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Lyndsy Simon
126 lines
4.8 KiB
ReStructuredText
126 lines
4.8 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. _install-osx:
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Installing Python on Mac OS X
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=============================
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The latest version of Mac OS X, Mavericks, **comes with Python 2.7 out of the box**.
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You do not need to install or configure anything else to use Python. Having
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said that, I would strongly recommend that you install the tools and libraries
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described in the next section before you start building Python applications
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for real-world use. In particular, you should always install Distribute, as it
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makes it much easier for you to use other third-party Python libraries.
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The version of Python that ships with OS X is great for learning, but it's not
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good for development. It's slightly out of date, and Apple has made significant
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changes that can cause hidden bugs.
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Doing it Right
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--------------
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Let's install a real version of Python.
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Before installing Python, you'll need to install GCC. GCC can be obtained
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by downloading `XCode <http://developer.apple.com/xcode/>`_, the smaller
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`Command Line Tools <https://developer.apple.com/downloads/>`_ (must have an
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Apple account) or the even smaller `OSX-GCC-Installer <https://github.com/kennethreitz/osx-gcc-installer#readme>`_
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package.
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.. note::
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If you already have XCode installed, do not install OSX-GCC-Installer.
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In combination, the software can cause issues that are difficult to
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diagnose.
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While Lion comes with a large number of UNIX utilities, those familiar with
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Linux systems will notice one key component missing: a decent package manager.
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`Homebrew <http://mxcl.github.com/homebrew/>`_ fills this void.
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To `install Homebrew <https://github.com/mxcl/homebrew/wiki/installation>`_,
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simply run
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.. code-block:: console
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$ ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/mxcl/homebrew/go)"
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The script will explain what changes it will make and prompt you before the
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installation begins.
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Once you've installed Homebrew, insert the Homebrew directory at the top
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of your ``PATH`` environment variable. You can do this by adding the following
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line at the bottom of your ``~/.bashrc`` file
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.. code-block:: console
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export PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:$PATH
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Now, we can install Python 2.7: ::
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$ brew install python
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This will take a minute or two. Once that's complete, you'll have to add the
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new Python scripts directory to your ``PATH``
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.. code-block:: console
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export PATH=/usr/local/share/python:$PATH
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Distribute & Pip
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----------------
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The most crucial third-party Python software of all is Distribute, which
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extends the packaging and installation facilities provided by the distutils
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in the standard library. Once you add Distribute to your Python system you can
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download and install any compliant Python software product with a single
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command. It also enables you to add this network installation capability to
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your own Python software with very little work. Homebrew already installed
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Distribute for you.
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Happily, when you ran `brew install python`, Homebrew also installed **pip**.
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Pip allows for uninstallation of packages, and is actively maintained.
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Virtualenv
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----------
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After Distribute & Pip, the next development tool that you should install is
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`virtualenv <http://pypi.python.org/pypi/virtualenv/>`_. Use pip
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.. code-block:: console
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$ pip install virtualenv
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The virtualenv kit provides the ability to create virtual Python environments
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that do not interfere with either each other, or the main Python installation.
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If you install virtualenv before you begin coding then you can get into the
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habit of using it to create completely clean Python environments for each
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project. This is particularly important for Web development, where each
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framework and application will have many dependencies.
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To set up a new Python environment, change the working directory to where ever
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you want to store the environment, and run the virtualenv utility in your
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project's directory
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.. code-block:: console
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$ virtualenv --distribute venv
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To use an environment, run ``source venv/bin/activate``. Your command prompt
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will change to show the active environment. Once you have finished working in
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the current virtual environment, run ``deactivate`` to restore your settings
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to normal.
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Each new environment automatically includes a copy of ``pip``, so that you can
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setup the third-party libraries and tools that you want to use in that
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environment. Put your own code within a subdirectory of the environment,
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however you wish. When you no longer need a particular environment, simply
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copy your code out of it, and then delete the main directory for the environment.
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An useful set of extensions to virtualenv is available in virtualenvwrapper,
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`RTFD <http://virtualenvwrapper.readthedocs.org/en/latest/>`_ to find out more.
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--------------------------------
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This page is a remixed version of `another guide <http://www.stuartellis.eu/articles/python-development-windows/>`_,
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which is available under the same license.
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