Running python from a usb drive

[cjl]

Hey:

I am trying to run python from a usb drive under windows xp. I
installed python "for this user" on to a machine, then copied the
entire Python24 directory to the usb drive.

I have the following in a batch file at the root of the drive:

@path=%PATH%;%C D%Python24;%CD% Python24\libs;% CD%Python24\Scr ipts;%CD%Python 24\Lib\site-packages;%CD%Py thon24\DLLs
@set pythonpath = %CD%Python24
@cmd

When I double click the file and type 'python' at the prompt I am in a
working python environment, and I am able to import modules in the
site-packages directory (in this case, django).

However, when I run a script directly from the cmd prompt (in this case
'django-admin.py' the script runs, but fails to import modules from the
site-packages directory.

Is there a command line option to python.exe or an environment variable
I can set to remedy this?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
CJL

[Steve Holden]

Thorsten Kampe wrote:

* Steve Holden (2006-09-11 21:37 +0100)

>>Uwe Hoffmann wrote:

>>>cjl schrieb:

I do set pythonpath, see above.

is pythonpath really case insensitive on windows ?

Only because the Windows filesystem implements case-insensitive
semantics. This is nothing to do with Python:

That's nonsense: "Filenames are Case Sensitive on NTFS Volumes"[1]

Thorsten
[1] http://support.microsoft.com/kb/100625/en-us

Sigh. Right, the semantics are actually inside the subsystem accessing
the filesystem, if I have to dot every I and cross every T. Note that
the reference you quote includes the test """However, if you attempt to
open one of these files in a Win32 application, such as Notepad, you
would only have access to one of the files, regardless of the case of
the filename you type in the Open File dialog box."""

So perhaps I should have said the Win32 API implements case-insensitive
semantics? Sure, if you want to use the POSIX compatibility layer it's
absolutely possible to create several files that Win32 applications will
be completely unable to distinguish between. Whatever good that might do
you.

Sheesh, the nits that get picked on this list nowadays. I can remember
when it used to be fun, not an exercise in ego inflation.

regards
Steve
--
Steve Holden [phone] [phone]
Holden Web LLC/Ltd http://www.holdenweb.com
Skype: holdenweb http://holdenweb.blogspot.com
Recent Ramblings http://del.icio.us/steve.holden

[Thorsten Kampe]

* Steve Holden (2006-09-12 01:30 +0100)

Thorsten Kampe wrote:

>* Steve Holden (2006-09-11 21:37 +0100)

>>>Uwe Hoffmann wrote:
cjl schrieb:

>I do set pythonpath, see above.

is pythonpath really case insensitive on windows ?

Only because the Windows filesystem implements case-insensitive
semantics. This is nothing to do with Python:

That's nonsense: "Filenames are Case Sensitive on NTFS Volumes"[1]

Thorsten
[1] http://support.microsoft.com/kb/100625/en-us

Sigh. Right, the semantics are actually inside the subsystem accessing
the filesystem, if I have to dot every I and cross every T. Note that
the reference you quote includes the test """However, if you attempt to
open one of these files in a Win32 application, such as Notepad, you
would only have access to one of the files, regardless of the case of
the filename you type in the Open File dialog box."""

So perhaps I should have said the Win32 API implements case-insensitive
semantics? Sure, if you want to use the POSIX compatibility layer it's
absolutely possible to create several files that Win32 applications will
be completely unable to distinguish between. Whatever good that might do
you.

Sheesh, the nits that get picked on this list nowadays. I can remember
when it used to be fun, not an exercise in ego inflation.

It's exactly the same issue as with the environment variables: "You
live and learn."[1]

Thorsten
[1] http://groups.google.com/group/comp....9fa3ce96e757b3

[cjl]

Hey all:

I'm getting closer. My startpython.bat file is now:

path=%PATH%;%CD %Python24;%CD%P ython24\libs;%C D%Python24\Scri pts;%CD%Python2 4\Lib\site-packages;%CD%Py thon24\DLLs
set PYTHONPATH=%CD% Python24
ASSOC .py=Python.File
ASSOC .pyc=Python.Com piledFile
ASSOC .pyo=Python.Com piledFile
ASSOC .pyw=Python.NoC onFile
FTYPE Python.File=%CD %Python24\pytho n.exe "%1" %*
FTYPE Python.Compiled File=%CD%Python 24\python.exe "%1" %*
FTYPE Python.NoConFil e=%CD%Python24\ pythonw.exe "%1" %*
set PATHTEXT=%PATHT EXT%;.py;.pyc;. pyo;.pyw
cmd

I am having a problem with the ftype commands as written above. If I
type them from the command line exactly like above they work. But for
some reason they do not work from my batch file. Anyone familiar with
bath file syntax that can help me? I am very close here...

Thanks again,
CJL

[cjl]

Hey all:

It seems no matter what I do the %1 gets replaced by paramaters sent to
the batch file...there must be some way of "escaping" this, but I can't
find the answer (yet) with google. Anyone?

-CJL

[Jason]

cjl wrote:

Hey all:

It seems no matter what I do the %1 gets replaced by paramaters sent to
the batch file...there must be some way of "escaping" this, but I can't
find the answer (yet) with google. Anyone?

-CJL

Use two percents in a row turn into a single percentage sign. So you'd
want "%%1".

--Jason

[cjl]

Jason:

Thanks! That worked...in fact, almost everything is now working as
expected (so far).

Here is my batch file:

echo "Making changes to path and file associations... "
path =
%PATH%;%CD%Pyth on24;%CD%Python 24\libs;%CD%Pyt hon24\Scripts;% CD%Python24\Lib \site-packages;%CD%Py thon24\DLLs
set PYTHONPATH=%CD% Python24
ASSOC .py=Python.File
ASSOC .pyc=Python.Com piledFile
ASSOC .pyo=Python.Com piledFile
ASSOC .pyw=Python.NoC onFile
FTYPE Python.File=%CD %Python24\pytho n.exe "%%1" %%*
FTYPE Python.Compiled File=%CD%Python 24\python.exe "%%1" %%*
FTYPE Python.NoConFil e=%CD%Python24\ pythonw.exe "%%1" %%*
set PATHTEXT=.py;%P ATHTEXT%
CMD

I'm still having a problem with setting PATHTEXT...I should be able to
now type django-admin at the cmd prompt and have it work, but I need to
still type django-admin.py ... I'm not sure what's wrong with my
setting of pathtext.

Any ideas?

Thanks again,
CJL

[Thorsten Kampe]

* cjl (2006-09-12 13:10 +0100)

Jason:

Thanks! That worked...in fact, almost everything is now working as
expected (so far).

Here is my batch file:

echo "Making changes to path and file associations... "
path =
%PATH%;%CD%Pyth on24;%CD%Python 24\libs;%CD%Pyt hon24\Scripts;% CD%Python24\Lib \site-packages;%CD%Py thon24\DLLs
set PYTHONPATH=%CD% Python24
ASSOC .py=Python.File
ASSOC .pyc=Python.Com piledFile
ASSOC .pyo=Python.Com piledFile
ASSOC .pyw=Python.NoC onFile
FTYPE Python.File=%CD %Python24\pytho n.exe "%%1" %%*
FTYPE Python.Compiled File=%CD%Python 24\python.exe "%%1" %%*
FTYPE Python.NoConFil e=%CD%Python24\ pythonw.exe "%%1" %%*
set PATHTEXT=.py;%P ATHTEXT%
CMD

I'm still having a problem with setting PATHTEXT...I should be able to
now type django-admin at the cmd prompt and have it work, but I need to
still type django-admin.py ... I'm not sure what's wrong with my
setting of pathtext.

Setting environment variables has only effect on the process itself
and the subprocesses. This has nothing to do with Windows, it's the
same with Linux.

[cjl]

Thorsten:

Thank you for your reply.

Setting environment variables has only effect on the process itself
and the subprocesses. This has nothing to do with Windows, it's the
same with Linux.

True, and the changes to path and pythonpath are gone after I close the
console window, but the results of the assoc and ftype commands are
changes to the registry that linger. If I run my setup on a computer
that has python installed, I will overwrite the pre-existing registry
settings. I can restore them with a script, but I can't guarantee that
my restore script will run.

I'm still looking for a way to modify these temporarily, but it looks
like I might be "up the creek" on this one. Oh well.

Thanks again,
CJL

[Jason]

cjl wrote:

Thorsten:

Thank you for your reply.

Setting environment variables has only effect on the process itself
and the subprocesses. This has nothing to do with Windows, it's the
same with Linux.

True, and the changes to path and pythonpath are gone after I close the
console window, but the results of the assoc and ftype commands are
changes to the registry that linger. If I run my setup on a computer
that has python installed, I will overwrite the pre-existing registry
settings. I can restore them with a script, but I can't guarantee that
my restore script will run.

I'm still looking for a way to modify these temporarily, but it looks
like I might be "up the creek" on this one. Oh well.

Thanks again,
CJL

I notice that you've already got the environmental variables set up to
run your Temp-Python. You can retrieve the current associations (if
any) by using the assoc and ftype commands:

C:\>assoc .py
..py=Python.Fil e

C:\>ftype Python.File
Python.File="C: \Python24\pytho n.exe" "%1" %*

C:\>assoc .NotAnExtension
File association not found for extension .NotAnExtension

C:\>

Using this information, you could write a little python script with
your distribution which records the current file associations and
settings. Then, when you're ready to revert, you run another little
python script which restores the associations.

These associations are also stored in the registry. You could back up
the registry keys which you know will be modified, make the registry
changes yourself, and restore the registry settings at finish. It
would require Python's win32 extension modules, though.

I don't know how you could do it without using a
backup/run-stuff/restore sequence.

--Jason