[Distutils] macos support (weak?)

[Jack Jansen]

Recently, "Pete Shinners" <shredwheat@mediaone.net> said:
> i've got some people doing MacOS testing for my extension
> package. currently support is great under windows and unix.
> 
> i was under the impression python2.1 shipped with some 
> distutils code that was ready to go for macos? but from the
> reports i hear this is not the case?

Yes, it's in there. You need the distutils support with MacPython,
though, some of the fixes needed for MacPython 2.1 did not make it to
the CVS repository in time. But the one incorporated in the MacPython
distirbution should work. But then: I'm the only one to ever have
tested it, so..... :-)

> the first problem is that it appears distutils does not
> find the default "site-packages" on its own?

It finds it for me. Hmm, idea: maybe the directory should exist, and
it doesn't exist in the distribution? Ask your mac tester to create
Python:Lib:site-packages and try again. If that's the problem I'll
force site-packages to be created next time.

> does mac have some sort of PYTHONHOME equivalent it can use to
> find its home? certainly there must be something because python
> can find all its own modules and packages. can distutils somehow
> tap into this knowledge to save the installer from entering the
> site-packages path when installing?

sys.prefix. And this is indeed what distutils uses, if I'm not
mistaken.

> the second problem is a little more serious. my project is
> using an external setup file to get all the extension compile flags.
> the library directories are being sent with "-Llibrary/path/lib"
> this works for windows and unix, but on macos it is creating 
> absolute paths, not relative. so it looks like to get it working
> the user needs something like -Lmacintosh hd/libs, but the space
> is throwing things for a loop. does a backslash work before the
> space? anyways, when given a relative path it is becoming
> an absolute path 

I never tried this, so I wouldn't know. For the things I tried I've
never needed a library path (and it would actually be dangerous too)
and I've always spelled out the filename paths to the specific
libraries I use. But the thing to remember is that all the paths you
use within distutils are URLs (even though they look very much like
unix pathnames to the unsuspecting eye:-) so ../../bla should work
even on a Mac, and you should be able to using %20 for space should
work fine.

> lastly, and most important of all, it looks like the libraries
> being passed in with "-l" are not even being sent through the XML
> to codewarrior.

Where are you passing the libraries with "-l"? In the linker switches?
That is the wrong place, unless I'm mistaken. They should be in the
"libraries" attribute. -L and -l are unixisms.

Hmm, that is: unless the distutils infrastructure on Windows parses
them to emulate their behaviour, in which case I guess it should do
the same on the Mac. Can anyone shed a light on this?

> anyways, my guess is that this is all related to using the
> external Setup file and loading it with read_setup_file(). is
> that not really been used for macos stuff? if sending proper
> Extension objects to the setup function is all thats needed then
> i can workaround this pretty easy.

You've lost me here. What's an external setup file? I asusme you don't
mean the setup.py which is part of your package (and, thus, external
to distutils) but something else? (the sofist answer would probably be
"where is it documented?" :-)

> has anyone had any luck building distutils extensions on macos
> when needing to link in extra libraries?

Yes, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was only your's truly:-)
--
Jack Jansen             | ++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++
Jack.Jansen@oratrix.com | ++++ if you agree copy these lines to your sig ++++
www.oratrix.nl/~jack    | see http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm