3 ****************************
4 An Introduction to Distutils
5 ****************************
7 This document covers using the Distutils to distribute your Python modules,
8 concentrating on the role of developer/distributor: if you're looking for
9 information on installing Python modules, you should refer to the
10 :ref:`install-index` chapter.
13 .. _distutils-concepts:
15 Concepts & Terminology
16 ======================
18 Using the Distutils is quite simple, both for module developers and for
19 users/administrators installing third-party modules. As a developer, your
20 responsibilities (apart from writing solid, well-documented and well-tested
21 code, of course!) are:
23 * write a setup script (:file:`setup.py` by convention)
25 * (optional) write a setup configuration file
27 * create a source distribution
29 * (optional) create one or more built (binary) distributions
31 Each of these tasks is covered in this document.
33 Not all module developers have access to a multitude of platforms, so it's not
34 always feasible to expect them to create a multitude of built distributions. It
35 is hoped that a class of intermediaries, called *packagers*, will arise to
36 address this need. Packagers will take source distributions released by module
37 developers, build them on one or more platforms, and release the resulting built
38 distributions. Thus, users on the most popular platforms will be able to
39 install most popular Python module distributions in the most natural way for
40 their platform, without having to run a single setup script or compile a line of
44 .. _distutils-simple-example:
49 The setup script is usually quite simple, although since it's written in Python,
50 there are no arbitrary limits to what you can do with it, though you should be
51 careful about putting arbitrarily expensive operations in your setup script.
52 Unlike, say, Autoconf-style configure scripts, the setup script may be run
53 multiple times in the course of building and installing your module
56 If all you want to do is distribute a module called :mod:`foo`, contained in a
57 file :file:`foo.py`, then your setup script can be as simple as this::
59 from distutils.core import setup
67 * most information that you supply to the Distutils is supplied as keyword
68 arguments to the :func:`setup` function
70 * those keyword arguments fall into two categories: package metadata (name,
71 version number) and information about what's in the package (a list of pure
72 Python modules, in this case)
74 * modules are specified by module name, not filename (the same will hold true
75 for packages and extensions)
77 * it's recommended that you supply a little more metadata, in particular your
78 name, email address and a URL for the project (see section :ref:`setup-script`
81 To create a source distribution for this module, you would create a setup
82 script, :file:`setup.py`, containing the above code, and run::
86 which will create an archive file (e.g., tarball on Unix, ZIP file on Windows)
87 containing your setup script :file:`setup.py`, and your module :file:`foo.py`.
88 The archive file will be named :file:`foo-1.0.tar.gz` (or :file:`.zip`), and
89 will unpack into a directory :file:`foo-1.0`.
91 If an end-user wishes to install your :mod:`foo` module, all she has to do is
92 download :file:`foo-1.0.tar.gz` (or :file:`.zip`), unpack it, and---from the
93 :file:`foo-1.0` directory---run ::
95 python setup.py install
97 which will ultimately copy :file:`foo.py` to the appropriate directory for
98 third-party modules in their Python installation.
100 This simple example demonstrates some fundamental concepts of the Distutils.
101 First, both developers and installers have the same basic user interface, i.e.
102 the setup script. The difference is which Distutils *commands* they use: the
103 :command:`sdist` command is almost exclusively for module developers, while
104 :command:`install` is more often for installers (although most developers will
105 want to install their own code occasionally).
107 If you want to make things really easy for your users, you can create one or
108 more built distributions for them. For instance, if you are running on a
109 Windows machine, and want to make things easy for other Windows users, you can
110 create an executable installer (the most appropriate type of built distribution
111 for this platform) with the :command:`bdist_wininst` command. For example::
113 python setup.py bdist_wininst
115 will create an executable installer, :file:`foo-1.0.win32.exe`, in the current
118 Other useful built distribution formats are RPM, implemented by the
119 :command:`bdist_rpm` command, Solaris :program:`pkgtool`
120 (:command:`bdist_pkgtool`), and HP-UX :program:`swinstall`
121 (:command:`bdist_sdux`). For example, the following command will create an RPM
122 file called :file:`foo-1.0.noarch.rpm`::
124 python setup.py bdist_rpm
126 (The :command:`bdist_rpm` command uses the :command:`rpm` executable, therefore
127 this has to be run on an RPM-based system such as Red Hat Linux, SuSE Linux, or
130 You can find out what distribution formats are available at any time by running
133 python setup.py bdist --help-formats
138 General Python terminology
139 ==========================
141 If you're reading this document, you probably have a good idea of what modules,
142 extensions, and so forth are. Nevertheless, just to be sure that everyone is
143 operating from a common starting point, we offer the following glossary of
147 the basic unit of code reusability in Python: a block of code imported by some
148 other code. Three types of modules concern us here: pure Python modules,
149 extension modules, and packages.
152 a module written in Python and contained in a single :file:`.py` file (and
153 possibly associated :file:`.pyc` and/or :file:`.pyo` files). Sometimes referred
154 to as a "pure module."
157 a module written in the low-level language of the Python implementation: C/C++
158 for Python, Java for Jython. Typically contained in a single dynamically
159 loadable pre-compiled file, e.g. a shared object (:file:`.so`) file for Python
160 extensions on Unix, a DLL (given the :file:`.pyd` extension) for Python
161 extensions on Windows, or a Java class file for Jython extensions. (Note that
162 currently, the Distutils only handles C/C++ extensions for Python.)
165 a module that contains other modules; typically contained in a directory in the
166 filesystem and distinguished from other directories by the presence of a file
170 the root of the hierarchy of packages. (This isn't really a package, since it
171 doesn't have an :file:`__init__.py` file. But we have to call it something.)
172 The vast majority of the standard library is in the root package, as are many
173 small, standalone third-party modules that don't belong to a larger module
174 collection. Unlike regular packages, modules in the root package can be found in
175 many directories: in fact, every directory listed in ``sys.path`` contributes
176 modules to the root package.
181 Distutils-specific terminology
182 ==============================
184 The following terms apply more specifically to the domain of distributing Python
185 modules using the Distutils:
188 a collection of Python modules distributed together as a single downloadable
189 resource and meant to be installed *en masse*. Examples of some well-known
190 module distributions are Numeric Python, PyXML, PIL (the Python Imaging
191 Library), or mxBase. (This would be called a *package*, except that term is
192 already taken in the Python context: a single module distribution may contain
193 zero, one, or many Python packages.)
195 pure module distribution
196 a module distribution that contains only pure Python modules and packages.
197 Sometimes referred to as a "pure distribution."
199 non-pure module distribution
200 a module distribution that contains at least one extension module. Sometimes
201 referred to as a "non-pure distribution."
204 the top-level directory of your source tree (or source distribution); the
205 directory where :file:`setup.py` exists. Generally :file:`setup.py` will be
206 run from this directory.