I apologize for such a basic question. I've done some research online and still cannot figure out for the life of me how to turn a python folder into something like an actual app I can open in OS X. I am using Mac OS X, Terminal and Coderunner for my Python project.
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Can you be more specific about what you mean by "actual app"? The answer will depend on that.Jared– Jared2013-08-27 18:55:59 +00:00Commented Aug 27, 2013 at 18:55
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1What do you mean, python folder into an app?user1971598– user19715982013-08-27 18:57:52 +00:00Commented Aug 27, 2013 at 18:57
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2 Answers
Here are a few options:
- Platypus is not Python-specific. It lets you wrap a simple GUI around a command line tool.
- py2app is Python-specific and a good choice if you have a GUI, or need to run in the background.
- PyInstaller is similar to py2app but cross-platform; I've never used it, so I don't know how well it works.
The right choice depends on what your program does; who is the expected audience — do you need to redistribute it, if so how, and so forth. If you want to make the application entirely self-contained — not dependent on anything else beyond the OS — then things get more complicated (though certainly not insoluble; there are several commercial Mac desktop apps written in Python.)
6 Comments
Felix Zumstein
I'd like to add cx_Freeze to the list which is cross platform: cx-freeze.sourceforge.net
Nicholas Riley
It'd be really interesting to see if someone could compare cx_Freeze, PyInstaller and py2app. cx_Freeze doesn't even mention the Mac on its home page, which probably accounts for its lack of visibility!
Felix Zumstein
It actually does mention it: "cx_Freeze is cross platform and should work on any platform that Python itself works on"
Felix Zumstein
As for the comparison, there's something here: spreadsheets.google.com/….
Nicholas Riley
I get an error trying to go to that URL. (I was referring to explicit mention of the Mac on that page.)
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Typically you would make the script executable by putting
#!/usr/bin/env python
as the first line, and then in a terminal window typing
chmod u+x myscript.py
You might also want to put it in a special scripts folder and then add that to your PATH by editing .bash_profile. (I am putting a lot of buzz-words here to help you find the tutorials explaining how these things work.)
You can wrap your script into an Automator object if you want to try running it that way, but in the long run you will be better off getting comfortable working in a terminal window.
It would also help to know what your app does: Process files, generate a GUI, do a calculation, etc...
3 Comments
david
I guess what I mean is if I make a python program with a GUI, how do I then turn that into it's own application that someone else with a mac could install into their applications folder and run.
david
I'm not sure if beroe just answered my question.
beroe
If you want to make a GUI, you would probably want to learn some of the tools listed here or those listed in @Nicolas_Riley's answer. My suggestion will cover a fair percentage of data-processing-type tasks (including user interaction), but only when used at the command line. I guess I wouldn't give up on terminal-based scripts until you must.