[Python-Dev] Installing a newly-built python on windows

[Terry Reedy]

On 4/16/2017 1:16 PM, joao.moreira at free.fr wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I've followed the instructions in the 1st chapter (Getting Started) of
> the Python Developers's Guide to compile python 3.6 from source, using
> VS 2017 on a Windows 7 SP1. I successfully built 35 of the 40
> subprojects, and the python interpreter in cpython\PCbuild\amd64 is
> working fine.
>
> How do I now install this, so that users on this machine can use it ?

Python developers use built binaries routinely without 'installing'.

1. Invoke .../python.exe with path, either absolute or relative to a 
development directory that one has CD'ed to already.

2. Add the directory to the PATH.

3. Invoke built python in a .bat file.  (lib/idlelib/idle.bat can be 
modified for this.)  Put startpy.bat either somewhere in PATH or one's 
development directory.

I use 1 and 3b.  Note that running a .bat with echo left on leaves the 
path-to-python on a line that can be recalled and edited.

> I've found no instrutions on how to do this, can someone point me in the
> right direction ?

Why not?

1. CPython developers need to update the code and recompile for each 
work session or at least fairly frequently.  They should normally 
compile with debugging turned on, which slows normally running. 
Creating the installation .exe is not yet completely automated and would 
be a nuisance to do frequently.

2. CPython developers should also have current releases installed.
2a. To test whether bugs reported by users on tracker still exist in the 
latest release, or if the report is out of date.
2b. To test installed python.  (I discovered that an idlelib file was 
missing from 3.6.0, at least on Windows.)

One would have to make sure that 2 installations of same version do not 
conflict.

> Alternatively, could someone point me to the source code for the python
> .msi installer ?

.msi is not used in 3.5+ and the template may have been removed.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy