[Pythonmac-SIG] py2app failure with framework build of 2.7

[Chris Barker - NOAA Federal]

On Thu, Apr 4, 2013 at 8:01 AM, Nat Echols <nathaniel.echols at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 4, 2013 at 5:46 AM, Ronald Oussoren <ronaldoussoren at mac.com> wrote:

>> An alias mode build contains symlinks to the python files in your application, and is therefore not a useful way to deploy.
>
> It's still not totally clear to me if this is really a drawback in my
> case.  The software distribution in question is a huge (~2GB) mess
> originally written for Unix systems, and the installation process is
> somewhat... inelegant.  Users have a choice of a) running a shell
> script which installs to a destination of their choice, and runs the
> py2app script at the end (after the new location is made permanent),

This should work well, and actually, issues with doing a "proper"
py2app bundle aside, may be the best way to do it. The point of Py2app
is to bundle up everything required into the app bundle, so that is it
one movable directory, hides teh pyton stuff from the user, and does
not rely on a particular pyton installation (i.e extra packages, etc).
But it sounds like in your case, you've got to install the whole pyton
environment anyway, along with all sorts of other stuff. So all you
need the app bundle for is to make a nice clickable icon. That's
exactly what I use alias mode for as well, though I've never tried to
give it to anyone else that way. Actually, I have -- I have set up a
setup.py script that works with py2app in alias mode (but not it
regular mode), then advised users to get the code installed, install
all the dependencies, then run py2app -A and build the alias really
what you are doing, except you are automating the rest of the install.

> or b) running a .pkg which installs in /Applications, which includes
> the pre-built .app file.  In the first case, I'm pretty certain the
> symlinks won't be a problem.  I'm not sure about the second - will
> packagemaker screw these up?  The original paths will be accurate but
> I have to move stuff around as part of the packaging process, and I
> have no idea what happens internally.

if it all gets put in the same places by the installation process, I
think it will work. But you never know until you try.

-Chris




-- 

Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
Oceanographer

Emergency Response Division
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Chris.Barker at noaa.gov