problem with "setup.py bdist --formats=zip"

[Humpdydum]

I would like to create a "binary" distribution for Windows, but in zip
format, since the installer requires root access. I don't want to use sdist
because that includes all the C source and the source for generating
documentation etc.

When I try bdist_dumb, or "bdist --formats=zip", the zip has the files with
*absolute* paths, as found on *my* system. This doesn't seem to make sense,
since anyone with Python not installed in the same place as mine won't be
able to unzip the distribution. Section 6.1 of python 2.3 docs has only one
line of text saying something about "absolute" vs "relative" and "not
implemented yet", somewhat surprising.

So how do people do this? I guess I could create a MANIFEST_bin.in where I
remove all the source stuff I don't want and replace sys.argv[1] with
"sdist" if I find "bdist" there, but that doesn't seem very robust. Plus I
then don't get the benefit of "bdist"-related stuff like putting "win32" in
the zip file name, etc. Surely I'm not the only one who needs this?

Thanks,
Oliver

[Peter Hansen]

Humpdydum wrote:

I would like to create a "binary" distribution for Windows, but in zip
format, since the installer requires root access.

Not sure what you mean here. Windows doesn't have a "root" user,
though it has "Administrator". Is that what you meant? I believe
you'll find that the installer has an option to install for the
current user only, so that you don't have to be an Administrator
to do it.

-Peter

[HumbdyDum]

Peter Hansen wrote:

Humpdydum wrote:

I would like to create a "binary" distribution for Windows, but in zip
format, since the installer requires root access.

Not sure what you mean here. Windows doesn't have a "root" user,
though it has "Administrator". Is that what you meant?

Yes.
I believe
you'll find that the installer has an option to install for the
current user only, so that you don't have to be an Administrator
to do it.

Really? I've installed several (like Numeric etc) and looked but never
seen that option, I must be blind. Actually, I remember clearly that
they always say, after being started, something like "You don't have
sufficient priviledge, you must be administrator". I'll take another
look. Thanks,
Oliver

[Peter Hansen]

HumbdyDum wrote:

Peter Hansen wrote:

you'll find that the installer has an option to install for the
current user only, so that you don't have to be an Administrator
to do it.

Really? I've installed several (like Numeric etc) and looked but never
seen that option, I must be blind. Actually, I remember clearly that
they always say, after being started, something like "You don't have
sufficient priviledge, you must be administrator". I'll take another
look. Thanks,

I'm talking about the Python installer itself, not installers
for other things. Perhaps I misunderstood what you meant
when you said you wanted to create a binary distribution.
I assumed you meant "of Python".

[HumbdyDum]

Peter Hansen wrote:

HumbdyDum wrote:

Peter Hansen wrote:

you'll find that the installer has an option to install for the
current user only, so that you don't have to be an Administrator
to do it.

Really? I've installed several (like Numeric etc) and looked but never
seen that option, I must be blind. Actually, I remember clearly that
they always say, after being started, something like "You don't have
sufficient priviledge, you must be administrator". I'll take another
look. Thanks,

I'm talking about the Python installer itself, not installers
for other things. Perhaps I misunderstood what you meant
when you said you wanted to create a binary distribution.
I assumed you meant "of Python".

No I meant "of a Python package I want to distribute". I'd like to
create a zip file that contains the same stuff that the bdist_wininst
would contain. Is there a way to intercept the bdist_wininst to make it
create a zip instead of an exe installer?

Oliver