How to Build Python 2.3.3 C/C++ Extensions in Windows Using Mingw32

[C. Barnes]

Normally, one uses the following procedure to build
and install a C/C++
extension:

  python setup.py build --compiler=your_compiler
  python setup.py install

For Python 2.3.3 on Windows, with the Mingw
(Minimalist GNU) compiler,
the following steps must be taken:

1. Find your Mingw bin directory.  Copy gcc.exe to
cc.exe.

2. Get PExports from either of:

     http://sebsauvage.net/python/pexports-0.42h.zip
    
http://starship.python.net/crew/kernr/mingw32/pexports-0.42h.zip

   Extract pexports.exe to your Mingw bin directory.

3. Find pythonxx.dll.  It should be in your main
Python directory.  Do
   the following:

     pexports python23.dll > python23.def
     dlltool --dllname python23.dll --def python23.def
--output-lib libpython23.a

4. Copy libpythonxx.a to \python\libs.

5. Patch distutils.  Locate
\python\lib\distutils\msvccompiler.py, open
   it, and find the following lines (around line 211):
   
        if len (self.__paths) == 0:
            raise DistutilsPlatformError, \
                  ("Python was built with version %s
of Visual Studio, "
                   "and extensions need to be built
with the same "
                   "version of the compiler, but it
isn't installed." % self.__version)

   Delete these.

6. Move back to the directory of your extension.  Do
the following:
 
     python setup.py build --compiler=mingw32
     python setup.py install


Ideally, only step 6 should be required to install an
extension.

I submitted the patch for step 5 to
python.sourceforge.net.
Steps 2-4 can be avoided if the libpythonxx.a file is
distributed
  with Python.  I'll email the Python folks and ask
them to do this.
Step 1 can probably be avoided with another patch.

This document is based on
http://sebsauvage.net/python/mingw.html,
which was written for Mingw + Python 2.2.

Thanks,
Connelly Barnes

PS:
To test this process, try compiling myspell-python, a
spell checking library for Python.  See
http://oregonstate.edu/~barnesc/myspell-python-1.01.tar.gz



	
		
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