[Tutor] Windows, Python and me

[Tim Peters]

[alan.gauld@bt.com]
> You should - provided you've done a reboot. I'm sure the
> official pythomn installeer sets both the path and the
> file association.

The PythonLabs installer never touches autoexec.bat.  That's an exceedingly
dangerous thing to do via program, and we redid the way we install Tcl/Tk to
stop *its* installer from mucking with autoexec.bat too (the number of ways
this can fail, and screw up a user's other programs as a result, is
astonishing).

We do set file associations, although I don't find them useful for Python on
Win9x.  Generally much better to use IDLE, or bring up a DOS box and cd to
your Python directory (for that matter, if you drag a DOS-box icon to the
desktop, you can tell it to always start in your Python directory by filling
in the "Working:" box on the Program tab of the right-click Properties
dialog).

> If not you need to either set the PATH env var in autoexec.bat
> yourself(via the installer) or tell the user how...
>
> But they need the reboot to pick up the new setting!

If they change autoexec.bat, yes.  File extensions are stored in the
registry, though, and changes take effect immediately (without a reboot).

> Once thats done they don't even need to type Python at
> the DOS prompt they can just double click the .py files
> in Windows Exploder

The last has only to do with setting file associations; no change to the
PATH is needed (or even relevant <wink>) in the context of double-clicking
on files.

> Or indeed go to Start|Run and just type "python"
> ...or "foo.py" or whatever!

The former (Start|Run) has to do with a different registry setting, neither
with PATH nor with file associations.  The latter ("foo.py") has solely to
do with file associations.  Windows is very consistent <wink>.