[Pythonmac-SIG] Using embedded python programs from DarwinPorts. (original) (raw)

Bob Ippolito bob at redivi.com
Mon Nov 29 22:52:55 CET 2004

On Nov 29, 2004, at 4:13 PM, Robert White wrote:

Excuse me for bringing up the following if it has previously been discussed and I missed it.

Recently, I started using DarwinPorts again to install some programs that I like to have around. However, I noticed that several programs that embed Python force an installation of python 2.3.4 into DarwinPorts for MacOSX 10.3.6 rather than just using the built-in python. So, in the case of Glom, XChat2 and cvs2svn, I started researching how to change the appropriate autoconf et al files to properly link to or set up in the builtin Python. (Probably, mostly m4 macros) In doing that I contacted two different Port Maintainers asking some very basic questions. One stated that "port" is smart enough to use the builtin-Python Framework and not pull in the unix version which is not my experience. The other stated that "The darwinports policy for both perl and python modules is to only use the darwinports-provided versions of these languages. The reason is that doing something else would require installing files outside of the darwinports prefix (which is /opt/local by default).".

port is probably smart enough to bring in Python, but the existing
autoconf scripts, etc. for the packages probably need to be patched. A
lot of them assume -lpython will do the job. What you could do is
something like the following to trick them:

ln -s /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.3/Python
/opt/local/lib/libpython2.3.dylib ln -s /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Python
/opt/local/lib/libpython2.dylib ln -s /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Python
/opt/local/lib/libpython.dylib ln -s
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.3/include/ python2.3 /opt/local/include/python2.3 ln -s
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.3/lib/python2.3
/opt/local/lib/python2.3

This is probably enough to trick a naive configure script to find your
framework python and link to it correctly without changes.. (untested,
wrote it in mail, didn't want to deactivate my darwinports python to
try it).

While I find those comments to be justified, I am wondering if it would not be possible to use the builtin version if one were to have their own PYTHONPATH environment variable defined and otherwise pull in a different version. (I am probably wrong, but I think that a PYTHONPATH variable addresses most of the problem especially if it is pointing back into /opt/local somewhere.)

Well you would have to add extra cruft to the "python setup.py install"
command.. --prefix=/opt/local would be almost sufficient, except that
if you did the trickery above, the headers and the python packages
themselves would go to the wrong place. Unfortunately there isn't
really a right place if the above trickery is used, because the headers
would never really be findable by packages that need them (i.e. pygame
looking for Numeric headers). This is a general problem with
distutils. --install-platlib could put the python packages somewhere
else just fine though (/opt/local/python/2.3/ maybe).

I know that this ultimately must be presented to the DarwinPorts Group, but I know that several on this list are very active there and may indicate to me that this is not a worthwhile investment of my time. So, I wanted to get your opinions first of whether I should pursue this or not and if so, any gotchas that you might be aware of.

It's a lot of work, question is do you really want to bother? :)

My only real problem with the darwinports Python is that it uses the
linker option -undefined suppress -flat_namespace (last I checked)... I
personally have a whole bunch of Pythons installed for testing
purposes, so I'm used to the hassle.. though 95% of the time I use the
stock Python 2.3.0. At some point I'm going to start contributing port
and port patches to dp, but I just have high priority things on my
plate right now.

-bob

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