[Tutor] help with setting Python Path under WinMe (original) (raw)

Brian van den Broek bvande at po-box.mcgill.ca
Fri Jul 9 00:38:10 CEST 2004

Hi all,

I'm feeling pretty lame about it :-( but I cannot figure out how to configure my Python Path as I'd like. I am using Python 2.3.4 under Windows Me. My Python installation is on my C: partition and I have my own Python files on my D: partition.

I want to add the two directories:

D:\Python Files\MyModules D:\Python Files

in that order to the end of my Python Path. (This preference is explained below.)

I have seen the advice for Windows users to employ the Environment Settings tab of the Control Panel->System, but Windows Me does not appear to offer this.

I tried running regedit and searching the registry for PythonPath, and the only relevant key I found was:

My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Python\PythonCore\2.3\PythonPath which was set to ('<' added for email):

<"C:\PYTHON23\Lib;C:\PYTHON23\DLLs;C:\PYTHON23\Lib\lib-tk">

I tried both of the following additions to that key (rebooting after each change):

<"C:\PYTHON23\Lib;C:\PYTHON23\DLLs;C:\PYTHON23\Lib\lib-tk;D:\Python Files\MyModules;D:\Python Files">

<"C:\PYTHON23\Lib;C:\PYTHON23\DLLs;C:\PYTHON23\Lib\lib-tk;D:\Python1\MyModu1;D:\Python~1">

In each case when I tested, I got:

IDLE 1.0.3

import sys for i in sys.path: print i

C:\PYTHON23\Lib\idlelib C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\PYTHON23.zip C:\Python23 C:\PYTHON23\DLLs C:\PYTHON23\lib C:\PYTHON23\lib\plat-win C:\PYTHON23\lib\lib-tk C:\PYTHON23\Lib\site-packages\win32 C:\PYTHON23\Lib\site-packages\win32\lib C:\PYTHON23\Lib\site-packages\Pythonwin C:\PYTHON23\lib\site-packages

So, no effect. (This is exactly what I had before making any changes at all.)

I then tried modifying my autoexec.bat to include the line:

SET PYTHONPATH=D:\Python1\MyModu1;D:\Python~1

On reboot, this resulted in:

IDLE 1.0.3

import sys for i in sys.path: print i

C:\PYTHON23\Lib\idlelib C:\Python23 D:\Python1\MyModu1 D:\Python~1 C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\PYTHON23.zip C:\PYTHON23\DLLs C:\PYTHON23\lib C:\PYTHON23\lib\plat-win C:\PYTHON23\lib\lib-tk C:\PYTHON23\Lib\site-packages\win32 C:\PYTHON23\Lib\site-packages\win32\lib C:\PYTHON23\Lib\site-packages\Pythonwin C:\PYTHON23\lib\site-packages

This works in that it lets me import my own files. But, as I said, I want my additions to appear at the end of my PythonPath. I am a bit concerned that I might save foo.py to one of the dirs I added where there is a foo.py already in existence further down the path. If I were to later run a python prog which wanted to import foo.py from one of those subsequent directories, I worry that it could well take me a long time to work out what the error was. I certainly don't know the contents of these dirs so as to be sure of avoiding a conflict, and checking each time seems a bit much.

Am I worrying for nothing? It does seem to me that there ought to be a way to do what I want, though.

(As a side issue, I am also puzzled as to why the change to autoexec.bat switched the order of C:\Python23 and C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\PYTHON23.zip.)

Thanks for any suggestions and best to all,

Brian vdB

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