by Apple, and the latest version can be downloaded and installed from
	https://www.activestate.com; it can also be built from source.

	wxPython is another popular cross-platform GUI toolkit that runs natively on
	macOS. Packages and documentation are available from https://www.wxpython.org.

	PyQt is another popular cross-platform GUI toolkit that runs natively on
	macOS. More information can be found at
	https://riverbankcomputing.com/software/pyqt/intro.

	PySide is another cross-platform Qt-based toolkit. More information at
	https://www.qt.io/qt-for-python.


	.. _distributing-python-applications-on-the-mac:

	Distributing Python Applications
	================================

	The standard tool for deploying standalone Python applications on the Mac is
	:program:`py2app`. More information on installing and using :program:`py2app`
	can be found at https://pypi.org/project/py2app/.


	Other Resources
	===============

	The Pythonmac-SIG mailing list is an excellent support resource for Python users
	and developers on the Mac:

	https://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/pythonmac-sig/

	Another useful resource is the MacPython wiki:

	https://wiki.python.org/moin/MacPython