1.. _built-dist:
2
3****************************
4Creating Built Distributions
5****************************
6
7A "built distribution" is what you're probably used to thinking of either as a
8"binary package" or an "installer" (depending on your background).  It's not
9necessarily binary, though, because it might contain only Python source code
10and/or byte-code; and we don't call it a package, because that word is already
11spoken for in Python.  (And "installer" is a term specific to the world of
12mainstream desktop systems.)
13
14A built distribution is how you make life as easy as possible for installers of
15your module distribution: for users of RPM-based Linux systems, it's a binary
16RPM; for Windows users, it's an executable installer; for Debian-based Linux
17users, it's a Debian package; and so forth.  Obviously, no one person will be
18able to create built distributions for every platform under the sun, so the
19Distutils are designed to enable module developers to concentrate on their
20specialty---writing code and creating source distributions---while an
21intermediary species called *packagers* springs up to turn source distributions
22into built distributions for as many platforms as there are packagers.
23
24Of course, the module developer could be their own packager; or the packager could
25be a volunteer "out there" somewhere who has access to a platform which the
26original developer does not; or it could be software periodically grabbing new
27source distributions and turning them into built distributions for as many
28platforms as the software has access to.  Regardless of who they are, a packager
29uses the setup script and the :command:`bdist` command family to generate built
30distributions.
31
32As a simple example, if I run the following command in the Distutils source
33tree::
34
35   python setup.py bdist
36
37then the Distutils builds my module distribution (the Distutils itself in this
38case), does a "fake" installation (also in the :file:`build` directory), and
39creates the default type of built distribution for my platform.  The default
40format for built distributions is a "dumb" tar file on Unix, and a simple
41executable installer on Windows.  (That tar file is considered "dumb" because it
42has to be unpacked in a specific location to work.)
43
44Thus, the above command on a Unix system creates
45:file:`Distutils-1.0.{plat}.tar.gz`; unpacking this tarball from the right place
46installs the Distutils just as though you had downloaded the source distribution
47and run ``python setup.py install``.  (The "right place" is either the root of
48the filesystem or  Python's :file:`{prefix}` directory, depending on the options
49given to the :command:`bdist_dumb` command; the default is to make dumb
50distributions relative to :file:`{prefix}`.)
51
52Obviously, for pure Python distributions, this isn't any simpler than just
53running ``python setup.py install``\ ---but for non-pure distributions, which
54include extensions that would need to be compiled, it can mean the difference
55between someone being able to use your extensions or not.  And creating "smart"
56built distributions, such as an RPM package or an executable installer for
57Windows, is far more convenient for users even if your distribution doesn't
58include any extensions.
59
60The :command:`bdist` command has a :option:`!--formats` option, similar to the
61:command:`sdist` command, which you can use to select the types of built
62distribution to generate: for example, ::
63
64   python setup.py bdist --format=zip
65
66would, when run on a Unix system, create
67:file:`Distutils-1.0.{plat}.zip`\ ---again, this archive would be unpacked
68from the root directory to install the Distutils.
69
70The available formats for built distributions are:
71
72+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
73| Format      | Description                  | Notes   |
74+=============+==============================+=========+
75| ``gztar``   | gzipped tar file             | \(1)    |
76|             | (:file:`.tar.gz`)            |         |
77+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
78| ``bztar``   | bzipped tar file             |         |
79|             | (:file:`.tar.bz2`)           |         |
80+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
81| ``xztar``   | xzipped tar file             |         |
82|             | (:file:`.tar.xz`)            |         |
83+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
84| ``ztar``    | compressed tar file          | \(3)    |
85|             | (:file:`.tar.Z`)             |         |
86+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
87| ``tar``     | tar file (:file:`.tar`)      |         |
88+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
89| ``zip``     | zip file (:file:`.zip`)      | (2),(4) |
90+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
91| ``rpm``     | RPM                          | \(5)    |
92+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
93| ``pkgtool`` | Solaris :program:`pkgtool`   |         |
94+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
95| ``sdux``    | HP-UX :program:`swinstall`   |         |
96+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
97| ``wininst`` | self-extracting ZIP file for | \(4)    |
98|             | Windows                      |         |
99+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
100| ``msi``     | Microsoft Installer.         |         |
101+-------------+------------------------------+---------+
102
103.. versionchanged:: 3.5
104   Added support for the ``xztar`` format.
105
106
107Notes:
108
109(1)
110   default on Unix
111
112(2)
113   default on Windows
114
115(3)
116   requires external :program:`compress` utility.
117
118(4)
119   requires either external :program:`zip` utility or :mod:`zipfile` module (part
120   of the standard Python library since Python 1.6)
121
122(5)
123   requires external :program:`rpm` utility, version 3.0.4 or better (use ``rpm
124   --version`` to find out which version you have)
125
126You don't have to use the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`!--formats`
127option; you can also use the command that directly implements the format you're
128interested in.  Some of these :command:`bdist` "sub-commands" actually generate
129several similar formats; for instance, the :command:`bdist_dumb` command
130generates all the "dumb" archive formats (``tar``, ``gztar``, ``bztar``,
131``xztar``, ``ztar``, and ``zip``), and :command:`bdist_rpm` generates both
132binary and source RPMs.  The :command:`bdist` sub-commands, and the formats
133generated by each, are:
134
135+--------------------------+-------------------------------------+
136| Command                  | Formats                             |
137+==========================+=====================================+
138| :command:`bdist_dumb`    | tar, gztar, bztar, xztar, ztar, zip |
139+--------------------------+-------------------------------------+
140| :command:`bdist_rpm`     | rpm, srpm                           |
141+--------------------------+-------------------------------------+
142| :command:`bdist_wininst` | wininst                             |
143+--------------------------+-------------------------------------+
144| :command:`bdist_msi`     | msi                                 |
145+--------------------------+-------------------------------------+
146
147The following sections give details on the individual :command:`bdist_\*`
148commands.
149
150
151.. .. _creating-dumb:
152
153.. Creating dumb built distributions
154.. =================================
155
156.. XXX Need to document absolute vs. prefix-relative packages here, but first
157   I have to implement it!
158
159
160.. _creating-rpms:
161
162Creating RPM packages
163=====================
164
165The RPM format is used by many popular Linux distributions, including Red Hat,
166SuSE, and Mandrake.  If one of these (or any of the other RPM-based Linux
167distributions) is your usual environment, creating RPM packages for other users
168of that same distribution is trivial. Depending on the complexity of your module
169distribution and differences between Linux distributions, you may also be able
170to create RPMs that work on different RPM-based distributions.
171
172The usual way to create an RPM of your module distribution is to run the
173:command:`bdist_rpm` command::
174
175   python setup.py bdist_rpm
176
177or the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`!--format` option::
178
179   python setup.py bdist --formats=rpm
180
181The former allows you to specify RPM-specific options; the latter allows  you to
182easily specify multiple formats in one run.  If you need to do both, you can
183explicitly specify multiple :command:`bdist_\*` commands and their options::
184
185   python setup.py bdist_rpm --packager="John Doe <jdoe@example.org>" \
186                   bdist_wininst --target-version="2.0"
187
188Creating RPM packages is driven by a :file:`.spec` file, much as using the
189Distutils is driven by the setup script.  To make your life easier, the
190:command:`bdist_rpm` command normally creates a :file:`.spec` file based on the
191information you supply in the setup script, on the command line, and in any
192Distutils configuration files.  Various options and sections in the
193:file:`.spec` file are derived from options in the setup script as follows:
194
195+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
196| RPM :file:`.spec` file option or section | Distutils setup script option                |
197+==========================================+==============================================+
198| Name                                     | ``name``                                     |
199+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
200| Summary (in preamble)                    | ``description``                              |
201+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
202| Version                                  | ``version``                                  |
203+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
204| Vendor                                   | ``author`` and ``author_email``,             |
205|                                          | or  --- & ``maintainer`` and                 |
206|                                          | ``maintainer_email``                         |
207+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
208| Copyright                                | ``license``                                  |
209+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
210| Url                                      | ``url``                                      |
211+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
212| %description (section)                   | ``long_description``                         |
213+------------------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
214
215Additionally, there are many options in :file:`.spec` files that don't have
216corresponding options in the setup script.  Most of these are handled through
217options to the :command:`bdist_rpm` command as follows:
218
219+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
220| RPM :file:`.spec` file option | :command:`bdist_rpm` option | default value           |
221| or section                    |                             |                         |
222+===============================+=============================+=========================+
223| Release                       | ``release``                 | "1"                     |
224+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
225| Group                         | ``group``                   | "Development/Libraries" |
226+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
227| Vendor                        | ``vendor``                  | (see above)             |
228+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
229| Packager                      | ``packager``                | (none)                  |
230+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
231| Provides                      | ``provides``                | (none)                  |
232+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
233| Requires                      | ``requires``                | (none)                  |
234+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
235| Conflicts                     | ``conflicts``               | (none)                  |
236+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
237| Obsoletes                     | ``obsoletes``               | (none)                  |
238+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
239| Distribution                  | ``distribution_name``       | (none)                  |
240+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
241| BuildRequires                 | ``build_requires``          | (none)                  |
242+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
243| Icon                          | ``icon``                    | (none)                  |
244+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------+
245
246Obviously, supplying even a few of these options on the command-line would be
247tedious and error-prone, so it's usually best to put them in the setup
248configuration file, :file:`setup.cfg`\ ---see section :ref:`setup-config`.  If
249you distribute or package many Python module distributions, you might want to
250put options that apply to all of them in your personal Distutils configuration
251file (:file:`~/.pydistutils.cfg`).  If you want to temporarily disable
252this file, you can pass the :option:`!--no-user-cfg` option to :file:`setup.py`.
253
254There are three steps to building a binary RPM package, all of which are
255handled automatically by the Distutils:
256
257#. create a :file:`.spec` file, which describes the package (analogous  to the
258   Distutils setup script; in fact, much of the information in the  setup script
259   winds up in the :file:`.spec` file)
260
261#. create the source RPM
262
263#. create the "binary" RPM (which may or may not contain binary code, depending
264   on whether your module distribution contains Python extensions)
265
266Normally, RPM bundles the last two steps together; when you use the Distutils,
267all three steps are typically bundled together.
268
269If you wish, you can separate these three steps.  You can use the
270:option:`!--spec-only` option to make :command:`bdist_rpm` just create the
271:file:`.spec` file and exit; in this case, the :file:`.spec` file will be
272written to the "distribution directory"---normally :file:`dist/`, but
273customizable with the :option:`!--dist-dir` option.  (Normally, the :file:`.spec`
274file winds up deep in the "build tree," in a temporary directory created by
275:command:`bdist_rpm`.)
276
277.. % \XXX{this isn't implemented yet---is it needed?!}
278.. % You can also specify a custom \file{.spec} file with the
279.. % \longprogramopt{spec-file} option; used in conjunction with
280.. % \longprogramopt{spec-only}, this gives you an opportunity to customize
281.. % the \file{.spec} file manually:
282.. %
283.. % \ begin{verbatim}
284.. % > python setup.py bdist_rpm --spec-only
285.. % # ...edit dist/FooBar-1.0.spec
286.. % > python setup.py bdist_rpm --spec-file=dist/FooBar-1.0.spec
287.. % \ end{verbatim}
288.. %
289.. % (Although a better way to do this is probably to override the standard
290.. % \command{bdist\_rpm} command with one that writes whatever else you want
291.. % to the \file{.spec} file.)
292
293
294.. _creating-wininst:
295
296Creating Windows Installers
297===========================
298
299Executable installers are the natural format for binary distributions on
300Windows.  They display a nice graphical user interface, display some information
301about the module distribution to be installed taken from the metadata in the
302setup script, let the user select a few options, and start or cancel the
303installation.
304
305Since the metadata is taken from the setup script, creating Windows installers
306is usually as easy as running::
307
308   python setup.py bdist_wininst
309
310or the :command:`bdist` command with the :option:`!--formats` option::
311
312   python setup.py bdist --formats=wininst
313
314If you have a pure module distribution (only containing pure Python modules and
315packages), the resulting installer will be version independent and have a name
316like :file:`foo-1.0.win32.exe`.  These installers can even be created on Unix
317platforms or Mac OS X.
318
319If you have a non-pure distribution, the extensions can only be created on a
320Windows platform, and will be Python version dependent. The installer filename
321will reflect this and now has the form :file:`foo-1.0.win32-py2.0.exe`.  You
322have to create a separate installer for every Python version you want to
323support.
324
325The installer will try to compile pure modules into :term:`bytecode` after installation
326on the target system in normal and optimizing mode.  If you don't want this to
327happen for some reason, you can run the :command:`bdist_wininst` command with
328the :option:`!--no-target-compile` and/or the :option:`!--no-target-optimize`
329option.
330
331By default the installer will display the cool "Python Powered" logo when it is
332run, but you can also supply your own 152x261 bitmap which must be a Windows
333:file:`.bmp` file with the :option:`!--bitmap` option.
334
335The installer will also display a large title on the desktop background window
336when it is run, which is constructed from the name of your distribution and the
337version number.  This can be changed to another text by using the
338:option:`!--title` option.
339
340The installer file will be written to the "distribution directory" --- normally
341:file:`dist/`, but customizable with the :option:`!--dist-dir` option.
342
343.. _cross-compile-windows:
344
345Cross-compiling on Windows
346==========================
347
348Starting with Python 2.6, distutils is capable of cross-compiling between
349Windows platforms.  In practice, this means that with the correct tools
350installed, you can use a 32bit version of Windows to create 64bit extensions
351and vice-versa.
352
353To build for an alternate platform, specify the :option:`!--plat-name` option
354to the build command.  Valid values are currently 'win32', and  'win-amd64'.
355For example, on a 32bit version of Windows, you could execute::
356
357   python setup.py build --plat-name=win-amd64
358
359to build a 64bit version of your extension.  The Windows Installers also
360support this option, so the command::
361
362   python setup.py build --plat-name=win-amd64 bdist_wininst
363
364would create a 64bit installation executable on your 32bit version of Windows.
365
366To cross-compile, you must download the Python source code and cross-compile
367Python itself for the platform you are targeting - it is not possible from a
368binary installation of Python (as the .lib etc file for other platforms are
369not included.)  In practice, this means the user of a 32 bit operating
370system will need to use Visual Studio 2008 to open the
371:file:`PCbuild/PCbuild.sln` solution in the Python source tree and build the
372"x64" configuration of the 'pythoncore' project before cross-compiling
373extensions is possible.
374
375Note that by default, Visual Studio 2008 does not install 64bit compilers or
376tools.  You may need to reexecute the Visual Studio setup process and select
377these tools (using Control Panel->[Add/Remove] Programs is a convenient way to
378check or modify your existing install.)
379
380.. _postinstallation-script:
381
382The Postinstallation script
383---------------------------
384
385Starting with Python 2.3, a postinstallation script can be specified with the
386:option:`!--install-script` option.  The basename of the script must be
387specified, and the script filename must also be listed in the scripts argument
388to the setup function.
389
390This script will be run at installation time on the target system after all the
391files have been copied, with ``argv[1]`` set to :option:`!-install`, and again at
392uninstallation time before the files are removed with ``argv[1]`` set to
393:option:`!-remove`.
394
395The installation script runs embedded in the windows installer, every output
396(``sys.stdout``, ``sys.stderr``) is redirected into a buffer and will be
397displayed in the GUI after the script has finished.
398
399Some functions especially useful in this context are available as additional
400built-in functions in the installation script.
401
402
403.. function:: directory_created(path)
404              file_created(path)
405
406   These functions should be called when a directory or file is created by the
407   postinstall script at installation time.  It will register *path* with the
408   uninstaller, so that it will be removed when the distribution is uninstalled.
409   To be safe, directories are only removed if they are empty.
410
411
412.. function:: get_special_folder_path(csidl_string)
413
414   This function can be used to retrieve special folder locations on Windows like
415   the Start Menu or the Desktop.  It returns the full path to the folder.
416   *csidl_string* must be one of the following strings::
417
418      "CSIDL_APPDATA"
419
420      "CSIDL_COMMON_STARTMENU"
421      "CSIDL_STARTMENU"
422
423      "CSIDL_COMMON_DESKTOPDIRECTORY"
424      "CSIDL_DESKTOPDIRECTORY"
425
426      "CSIDL_COMMON_STARTUP"
427      "CSIDL_STARTUP"
428
429      "CSIDL_COMMON_PROGRAMS"
430      "CSIDL_PROGRAMS"
431
432      "CSIDL_FONTS"
433
434   If the folder cannot be retrieved, :exc:`OSError` is raised.
435
436   Which folders are available depends on the exact Windows version, and probably
437   also the configuration.  For details refer to Microsoft's documentation of the
438   :c:func:`SHGetSpecialFolderPath` function.
439
440
441.. function:: create_shortcut(target, description, filename[, arguments[, workdir[, iconpath[, iconindex]]]])
442
443   This function creates a shortcut. *target* is the path to the program to be
444   started by the shortcut. *description* is the description of the shortcut.
445   *filename* is the title of the shortcut that the user will see. *arguments*
446   specifies the command line arguments, if any. *workdir* is the working directory
447   for the program. *iconpath* is the file containing the icon for the shortcut,
448   and *iconindex* is the index of the icon in the file *iconpath*.  Again, for
449   details consult the Microsoft documentation for the :class:`IShellLink`
450   interface.
451
452
453Vista User Access Control (UAC)
454===============================
455
456Starting with Python 2.6, bdist_wininst supports a :option:`!--user-access-control`
457option.  The default is 'none' (meaning no UAC handling is done), and other
458valid values are 'auto' (meaning prompt for UAC elevation if Python was
459installed for all users) and 'force' (meaning always prompt for elevation).
460