This section describes how to prepare packages which contain applications written in Python, Python modules and Python language itself.

There is no doubt when you create package with Python modules which sources are written in C language. Sources should be compiled for given architecture, that's all. The problem arises when modules are written in Python language. What should be distributed? Sources - *.py files? Byte compiled files - *.pyc? Optimized byte compiled files - *.pyo? All of them? We have decided that packages with Python modules should contain both, byte compiled and optimized byte compiled files. Yes, *.pyc and *.pyo files. PLD developers aim to provide optimized software whenever it is possible. Why not to distribute only *.py files and byte compile them during package installation? We want to distribute prepared packages so user is not forced to compile the sources and such philosophy applies to Python, too. Why not only *.pyo files? Firstly, optimized byte compiled modules cannot be imported without *.pyc files. Secondly, *.pyo do not contain docstrings - source code documentation. Why not only *.pyc files? As it is mentioned above, PLD developers do not want to deprive users of optimized software. We want to provide fully optimized Python modules as we provide packages optimized for many architectures. It would be not a good idea if users, which want to use optimized modules, have been forced to create them manually because it requires root privileges and creates files which are in /usr hierarchy and not in RPM database.

Python modules can be installed with autoconf/automake combo distutils other method (hand written Makefile files, manual installation) Automake 1.5 introduced Python support. Developers want to use the same tool for their projects written in Python or C and automake gives such possibility to them. Installing Python modules can be done the same way as installing other applications or libraries, which authors use automake. Just remember to pass $RPM_BUILD_ROOT to DESTDIR, so make will install source files (*.py), byte compiled (*.pyc) and optimized byte compiled (*.pyo) files under $RPM_BUILD_ROOT hierarchy. %{__make} install DESTDIR=$RPM_BUILD_ROOT Python distutils has ability to install optimized and normal byte compiled files. It can be done with setup.py script option --optimize. Option --root should be used too, because installed files should be put in $RPM_BUILD_ROOT directory. python setup.py install --optimize=2 --root=$RPM_BUILD_ROOT Sometimes distutils refuses to install files under $RPM_BUILD_ROOT hierarchy. Set $PYTHONPATH variable to $RPM_BUILD_ROOT%{py_sitedir} value before module installation.

Every package is assigned to RPM group. Packages which contain developer files such as header files should be assigned to Development/Languages/Python group. Packages with just modules should be assigned to Libraries/Python group. Rules used to assign RPM group to applications, apply to applications written in Python, too. Taking sketch for example, the graphics manipulation program, there is used X11/Application/Graphics group. Another example is happydoc with Development/Tools group or ipython with Applications/Shells group.

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