- Cleaned up the HTML.
--- /dev/null
+<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
+ "http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-html401-19991224/loose.dtd">
+<html lang="en">
+<head>
+ <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
+ <title>What is MacPython?</title>
+ <meta name="generator" content="BBEdit 6.5.3">
+ <link rel="SHORTCUT ICON" href="pythonsmall.gif">
+ <META NAME="AppleIcon" CONTENT="pythonsmall.gif">
+</head>
+<body>
+ <table>
+ <tr>
+ <td>
+ <img src="python.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top" alt="">
+ </td>
+ <td>
+ <h1>MacPython Community</h1>
+ </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ <hr>
+
+<h2>Web Sites</h2>
+
+<p>The MacPython homepage, <a href="http://www.cwi.nl/~jack/macpython.html">
+www.cwi.nl/~jack/macpython.html</a>
+is where you can find installers, documents, links to useful packages and more.
+And, of course,
+<a href="http://www.python.org">www.python.org</a> has a much larger collection
+of material on Python that is not Mac-specific.</p>
+
+<h2>News groups and Mailing lists</h2>
+
+<p>There are a lot of mailing lists on Python. Some of the more interesting
+ones are:</p>
+<ul>
+<li><a href="mailto:python-help@python.org">python-help@python.org</a> where
+you can send questions for individual support. Please check the websites mentioned
+above first, though!</li>
+<li>The <a href="news:comp.lang.python">comp.lang.python</a> newsgroup for general
+discussion. Also available as a
+<a href="http://www.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list">mailing list</a>.</li>
+<li>The <a href="news:comp.lang.python.announce">comp.lang.python.announce</a>
+newsgroup for announcements. Low-volume and moderated. Also available as a
+<a href="http://www.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-announce-list">mailing list</a>.</li>
+<li>Last but not least, the <a href="http://www.python.org/sigs/pythonmac-sig/">pythonmac-sig</a>
+mailing list is specifically for MacPython. Discussions on the implementation of new
+features, but beginners questions are welcome too.</li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>In addition there are Python <a href="http://www.python.org/sigs/">Special Interest Group</a>
+mailing lists on a wide variety of topics such as image processing, numerical algorithms
+and more.</p>
+
+<h2>More</h2>
+
+<p>An index of conferences, Wiki's, bookshops and more can be found at the
+<a href="http://www.python.org/psa/">Community</a> section of the Python website.</p>
+
+</body>
+</html>
<table>
<tr>
<td>
- <img src="python.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top">
+ <img src="python.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top" alt="">
</td>
<td>
<p>The application PythonLauncher will start a Python interpreter
Library section of the <a href="doc/index.html">Python Language and runtime
documentation</a> and the Human Interface Toolbox section of
<a href="help:openbook=Carbon">Apple's Carbon Documentation</a>.
- This solution is compatible with MacPython-OS9.
-
+ This solution is compatible with MacPython-OS9.</li>
<li> The <tt>W</tt> framework is built on top of this, and easier to use.
The MacPython IDE uses W. Some documentation is available on
<a href="http://www.nevada.edu/~cwebster/Python/index.html">Corran Webster's website</a>.
- Compatible with MacPython-OS9.
+ Compatible with MacPython-OS9.</li>
</ul>
<p>For new work, however, one of the following packages may be better suited.
In technical terms it is a
bidirectional bridge between Python and Objectve-C, similar to Apple's Java
bridge. Probably the best choice for Mac OS X-only applications, but at the
- time of this writing PyObjC is still in beta.
+ time of this writing PyObjC is still in beta.</li>
<li> <a href="http://wxpython.sourceforge.net/">wxPython</a> gives Python programs
access to the wxWindows GUI toolkit. Many people consider this
- the best open source cross-platform GUI solution available today.
+ the best open source cross-platform GUI solution available today.</li>
<li> Tkinter is the oldest cross-platform GUI toolkit for Python, bridging Python
to Tcl/Tk. If you install AquaTk it creates a native user interface on Mac OS X.
Documented in the Library section, Tkinter subsection of the
<a href="doc/index.html">Python Language and runtime documentation</a>. Tkinter
- is not available for MacPython-OS9.
+ is not available for MacPython-OS9.</li>
</ul>
</body>
<table>
<tr>
<td>
- <img src="python.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top">
+ <img src="python.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top" alt="">
</td>
<td>
<p>Choose a topic, or enter keywords into the search field:</p>
<li><a href="finder.html">Running Python scripts from the Finder</a>
</li>
<li><a href="shell.html">Running Python scripts from the Unix Shell</a>
+ </li>
<li><a href="gui.html">Creating a User Interface with MacPython</a>
+ </li>
<li><a href="scripting.html">Controlling other Applications from MacPython</a>
+ </li>
<li><a href="packman.html">Installing additional functionality with the
Package Manager</a>
</li>
+ <li><a href="community.html">MacPython community</a>
+ </li>
</ul>
</td>
<table>
<tr>
<td>
- <img src="python.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top">
+ <img src="python.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top" alt="">
</td>
<td>
<p>Python is a programming language. MacPython is a package containing
-that programming language plus Mac-specific tools and extensions.<p>
+that programming language plus Mac-specific tools and extensions.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<a href="http://python.org/doc/essays/blurb.html">executive summary</a> on
the language and a
<a href="http://python.org/doc/essays/comparisons.html">comparison</a> of Python
-to other languages.</a> Or read the (rather longwinded) Python
+to other languages. Or read the (rather longwinded) Python
Tutorial in the <a href="doc/index.html">Python Language and runtime documentation</a>.</p>
<p>MacPython contains a complete <a href="shell.html">unix interpreter</a> so
-<html>
+<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
+ "http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-html401-19991224/loose.dtd">
+<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>One Day of MacPython IDE Toying</title>
<link rel="SHORTCUT ICON" href="../pythonsmall.gif">
<table>
<tr>
<td>
- <img src="IDE.gif">
+ <img src="IDE.gif" alt="">
</td>
<td>
<p>This document gives a very basic introduction to the
installer.) The first thing we'd like to do is actually start running it!
We can do this by opening up the IDE, which should be in Applications
under the newly-created MacPython program folder: </p><p><img
-src="loading_ide.gif" border=1></p>
+src="loading_ide.gif" border=1 alt="image of IDE icon"></p>
<hr><br style="page-break-after: always">
<p>The IDE starts up and shows an interactive window: </p>
-<p><img src="new_ide_window.gif"></p>
+<p><img src="new_ide_window.gif" alt="image of new window"></p>
<p>If the window does not show up (because you have run the IDE before
-and closed it: it remembers that between runs) open it with the <tt>Windows->Python Interactive</tt>
-menu entry. <p>
+and closed it: it remembers that between runs) open it with the <tt>Windows->Python Interactive</tt>
+menu entry. </p>
<p>This is the interactive window to the IDE, it allows us to enter
commands directly into Python, and as soon as we enter a command,
<p>Let's try something now! As per tradition, let's get Python to say
the immortal words, "Hello World". <img src="hello_world.gif"
-border=1></p> <p>Those '<tt>>>></tt>' signs act as a prompt
+border=1 alt="image of hello world program"></p> <p>Those '<tt>>>></tt>' signs act as a prompt
for us: Python is ready to read in a new command by giving us that
visual cue. Also, we notice that as we enter commands, Python will
give us its output immediately.
<p>Ok, this seems pretty simple enough. Let's try a few more
commands. If we look below:</p>
-<p><img src="simple_commands.gif" border=1></p>
+<p><img src="simple_commands.gif" border=1 alt="image of command window"></p>
<p>we'll see the result of running a few more commands. Don't worry
too much about knowing the exact rules for making programs yet: the
<p>Let's try this. First, let's start with a clean slate by opening
up a new window.</p>
-<p><img src="making_new_window.gif" border=1></p>
+<p><img src="making_new_window.gif" border=1 alt="image of making new window"></p>
<p>Here's the result of that menu command:</p>
-<p><img src="new_window_made.gif" border=1></p>
+<p><img src="new_window_made.gif" border=1 alt="image of new window"></p>
<p>We notice that there's nothing in this new window. What this means
is that this file is purely for our commands: Python won't interject
<p>What we wanted to do before was save some of the stuff we had
tried out on the interpreter window. Let's do that by typing (or
copy/pasting) those commands into our edit window.</p>
-<p><img src="entering_in_new_window.gif" border=1></p>
+<p><img src="entering_in_new_window.gif" border=1 alt="image of entering commands"></p>
<p>Ok, we're done with copying and pasting.
One big thing to notice
<hr><br style="page-break-after: always">
-<p>Let's save the file now. The Save command is located under the <tt>File</tt> menu:
-<p><img src="saving_edited_file.gif" border=1></p>
+<p>Let's save the file now. The Save command is located under the <tt>File</tt> menu:</p>
+<p><img src="saving_edited_file.gif" border=1 alt="image of saving file"></p>
<hr><br style="page-break-after: always">
<p>Now that we've saved the program, how do we run the program? Use the
Run All button at the top of the editing window, or the equivalent
-menu command <tt>Python->Run Window</tt>. The output will appear in a new
+menu command <tt>Python->Run Window</tt>. The output will appear in a new
window called Output Window. </p>
<p>By the way, one thing to notice is that I made a typo: I didn't
quite copy exactly what I had entered in the interpreter window
before. Does this affect things?</p>
-<p><img src="syntax_error.gif" border=1></p>
+<p><img src="syntax_error.gif" border=1 alt="image of syntax error"></p>
<p>Ooops. Here is an example of what Python calls a "syntax error".
Python sees that we made a typo, and warns us to take a much closer
<p>Ok, let's say that we fixed that silly typo. Let's try to run the
program again. This gives us a new window, the Output window, showing
the output of our program:</p>
-<p><img src="output_window.gif" border=1></p>
+<p><img src="output_window.gif" border=1 alt="image of output window"></p>
<hr><br style="page-break-after: always">
when it reaches this line so you can inspect things. The profiler
is also nifty: it shows you where your program is spending its time.</li>
- <li>The module browser (<tt>Python->Module Browser</tt>) shows you all Python
+ <li>The module browser (<tt>Python->Module Browser</tt>) shows you all Python
modules currently loaded. You can look at the contents of the module with
Browse... and (for modules written in Python) at the source with Source...</li>
if you have installed it with the Package Manager, and the Apple Developer
documentation. </li>
- <li>The <tt>File->Save as Applet</tt> menu command saves your script as a MacOSX
+ <li>The <tt>File->Save as Applet</tt> menu command saves your script as a MacOSX
application. This allows you to create a script that you can drop files on,
and much more. The IDE itself is such an applet, completely written in Python. </li>
<table>
<tr>
<td>
- <img src="PackageManager.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top">
+ <img src="PackageManager.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top" alt="">
</td>
<td>
<p>The Python Package Manager helps you installing additional
you about this, and also about other external dependencies.</p>
<p>PackageManager is available as a separate application and also
- as a function of the IDE, through the <tt>File->Package Manager</tt> menu
+ as a function of the IDE, through the <tt>File->Package Manager</tt> menu
entry. </p>
<h2>Troubleshooting</h2>
connected to the internet. If you are connected then the problem
could be that there is no database (yet?) for your version of Mac OS X.
In the standalone Package Manager you can open an alternative database
- with the <tt>File->Open URL...</tt> command, but you should realize that
+ with the <tt>File->Open URL...</tt> command, but you should realize that
you are now on untested ground. </p>
</td>
and with a fairly pythonic interface. This piece of
Python:</p>
-<blockquote><tt><pre>
+<blockquote><pre><tt>
import Finder
f = Finder.Finder()
print f.get(f.window(1).name)
-</pre></tt></blockquote>
+</tt></pre></blockquote>
<p>is identical to the following piece of AppleScript:</p>
-<blockquote><tt><pre>
+<blockquote><pre><tt>
tell application "Finder"
get name of window 1
end tell
-</pre></tt></blockquote>
+</tt></pre></blockquote>
<p>To send AppleEvents to an application you must first create the Python
modules interfacing to the terminology of the application (what
<tt>Script Editor</tt> calls the "Dictionary"). Use the IDE menu command
-<tt>File->Generate OSA Suite...</tt> for this. For more control run</p>
+<tt>File->Generate OSA Suite...</tt> for this. For more control run</p>
<blockquote><tt>
pythonw .../Lib/plat-mac/gensuitemodule.py --help
<table>
<tr>
<td>
- <img src="python.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top">
+ <img src="python.gif" width="128" height="128" align="top" alt="">
</td>
<td>
<p>MacPython 2.3 installs a perfectly normal Unix commandline
to the file <tt>.login</tt> in your home directory and restart Terminal:
<br>
<tt>setenv PATH /usr/local/bin:$PATH</tt>
-
+ </p>
<p>If you use <tt>bash</tt> or <tt>zsh</tt>
you should add the following line
to the file <tt>.profile</tt> in your home directory and restart Terminal:
<br>
<tt>export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH</tt>
+ </p>
<h2>GUI scripts</h2>
projects / python / commitdiff