Python on Windows

[Tim Golden]

On 19/10/2012 14:24, graham wrote:
> Thanks to everyone who replied.
> 
> Python was installed in the subdirectory C:\Python27 with the file
> feedparser.py residing in C:\Python27\Lib\email.
> 
> Setting the Windows environment variable (which did not previously
> exist) to C:\Python27\Lib\email allowed me to import feedparser
> successfully.
> 
> However, it seems that this feedparser module is not the module I wanted.
> 
> I'm trying to follow an introductory Python course from the magazine
> Linux Format (issue number 120 I think). 


I'm very surprised that the article tells you to import a non-standard
module without telling you where to download it. I imagine that the
module is this one:

  http://pypi.python.org/pypi/feedparser/

(In general, PyPI is the first place to look for Python packages).

> This is all confusing and frustrating.

Understandably. It's not unknown, but it is unusual for two
identically-named packages to exist for Python. It's more
unfortunate when it's one used in a beginner's article.

If you understand how to download the .zip file from the page above and
unzip it then you need to go to the directory where the unzipped files
are and run:

  python setup.py install

If you're not sure how to do any of that, feel free to post back here or
to the python-tutor list [1] which is a little more experience in
helping newcomers.

TJG

[1] http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor