1.. _built-dist:
2
3****************************
4Creating Built Distributions
5****************************
6
7.. include:: ./_setuptools_disclaimer.rst
8
9A "built distribution" is what you're probably used to thinking of either as a
10"binary package" or an "installer" (depending on your background).  It's not
11necessarily binary, though, because it might contain only Python source code
12and/or byte-code; and we don't call it a package, because that word is already
13spoken for in Python.  (And "installer" is a term specific to the world of
14mainstream desktop systems.)
15
16A built distribution is how you make life as easy as possible for installers of
17your module distribution: for users of RPM-based Linux systems, it's a binary
18RPM; for Windows users, it's an executable installer; for Debian-based Linux
19users, it's a Debian package; and so forth.  Obviously, no one person will be
20able to create built distributions for every platform under the sun, so the
21Distutils are designed to enable module developers to concentrate on their
22specialty---writing code and creating source distributions---while an
23intermediary species called *packagers* springs up to turn source distributions
24into built distributions for as many platforms as there are packagers.
25
26Of course, the module developer could be their own packager; or the packager could
27be a volunteer "out there" somewhere who has access to a platform which the
28original developer does not; or it could be software periodically grabbing new
29source distributions and turning them into built distributions for as many
30platforms as the software has access to.  Regardless of who they are, a packager
31uses the setup script and the :command:`bdist` command family to generate built
32distributions.
33
34As a simple example, if I run the following command in the Distutils source
35tree::
36
37   python setup.py bdist
38
39then the Distutils builds my module distribution (the Distutils itself in this
40case), does a "fake" installation (also in the :file:`build` directory), and
41creates the default type of built distribution for my platform.  The default
42format for built distributions is a "dumb" tar file on Unix, and a simple
43executable installer on Windows.  (That tar file is considered "dumb" because it
44has to be unpacked in a specific location to work.)
45
46Thus, the above command on a Unix system creates
47:file:`Distutils-1.0.{plat}.tar.gz`; unpacking this tarball from the right place
48installs the Distutils just as though you had downloaded the source distribution
49and run ``python setup.py install``.  (The "right place" is either the root of
50the filesystem or  Python's :file:`{prefix}` directory, depending on the options
51given to the :command:`bdist_dumb` command; the default is to make dumb
52distributions relative to :file:`{prefix}`.)
53
54Obviously, for pure Python distributions, this isn't any simpler than just
55running ``python setup.py install``\ ---but for non-pure distributions, which
56include extensions that would need to be compiled, it can mean the difference
57between someone being able to use your extensions or not.  And creating "smart"
58built distributions, such as an RPM package or an executable installer for
59Windows, is far more convenient for users even if your distribution doesn't
60include any extensions.
61
62The :command:`bdist` command has a :option:`!--formats` option, similar to the
63:command:`sdist` command, which you can use to select the types of built
64distribution to generate: for example, ::
65
66   python setup.py bdist --format=zip
67
68would, when run on a Unix system, create
69:file:`Distutils-1.0.{plat}.zip`\ ---again, this archive would be unpacked
70from the root directory to install the Distutils.
71
72The available formats for built distributions are:
73
74+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
75| Format      | Description                  | Notes   |
76+=============+==============================+=========+
77| ``gztar``   | gzipped tar file             | \(1)    |
78|             | (:file:`.tar.gz`)            |         |
79+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
80| ``bztar``   | bzipped tar file             |         |
81|             | (:file:`.tar.bz2`)           |         |
82+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
83| ``xztar``   | xzipped tar file             |         |
84|             | (:file:`.tar.xz`)            |         |
85+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
86| ``ztar``    | compressed tar file          | \(3)    |
87|             | (:file:`.tar.Z`)             |         |
88+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
89| ``tar``     | tar file (:file:`.tar`)      |         |
90+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
91| ``zip``     | zip file (:file:`.zip`)      | (2),(4) |
92+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
93| ``rpm``     | RPM                          | \(5)    |
94+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
95| ``pkgtool`` | Solaris :program:`pkgtool`   |         |
96+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
97| ``sdux``    | HP-UX :program:`swinstall`   |         |
98+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
99| ``msi``     | Microsoft Installer.         |         |
100+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
101
102.. versionchanged:: 3.5
103   Added support for the ``xztar`` format.
104
105
106Notes:
107
108(1)
109   default on Unix
110
111(2)
112   default on Windows
113
114(3)
115   requires external :program:`compress` utility.
116
117(4)
118   requires either external :program:`zip` utility or :mod:`zipfile` module (part
119   of the standard Python library since Python 1.6)
120
121(5)
122   requires external :program:`rpm` utility, version 3.0.4 or better (use ``rpm
123   --version`` to find out which version you have)
124
125You don't have to use the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`!--formats`
126option; you can also use the command that directly implements the format you're
127interested in.  Some of these :command:`bdist` "sub-commands" actually generate
128several similar formats; for instance, the :command:`bdist_dumb` command
129generates all the "dumb" archive formats (``tar``, ``gztar``, ``bztar``,
130``xztar``, ``ztar``, and ``zip``), and :command:`bdist_rpm` generates both
131binary and source RPMs.  The :command:`bdist` sub-commands, and the formats
132generated by each, are:
133
134+--------------------------+-------------------------------------+
135| Command                  | Formats                             |
136+==========================+=====================================+
137| :command:`bdist_dumb`    | tar, gztar, bztar, xztar, ztar, zip |
138+--------------------------+-------------------------------------+
139| :command:`bdist_rpm`     | rpm, srpm                           |
140+--------------------------+-------------------------------------+
141
142The following sections give details on the individual :command:`bdist_\*`
143commands.
144
145
146.. .. _creating-dumb:
147
148.. Creating dumb built distributions
149.. =================================
150
151.. XXX Need to document absolute vs. prefix-relative packages here, but first
152   I have to implement it!
153
154
155.. _creating-rpms:
156
157Creating RPM packages
158=====================
159
160The RPM format is used by many popular Linux distributions, including Red Hat,
161SuSE, and Mandrake.  If one of these (or any of the other RPM-based Linux
162distributions) is your usual environment, creating RPM packages for other users
163of that same distribution is trivial. Depending on the complexity of your module
164distribution and differences between Linux distributions, you may also be able
165to create RPMs that work on different RPM-based distributions.
166
167The usual way to create an RPM of your module distribution is to run the
168:command:`bdist_rpm` command::
169
170   python setup.py bdist_rpm
171
172or the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`!--format` option::
173
174   python setup.py bdist --formats=rpm
175
176The former allows you to specify RPM-specific options; the latter allows  you to
177easily specify multiple formats in one run.  If you need to do both, you can
178explicitly specify multiple :command:`bdist_\*` commands and their options::
179
180   python setup.py bdist_rpm --packager="John Doe <[email protected]>"
181
182Creating RPM packages is driven by a :file:`.spec` file, much as using the
183Distutils is driven by the setup script.  To make your life easier, the
184:command:`bdist_rpm` command normally creates a :file:`.spec` file based on the
185information you supply in the setup script, on the command line, and in any
186Distutils configuration files.  Various options and sections in the
187:file:`.spec` file are derived from options in the setup script as follows:
188
189+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
190| RPM :file:`.spec` file option or section | Distutils setup script option                |
191+==========================================+==============================================+
192| Name                                     | ``name``                                     |
193+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
194| Summary (in preamble)                    | ``description``                              |
195+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
196| Version                                  | ``version``                                  |
197+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
198| Vendor                                   | ``author`` and ``author_email``,             |
199|                                          | or  --- & ``maintainer`` and                 |
200|                                          | ``maintainer_email``                         |
201+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
202| Copyright                                | ``license``                                  |
203+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
204| Url                                      | ``url``                                      |
205+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
206| %description (section)                   | ``long_description``                         |
207+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
208
209Additionally, there are many options in :file:`.spec` files that don't have
210corresponding options in the setup script.  Most of these are handled through
211options to the :command:`bdist_rpm` command as follows:
212
213+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
214| RPM :file:`.spec` file option | :command:`bdist_rpm` option | default value           |
215| or section                    |                             |                         |
216+===============================+=============================+=========================+
217| Release                       | ``release``                 | "1"                     |
218+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
219| Group                         | ``group``                   | "Development/Libraries" |
220+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
221| Vendor                        | ``vendor``                  | (see above)             |
222+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
223| Packager                      | ``packager``                | (none)                  |
224+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
225| Provides                      | ``provides``                | (none)                  |
226+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
227| Requires                      | ``requires``                | (none)                  |
228+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
229| Conflicts                     | ``conflicts``               | (none)                  |
230+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
231| Obsoletes                     | ``obsoletes``               | (none)                  |
232+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
233| Distribution                  | ``distribution_name``       | (none)                  |
234+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
235| BuildRequires                 | ``build_requires``          | (none)                  |
236+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
237| Icon                          | ``icon``                    | (none)                  |
238+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
239
240Obviously, supplying even a few of these options on the command-line would be
241tedious and error-prone, so it's usually best to put them in the setup
242configuration file, :file:`setup.cfg`\ ---see section :ref:`setup-config`.  If
243you distribute or package many Python module distributions, you might want to
244put options that apply to all of them in your personal Distutils configuration
245file (:file:`~/.pydistutils.cfg`).  If you want to temporarily disable
246this file, you can pass the :option:`!--no-user-cfg` option to :file:`setup.py`.
247
248There are three steps to building a binary RPM package, all of which are
249handled automatically by the Distutils:
250
251#. create a :file:`.spec` file, which describes the package (analogous  to the
252   Distutils setup script; in fact, much of the information in the  setup script
253   winds up in the :file:`.spec` file)
254
255#. create the source RPM
256
257#. create the "binary" RPM (which may or may not contain binary code, depending
258   on whether your module distribution contains Python extensions)
259
260Normally, RPM bundles the last two steps together; when you use the Distutils,
261all three steps are typically bundled together.
262
263If you wish, you can separate these three steps.  You can use the
264:option:`!--spec-only` option to make :command:`bdist_rpm` just create the
265:file:`.spec` file and exit; in this case, the :file:`.spec` file will be
266written to the "distribution directory"---normally :file:`dist/`, but
267customizable with the :option:`!--dist-dir` option.  (Normally, the :file:`.spec`
268file winds up deep in the "build tree," in a temporary directory created by
269:command:`bdist_rpm`.)
270
271.. % \XXX{this isn't implemented yet---is it needed?!}
272.. % You can also specify a custom \file{.spec} file with the
273.. % \longprogramopt{spec-file} option; used in conjunction with
274.. % \longprogramopt{spec-only}, this gives you an opportunity to customize
275.. % the \file{.spec} file manually:
276.. %
277.. % \ begin{verbatim}
278.. % > python setup.py bdist_rpm --spec-only
279.. % # ...edit dist/FooBar-1.0.spec
280.. % > python setup.py bdist_rpm --spec-file=dist/FooBar-1.0.spec
281.. % \ end{verbatim}
282.. %
283.. % (Although a better way to do this is probably to override the standard
284.. % \command{bdist\_rpm} command with one that writes whatever else you want
285.. % to the \file{.spec} file.)
286
287
288.. _cross-compile-windows:
289
290Cross-compiling on Windows
291==========================
292
293Starting with Python 2.6, distutils is capable of cross-compiling between
294Windows platforms.  In practice, this means that with the correct tools
295installed, you can use a 32bit version of Windows to create 64bit extensions
296and vice-versa.
297
298To build for an alternate platform, specify the :option:`!--plat-name` option
299to the build command.  Valid values are currently 'win32', and  'win-amd64'.
300For example, on a 32bit version of Windows, you could execute::
301
302   python setup.py build --plat-name=win-amd64
303
304to build a 64bit version of your extension.
305
306would create a 64bit installation executable on your 32bit version of Windows.
307
308To cross-compile, you must download the Python source code and cross-compile
309Python itself for the platform you are targeting - it is not possible from a
310binary installation of Python (as the .lib etc file for other platforms are
311not included.)  In practice, this means the user of a 32 bit operating
312system will need to use Visual Studio 2008 to open the
313:file:`PCbuild/PCbuild.sln` solution in the Python source tree and build the
314"x64" configuration of the 'pythoncore' project before cross-compiling
315extensions is possible.
316
317Note that by default, Visual Studio 2008 does not install 64bit compilers or
318tools.  You may need to reexecute the Visual Studio setup process and select
319these tools (using Control Panel->[Add/Remove] Programs is a convenient way to
320check or modify your existing install.)
321
322.. _postinstallation-script:
323
324The Postinstallation script
325---------------------------
326
327Starting with Python 2.3, a postinstallation script can be specified with the
328:option:`!--install-script` option.  The basename of the script must be
329specified, and the script filename must also be listed in the scripts argument
330to the setup function.
331
332This script will be run at installation time on the target system after all the
333files have been copied, with ``argv[1]`` set to :option:`!-install`, and again at
334uninstallation time before the files are removed with ``argv[1]`` set to
335:option:`!-remove`.
336
337The installation script runs embedded in the windows installer, every output
338(``sys.stdout``, ``sys.stderr``) is redirected into a buffer and will be
339displayed in the GUI after the script has finished.
340
341Some functions especially useful in this context are available as additional
342built-in functions in the installation script.
343
344
345.. function:: directory_created(path)
346              file_created(path)
347
348   These functions should be called when a directory or file is created by the
349   postinstall script at installation time.  It will register *path* with the
350   uninstaller, so that it will be removed when the distribution is uninstalled.
351   To be safe, directories are only removed if they are empty.
352
353
354.. function:: get_special_folder_path(csidl_string)
355
356   This function can be used to retrieve special folder locations on Windows like
357   the Start Menu or the Desktop.  It returns the full path to the folder.
358   *csidl_string* must be one of the following strings::
359
360      "CSIDL_APPDATA"
361
362      "CSIDL_COMMON_STARTMENU"
363      "CSIDL_STARTMENU"
364
365      "CSIDL_COMMON_DESKTOPDIRECTORY"
366      "CSIDL_DESKTOPDIRECTORY"
367
368      "CSIDL_COMMON_STARTUP"
369      "CSIDL_STARTUP"
370
371      "CSIDL_COMMON_PROGRAMS"
372      "CSIDL_PROGRAMS"
373
374      "CSIDL_FONTS"
375
376   If the folder cannot be retrieved, :exc:`OSError` is raised.
377
378   Which folders are available depends on the exact Windows version, and probably
379   also the configuration.  For details refer to Microsoft's documentation of the
380   :c:func:`SHGetSpecialFolderPath` function.
381
382
383.. function:: create_shortcut(target, description, filename[, arguments[, workdir[, iconpath[, iconindex]]]])
384
385   This function creates a shortcut. *target* is the path to the program to be
386   started by the shortcut. *description* is the description of the shortcut.
387   *filename* is the title of the shortcut that the user will see. *arguments*
388   specifies the command line arguments, if any. *workdir* is the working directory
389   for the program. *iconpath* is the file containing the icon for the shortcut,
390   and *iconindex* is the index of the icon in the file *iconpath*.  Again, for
391   details consult the Microsoft documentation for the :class:`IShellLink`
392   interface.
393