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603 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
603 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
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This file contains the release notes of older MacPython versions.
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Changes between 1.4 and 1.3.3
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-------------------------------
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Aside from all the changes Guido made to the machine-independent part
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of Python (see NEWS for those)the following mac-specific changes have
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been made:
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- Preference file and other items in the System folder now have the
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version number in their name, so old and new python installations
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can coexist.
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- Fixed a GUSI crash when exiting with files open.
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- Fixed interference with some extensions that added resources that
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looked like ours.
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- Fixed slowness of Python in the background.
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- About box added (at last...).
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- New release of CWGUSI (1.8.0) incorporated. Note that for Tcl/Tk the
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4.1p1 release is still used (4.2 was a little too late). Everything
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ported to CW10.
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- Applets can now turn off argc/argv processing (so they can do their
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own initial AppleEvent handling). Applets can also delay opening the
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console window until it is actually used (and, hence, not open it at
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all by refraining from using it).
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- MiniAEFrame: Preliminary AppleScript server support. Example code
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provided, including an initial stab at writing CGI scripts in Python.
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- macfs: FindApplication() locates application given 4-char creator
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code.
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- macfs: GetDates and SetDates get and set creation date, etc.
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- FrameWork: preferred method of ending mainloop() is calling _quit().
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- FrameWork: different menubar handling resulting in less flashing
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during menu creation.
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- FrameWork: added setarrowcursor and setwatchcursor functions.
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- findertools: new module that makes various finder features
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available.
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- macostools: copy file times too.
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- macostools: added touch() to tell finder about changes to a file.
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- macerrors: New module with symbolic names for all os-releated
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errors.
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- EasyDialogs: ProgressBar fixed.
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- aetools: start application if needed
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- aetools: use aetools.error for server-generated errors, MacOS.error
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for communication errors, etc.
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- Finder_7_0_Suite: New module with the "simple" finder scripting
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interface.
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- mac (aka os): xstat() returns resourcesize, creator, type in
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addition to stat() information.
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- MacOS: added DebugStr method to drop to low-level debugger.
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- MacOS: fixed splash() to actually draw the splash box:-)
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- Ctl: fixed very nasty bug in DisposeControl and object deletion.
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- Dlg: Added GetDialogWindow and other accessor functions
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- Waste: fixed bug with object hanlder installation
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- Waste: added tab support
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- time: added strftime
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- twit: a windowing debugger for Python (preliminary release)
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- BBPy: a BBEdit extension that send scripts to the Python interpreter,
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by Just van Rossum.
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The following set of changes were already in place for the 1.4b3
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release:
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- The standard 68K Python is built for CFM68K. This means that PPC and
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68K Python are now largely compatible, both supporting dynamically
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loaded modules, python applets, etc.
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As a result of this there have been numerous subtle changes in
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filenames for PPC plugin modules and such, but these changes should
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be transparent to Python programs.
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The one missing module in cfm68k is Macspeech, for which no CFM68K
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interface library is available (yet?).
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- Raise MemoryError on stack overflow.
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- Python now always uses 8-byte doubles.
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- Removed mactcp, macdnr and stdwin modules from standard
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distribution.
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- New releases of Tcl/Tk (4.1p1), CWGUSI (1.7.2) and Waste (1.2f) have
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been incorporated.
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- Macfs.SetFolder method added, which sets initial folder for standard
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file dialogs.
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- New py_resource module to handle PYC resources.
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- List mgr objects "selFlags" and "listFlags" members now accessible.
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- QuickDraw got a few new symbolic constants.
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- Qt and Cm modules now live in a separate dynamically loadable
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module, so other toolbox modules work if you don't have QuickTime
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installed.
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- Old sound mgr calls {Set,Get}SoundVol removed, version number
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interface changed.
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- Added convenience routines setarrowcursor and setwatchcursor to
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FrameWork.
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- Bugfixes to time.sleep(), FrameWork, macostools,
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- Minor fixes/additions/updates to demos and documentation in the Demo
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folder.
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- Internal changes:
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- Ported to CW9
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- mwerks_????_config.h organization rationalized
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- Projects renamed to reflect architecture (ppc, cfm68k, 68k).
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- various defines (HAVE_CONFIG_H, USE_MAC_DYNAMIC_LOADING) no longer
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needed.
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- shared-library architecture made more conforming to metrowerks
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documentation. Check xx plugin projects if you have built your own
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dynamically loaded modules.
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Changes between 1.3.3 and 1.3.2
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--------------------------------
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A major change since 1.3.2 is in the organization of the files: The
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Mac folder has mac-specific demo programs, attempts at documentation and
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more. Browse the HTML files in Mac:Demo for more info.
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Also, Toolbox:bgen is not needed anymore for normal use: the relevant
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python modules have been moved to Mac:Lib:toolbox.
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Other changes:
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- Uses final Tk 4.1 and Tcl 7.5 distributions.
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- Override preferences (stored in the interpreter/applet application)
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allow overriding of system-wide preferences. Explained in
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"using.html".
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- New functionality in FrameWork.py:
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- ScrolledWindow class
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- enable(), settext(), setitem(), setmark(), seticon(),
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checkmenu() and delete() methods for menu entries.
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- event parameter added to idle() method
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- windowbounds() function helps programmer with staggering windows.
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- Erase only visRgn on an update event.
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- TextEdit interface module added
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- Waste interface module added
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- Demos for waste, including skeleton for html editor
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- Scrap manager interface added
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- Ctl.FindControl() could return reference to deleted object. Fixed.
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- GrafPorts have an _id attribute (address of grafport) allowing them
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to be compared (since a new python object is created each time).
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- Standard File folder no longer changed on chdir() (this was
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introduced in 1.3.2).
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- sys.argv can now be set if you option-drag or option-click a python
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source.
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- Various dialogs now have sensible defaults.
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- binhextree is now a bit more intelligent about when to binhex.
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- gensuitemodule fixed to hand '****' type arguments.
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Changes between 1.3.2 and 1.3.1
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-------------------------------
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The main reason for the 1.3.2 distribution is the availability of Tk
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for the mac. The Tk port and its integration in Python is definitely
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not bug-free, hence this distribution should be treated as beta
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software at best.
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Another major change in this release is that the Python I/O system is
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now based on the GUSI library. This is an I/O library that attempts to
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mimic a Posix I/O system. Hence, modules like socket and select are
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now available in MacPython. If you build dynamically loaded modules
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and you use any unix-like feature such as stat() calls you should
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compile using the GUSI include files.
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A third major change is that the MacOS creator code has been changed
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from 'PYTH' to 'Pyth', due to a conflict. This means that you will
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have to change the creator of all your old python programs. The
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distribution contains a script "FixCreator.py" that does this
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recursively for a whole folder.
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Here are all the changes since 1.3.1, in no particular order:
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- complex number support added
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- cmath module added
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- startup options ("option-drag" dialog) can be retrieved from the
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preferences file. EditPythonPrefs hasn't been updated yet, though.
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- Creator changed from PYTH to Pyth
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- {mac,os}.unlink is now also called {mac,os}.remove
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- {mac,os}.mkdir second arg optional
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- dup and fdopen calls added
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- select module added
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- socket module added
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- open(file, '*r') for opening resource forks has been removed. It is
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replaced by MacOS.openrf(file, 'r'), which returns a simple
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file-like object to read (or write) resource forks.
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- Added AppleEvent URL suite
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- Added AppleEvent netscape suite
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- QuickDraw globals are now all accessible, as Qd.qd.xxxx
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Mac-specific changes between 1.3 and 1.3.1
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--------------------------------------
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Aside from the changes mentioned here there have also been some
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changes in the core python, but these are not documented here.
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However, these changes are mainly bugfixes, so there shouldn't be any
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incompatabilities.
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- imgsgi and imgpbm modules added
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- Various hooks installed to allow integration with MacTk (currently
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disabled)
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- Added support for MacOS Fixed type in toolbox arguments (represented
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as floats in python)
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- Added option to keep output window open on normal termination
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- Decreased minimum heapsize to run interpreter
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- Added progress-bar to EasyDialogs
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- Fixed socket.getportname()
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- Renamed MACTCP.py to MACTCPconst.py
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- Many fixes to FrameWork.py:
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- Added window.SetPort() method
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- Added optional bounds and resid parameters to Window.open()
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- Fixed apple-menu DA handling
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- Fixed activate-event handling
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- Added default Application.makeusermenus() (File:Quit only)
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- Fixed bug with keyboard input handling
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- added idle() method, called from event loop if there are no events
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pending
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Toolbox modules:
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- component manager module added
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- quicktime module added
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- font manager module added
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- Added color window support
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- Added support to obtain pixmap from a window
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- Added BitMap type
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- Added GrafPort type
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- Added support for PenState, Patterns, FontInfo, RGB colors,
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- Fixed GetPen and SetPt arguments
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- Added read access to members of {C}GrafPort objects
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- Added support for cursors
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- Provide access to some QuickDraw globals
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- Fixed InsetRect, OffsetRect, MapRect
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- Added support for various handles such as PatHandle, CursHandle
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- Added functions to access members of Window objects
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Changes since 1.3beta3
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----------------------
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- MkPluginAliases.py now works in a virgin distribution environment. It is
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also distributed as an applet.
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- hexbin from binhex.py has been fixed
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- various bits and pieces in readme files clarified
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- mkapplet bug wrt owner resource (and, hence, trouble starting applets) fixed.
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- Compiled with CodeWarrior 7.
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- AE client modules generated with gensuitemodule.py now use keyword args.
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- img modules updated to latest version (including pbm and sgi support).
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- Everything compiled with all optimization options available. Let me know
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if you suspect errors that are due to this.
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Changes since Python 1.2 for the mac
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------------------------------------
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- PPC python now uses a shared library organization. This allows the
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creation of dynamically loadable extension modules (contact me) and
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creation of python applets (see mkapplet.py). A number of previously
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builtin modules are now dynamically loaded. Dynamically loaded
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modules are distributed in the PlugIns folder.
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- Python modules can live in 'PYC ' resources (with a name equal to the
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module name, so many modules can live in a single file). If you put a
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file (in stead of a folder) in sys.path its resources will be searched.
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See the PackLibDir script for creating such a file.
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- new binhex module (partially working, hexbin has problems)
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- Python now has a Preferences file, editable with
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EditPythonPrefs. Remembered are the python 'home folder' and the
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initial value for sys.path. If no preferences file is found a simple
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one is created.
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NOTE: this only works correctly if you start python the first time
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from the correct folder.
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- new img modules, to read/write/convert images in various formats
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- new MacOS toolbox modules: AE, Ctl, Dlg, Event, List, Qd, Res, Snd
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and Win. These provide access to various of the MacOS toolbox
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interfaces. No documentation yet, but the __doc__ strings provide at
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least the calling sequence (and Inside Mac will give you the
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semantics). Minimal demos are provided for most toolbox interfaces,
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and the 'scripts' directory has some more examples.
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- AppleEvent client interfaces can be generated from aete/aeut
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resources. No support for objects yet, nor for server interfaces.
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- Lib:mac:FrameWork.py has an application framework (under
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construction).
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- (PPC Only) support for building Python applets: tiny standalone
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python applications.
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- fp = open(filename, '*r') opens resource-fork of a file for reading
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(and similar for writing).
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- option-dragging a file to the interpreter (or immedeately pressing
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<option> after launching python) will bring up an Options dialog
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allowing you to set options like import-tracing, etc.
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- MacOS module method added: GetErrorString(OSErr) -> error string
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- There is now a numbering convention for resource-ID's:
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128-255 Resources used by the interpreter itself
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256-511 Resources used by standard modules
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512- Resources for applications
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- macfs module changes:
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- StandardGetFile without type arguments now shows all files
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- PromptGetFile(prompt, ...) is like StandardGetFile but with a
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prompt
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- GetDirectory (let user select a folder) added
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- GetFInfo and SetFInfo methods of FSSpec objects get/set finder
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info. FInfo objects have attributes Creator, Type, etc.
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- FindFolder (locate trash/preferences/etc) added
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- mactcp/macdnr changes: bug fix wrt idle-loop.
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- EditPythonPrefs script: change initial sys.path and python home
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folder
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- (PPC only) MkPluginAliases: Setup aliases for dynamically loadable
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modules that live in a single shared library
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- PackLibDir: Convert Lib directory to a single resource file
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containing all .pyc code
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- fixfiletypes: Set file types based on file extension over a whole
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tree.
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- RunLibScript: Run any script as main program, optionally redirecting
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stdin/stdout, supplying arguments, etc.
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- binhextree: Binhex all files in a tree, depending on the extension.
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- (PPC only) mkapplet: Create a python applet from a sourcefile and
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(optional) resourcefile.
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PYTHON 1.2 FOR THE MACINTOSH
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****************************
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Python can be built on the Mac using either THINK C 6.0 (or 7.0), or
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CodeWarrior 5.0 (for 68K and PPC). In the past it has also been compiled
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with earlier versions of Think, but no guarantees are made that the
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source is still compatible with those versions. (Think C 5.0 appears
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to be OK.) Likewise, new compiler versions may effectively change the
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language accepted (or the library provided!) and thus cause problems.
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MPW is a special case -- it used to be possible to build Python as
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an MPW tool using MPW 3.2, and this may still work, but I haven't
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tried this lately. What I have tried, however, is building Python
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as a shared library for CFM-68K, using the Symantec C compiler for MPW.
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See subdirectory MPW and the README file there for more info.
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1. Using Think C 6.0 (or 7.0)
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=============================
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1.1 The directory structure
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---------------------------
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I duplicate the UNIX directory structure from the distribution. The
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subdirectories needed to compile are: Mac, Include, Parser, Python,
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Objects, Modules. (Don't bother with Grammar and the parser
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generator, nor with the Doc subdirectory.)
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For running and testing, you also need Lib and its subdirectories test
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and stdwin. You could also copy some things from the Demo/stdwin
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directory (unfortunately most other demos are UNIX specific and even
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many stdwin demos are).
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Make sure there is no config.c file in the Modules subdirectory (if
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you copy from a directory where you have done a UNIX build this might
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occur). Also don't use the config.h generated on UNIX.
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1.2 The project file
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--------------------
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I put all source files in one project, which I place in the parent
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directory of the source directories.
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1.2.1 Project type
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(This is the Set Project Type... dialog in the Project menu.)
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Set the creator to PYTH; turn on "far data"; leave "far code" and
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"separate strs" unchecked (they just serve to bloat the application).
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A partition size of 1000K should be enough to run the standard test
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suite (which requires a lot of memory because it stress tests the
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parser quite a bit) and most demos or medium-size applications. The
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interpreter will do basic things in as little at 500K but this may
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prevent parsing larger modules.
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1.2.2 Compiler options
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(This is the Options -> THINK C ... dialog in the Edit menu.)
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- Start with Factory Settings.
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- In the Prefix, remove #include <MacHeaders> and add
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#define HAVE_CONFIG_H
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- Choose any optimizer and debugger settings you like. - You
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can choose 4-byte ints if you want. This requires that you
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rebuild the ANSI and unix libraries with 4-bytes ints as well
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(better make copies with names like ANSI 32 bit). With 4-byte
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ints the interpreter is marginally bigger and somewhat (~10%)
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slower, but Python programs can use strings and lists with
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more than 32000 items (with 2-byte ints these can cause
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crashes). The range of Python integers is not affected (these
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are always represented as longs). In fact, nowadays I always
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use 4-byte integers, since it is actually rather annoying that
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strings >= 64K cause crashes.
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1.2.3 Files to add
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(This is the Add Files... dialog in the Source menu.)
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The following source files must be added to the project. I use a
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separate segment for each begin letter -- this avoids segment
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overflow, except for 'c', where you have to put either ceval.c or
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compile.c in a separate segment. You could also group them by
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|
subdirectory or function, but you may still have to split segments
|
||
|
arbitrarily because of the 32000 bytes restriction.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- From Mac: all .c files.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- From Parser: acceler.c, grammar1.c,
|
||
|
myreadline.c, node.c, parser.c, parsetok.c, tokenizer.c.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- From Python: bltinmodule.c, ceval.c, cgensupport.c,
|
||
|
compile.c, errors.c, getargs.c getopt.c, graminit.c, import.c,
|
||
|
importdl.c, marshal.c, modsupport.c, mystrtoul.c,
|
||
|
pythonmain.c, pythonrun.c, sigcheck.c, structmember.c,
|
||
|
sysmodule.c, traceback.c (i.e. all .c files except dup2.c,
|
||
|
fmod.c, frozenmain.c, getcwd.c, getmtime.c, memmove.c,
|
||
|
sigcheck.c, strerror.c, strtod.c, thread.c)
|
||
|
|
||
|
- From Objects: all .c files except xxobject.c.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- From Modules: all the modules listed in config.c (in the Mac
|
||
|
subdirectory) in the initializer for inittab[], before
|
||
|
"ADDMODULE MARKER 2". Also add md5c.c if you add md5module.c,
|
||
|
and regexpr.c if you add regexmodule.c. (You'll find
|
||
|
macmodule.c in the Mac subdirectory, so it should already have
|
||
|
been added in a previous step.) Note that for most modules,
|
||
|
the source file is called <name>module.c, but for a few long
|
||
|
module names it is just <module>.c. Don't add stdwinmodule.c
|
||
|
yet,
|
||
|
|
||
|
The following THINK C libraries must be added: from Standard
|
||
|
Libraries, ANSI and unix; from Mac Libraries, MacTraps. I put each
|
||
|
library in a separate segment. Also see my earlier remark on 4-byte
|
||
|
ints.
|
||
|
|
||
|
1.4 Adding STDWIN
|
||
|
-----------------
|
||
|
|
||
|
STDWIN is built in two separate projects: stdwin.pi contains the core
|
||
|
STDWIN implementation from Ports/mac, textedit.pi contains the files
|
||
|
from Packs/textedit. Use the same compiler options as for Python and
|
||
|
the same general source setup (in a sister directory of the toplevel
|
||
|
Python directory). Put all sources in the same segment. To
|
||
|
stdwin.pi, also add Tools/strdup.c and Gen/wtextbreak.c.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The two projects can now be added as libraries to the Python project.
|
||
|
You must also add stdwinmodule.c and add "#define USE_STDWIN" to the
|
||
|
Prefix in the compiler options dialog (this only affects macmain.c and
|
||
|
config.c).
|
||
|
|
||
|
Note that stdwinmodule.c contains an #include statement that
|
||
|
references "stdwin.h" by relative path name -- if the stdwin toplevel
|
||
|
directory is not a sibling of the python toplevel directory, you may
|
||
|
have to adjust the number of colons in the pathname.
|
||
|
|
||
|
1.5 Resources
|
||
|
-------------
|
||
|
|
||
|
Since I created them with ResEdit I have no text source of the
|
||
|
resources needed to give the application an icon etc... You can copy
|
||
|
the size, bundle, file reference and icon resources from the
|
||
|
distributed Python application with ResEdit. THINK C automatically
|
||
|
copies resources into the application file from a file
|
||
|
<projectname>.rsrc.
|
||
|
|
||
|
1.6 Think C 5.0
|
||
|
---------------
|
||
|
|
||
|
Tim Gilbert adds one note that will be helpful to future Think C 5.0
|
||
|
users: When you have a really big project like python, and you want to
|
||
|
compile and run it, if you just hit Command-R, often Think C will
|
||
|
compile the remaining files, think for a moment, and then give you a
|
||
|
warning "internal error(ZREF)--please remove objects." Don't listen
|
||
|
to it. It is lying. What you should do instead is "Check Link..."
|
||
|
and _then_ hit Run. Why? Ask Symantec.
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
2. Using MicroWerks CodeWarrior 5.0
|
||
|
===================================
|
||
|
|
||
|
Essentially, follow the instructions for Think C.
|
||
|
|
||
|
XXX Should at least list the project options.
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
--Guido van Rossum, CWI, Amsterdam <Guido.van.Rossum@cwi.nl>
|
||
|
<URL:http://www.cwi.nl/cwi/people/Guido.van.Rossum.html>
|
||
|
|
||
|
PYTHON RELEASE NOTES FOR THE MACINTOSH
|
||
|
VERSION 1.1
|
||
|
|
||
|
For the most part, Python on the Mac works just like Python under UNIX.
|
||
|
The most important differences are:
|
||
|
|
||
|
- Since there is no shell environment on the Mac, the start-up file
|
||
|
has a fixed name: PythonStartup. If a file by this name exists
|
||
|
(either in the current folder or in the system folder) it is executed
|
||
|
when an interactive interpreter is started.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The default search path for modules is different: first the current
|
||
|
directory is searched, then the subdirectories 'lib', 'lib:stdwin' and
|
||
|
'demo'. As always, you can change this (e.g. in your PythonStartup
|
||
|
file) by assigning or appending to sys.path -- use Macintosh pathnames!
|
||
|
(The default contains no absolute paths because these are unlikely
|
||
|
to make sense on other people's hard disks.)
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The user interface for typing interactive commands is different.
|
||
|
This is actually the THINK C console I/O module, which is based on
|
||
|
the Mac toolbox TextEdit. A standard Edit menu provides Cut, Copy,
|
||
|
Paste and Clear (Undo is only there for Desk Accessories). A minimal
|
||
|
File menu provides Quit, which immediately exits the application,
|
||
|
without the usual cleanup. You can Copy from previous output,
|
||
|
but you can't scroll back beyond the 24x80 screen. The TAB key
|
||
|
always brings you to the end of the current input line; indentation
|
||
|
must be entered with spaces (a single space is enough).
|
||
|
End-of-file is generated by Command-D; Command-Period interrupts.
|
||
|
There is an annoying limit in the length of an input line to a single
|
||
|
screen line (less the prompt). Use \ to input long statements.
|
||
|
Change your program if it requires long lines typed on input.
|
||
|
Even though there is no resize box, the window can be resized by
|
||
|
dragging its bottom right corner, but the maximum size is 24x80.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- Tabs in module files are interpreted as 4 (four!) spaces. This is
|
||
|
consistent with most Mac editors that I know. For individual files
|
||
|
you can change the tab size with a comment like
|
||
|
|
||
|
# vi:set tabsize=8:
|
||
|
|
||
|
(exactly as shown here, including the colons!). If you are consistent
|
||
|
in always using tabs for indentation on UNIX, your files will be
|
||
|
parsed correctly on the Mac, although they may look funny if you
|
||
|
have nicely lined-up comments or tables using tabs. Never using tabs
|
||
|
also works. Mixing tabs and spaces to simulate 4-character indentation
|
||
|
levels is likely to fail.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- You can start a script from the Finder by selecting the script and
|
||
|
the Python interpreter together and then double clicking. If you
|
||
|
make the owner of the script PYTH (the type should always be TEXT)
|
||
|
Python will be launched if you double click it!
|
||
|
There is no way to pass command line arguments to Python scripts.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- The set of built-in modules is different:
|
||
|
|
||
|
= Operating system functions for the 'os' module is provided by the
|
||
|
built-in module 'mac', not 'posix'. This doesn't have all the
|
||
|
functions from posix, for obvious reasons (if you know the Mac
|
||
|
O/S a little bit). The functions in os.path are provided by
|
||
|
macpath, they know about Mac pathnames etc.
|
||
|
|
||
|
= None of the UNIX specific modules ('socket', 'pwd', 'grp' etc.)
|
||
|
exists.
|
||
|
|
||
|
= Module 'stdwin' is always available. It uses the Mac version of
|
||
|
STDWIN, which interfaces directly with the Mac toolbox. The most
|
||
|
important difference is in the font names; setfont() has a second
|
||
|
argument specifying the point size and an optional third one
|
||
|
specifying the variation: a single letter character string,
|
||
|
'i' for italics, 'b' for bold. Note that when STDWIN is waiting
|
||
|
for events, the standard File and Edit menus are inactive but
|
||
|
still visible, and (most annoyingly) the Apple menu is also inactive;
|
||
|
conversely, menus put up by STDWIN are not active when the Python is
|
||
|
reading from the keyboard. If you open Python together with a text
|
||
|
file containing a Python script, the script will be executed and
|
||
|
a console window is only generated when the script uses standard
|
||
|
input or output. A script that uses STDWIN exclusively for its I/O
|
||
|
will have a working Apple menu and no extraneous File/Edit menus.
|
||
|
(This is because both stdwin and stdio try to initialize the
|
||
|
windowing environment; whoever gets there first owns the Apple menu.)
|
||
|
LIMITATIONS: a few recent additions to STDWIN for X11 have not yet
|
||
|
been added to the Mac version. There are no bitmap objects, and
|
||
|
the setwinpos() and setwinsize() methods are non--functional.
|
||
|
|
||
|
- Because launching an application on the Mac is so tedious, you will
|
||
|
want to edit your program with a desk accessory editor (e.g., Sigma
|
||
|
edit) and test the changed version without leaving Python. This is
|
||
|
possible but requires some care. Make sure the program is a module
|
||
|
file (filename must be a Python identifier followed by '.py'). You
|
||
|
can then import it when you test it for the first time. There are
|
||
|
now three possibilities: it contains a syntax error; it gets a runtime
|
||
|
error (unhandled exception); or it runs OK but gives wrong results.
|
||
|
(If it gives correct results, you are done testing and don't need
|
||
|
to read the rest of this paragraph. :-) Note that the following
|
||
|
is not Mac-specific -- it's just that on UNIX it's easier to restart
|
||
|
the entire script so it's rarely useful.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Recovery from a syntax error is easy: edit the file and import it
|
||
|
again.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Recovery from wrong output is almost as easy: edit the file and,
|
||
|
instead of importing it, call the function reload() with the module
|
||
|
name as argument (e.g., if your module is called foo, type
|
||
|
"reload(foo)").
|
||
|
|
||
|
Recovery from an exception is trickier. Once the syntax is correct,
|
||
|
a 'module' entry is placed in an internal table, and following import
|
||
|
statements will not re-read the file, even if the module's initialization
|
||
|
terminated with an error (one reason why this is done is so that
|
||
|
mutually recursive modules are initialized only once). You must
|
||
|
therefore force re-reading the module with reload(), however, if this
|
||
|
happens the first time you try to import the module, the import statement
|
||
|
itself has not completed, and your workspace does not know the module
|
||
|
name (even though the internal table of moduesl does!). The trick is
|
||
|
to first import the module again, then reload it. For instance,
|
||
|
"import foo; reload(foo)". Because the module object already exists
|
||
|
internally, the import statement does not attempt to execute the
|
||
|
module again -- it just places it in your workspace.
|
||
|
|
||
|
When you edit a module you don't have to worry about the corresponding
|
||
|
'.pyc' file (a "compiled" version of the module, which loads much faster
|
||
|
than the textual version): the interpreter notices that the '.py' file
|
||
|
has changed (because its modification time has changed) and ignores the
|
||
|
'.pyc' file. When parsing is successful, a new '.pyc' file is written;
|
||
|
if this fails (no write permission, disk full or whatever) it is
|
||
|
silently skipped but attempted again the next time the same module
|
||
|
is loaded. (Thus, if you plan to place a Python library on a read-only
|
||
|
disk, it is advisable to "warm the cache" by making the disk writable
|
||
|
and importing all modules once. The standard module 'importall' helps
|
||
|
in doing this.)
|