[Tutor] automatically finding site-packages and python2.3 in a linux machine

[Danny Yoo]

> > I'm working on creating an installer for my program using install
> > shield, and I'd like to know how one can automatically determine if
> > Python 2.3 is installed on a linux machine

Hi Fred,

Sorry about ignoring parts of your question!  Unix has default places for
putting binaries like Python.  Check the directories '/usr/bin/' and
'/usr/local/bin'.  Also, the 'which' command will also tell us where
Python is, if it's in the user's PATH:

###
[dyoo at shoebox dyoo]$ which python
/usr/bin/python
###



> > and where site-packages is located (so that I can install my own files
> > there).  For my Windows version I was able to search for the python2.3
> > entry in the windows registry, but I don't know how do the equivalent
> > from linux.  Any ideas?
>
> Yes, there are some undocumented functions in the Distutils package that
> you can use to find where 'site-packages' lives.

I'm totally wrong about this.  It IS documented.  *grin* Here's a link to
the official documentation:

    http://www.python.org/doc/dist/module-distutils.sysconfig.html

Sorry about that; I had expected to find it in the Library Reference, but
the Distutils stuff has its own separate documentation.

Best of wishes to you!