path: root/devdocs/python~3.12/using%2Findex.html

 <span id="using-index"></span><h1>Python Setup and Usage</h1> <p>This part of the documentation is devoted to general information on the setup of the Python environment on different platforms, the invocation of the interpreter and things that make working with Python easier.</p>  <ul> <li class="toctree-l1">
<a class="reference internal" href="cmdline">1. Command line and environment</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="cmdline#command-line">1.1. Command line</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="cmdline#interface-options">1.1.1. Interface options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="cmdline#generic-options">1.1.2. Generic options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="cmdline#miscellaneous-options">1.1.3. Miscellaneous options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="cmdline#options-you-shouldn-t-use">1.1.4. Options you shouldn’t use</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="cmdline#environment-variables">1.2. Environment variables</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="cmdline#debug-mode-variables">1.2.1. Debug-mode variables</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l1">
<a class="reference internal" href="unix">2. Using Python on Unix platforms</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="unix#getting-and-installing-the-latest-version-of-python">2.1. Getting and installing the latest version of Python</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="unix#on-linux">2.1.1. On Linux</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="unix#on-freebsd-and-openbsd">2.1.2. On FreeBSD and OpenBSD</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="unix#building-python">2.2. Building Python</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="unix#python-related-paths-and-files">2.3. Python-related paths and files</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="unix#miscellaneous">2.4. Miscellaneous</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="unix#custom-openssl">2.5. Custom OpenSSL</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l1">
<a class="reference internal" href="configure">3. Configure Python</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#build-requirements">3.1. Build Requirements</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="configure#generated-files">3.2. Generated files</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#configure-script">3.2.1. configure script</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="configure#configure-options">3.3. Configure Options</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#general-options">3.3.1. General Options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#webassembly-options">3.3.2. WebAssembly Options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#install-options">3.3.3. Install Options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#performance-options">3.3.4. Performance options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#python-debug-build">3.3.5. Python Debug Build</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#debug-options">3.3.6. Debug options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#linker-options">3.3.7. Linker options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#libraries-options">3.3.8. Libraries options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#security-options">3.3.9. Security Options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#macos-options">3.3.10. macOS Options</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#cross-compiling-options">3.3.11. Cross Compiling Options</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="configure#python-build-system">3.4. Python Build System</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#main-files-of-the-build-system">3.4.1. Main files of the build system</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#main-build-steps">3.4.2. Main build steps</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#main-makefile-targets">3.4.3. Main Makefile targets</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#c-extensions">3.4.4. C extensions</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="configure#compiler-and-linker-flags">3.5. Compiler and linker flags</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#preprocessor-flags">3.5.1. Preprocessor flags</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#compiler-flags">3.5.2. Compiler flags</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="configure#linker-flags">3.5.3. Linker flags</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l1">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows">4. Using Python on Windows</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows#the-full-installer">4.1. The full installer</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#installation-steps">4.1.1. Installation steps</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#removing-the-max-path-limitation">4.1.2. Removing the MAX_PATH Limitation</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#installing-without-ui">4.1.3. Installing Without UI</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#installing-without-downloading">4.1.4. Installing Without Downloading</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#modifying-an-install">4.1.5. Modifying an install</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows#the-microsoft-store-package">4.2. The Microsoft Store package</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows#known-issues">4.2.1. Known issues</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#redirection-of-local-data-registry-and-temporary-paths">4.2.1.1. Redirection of local data, registry, and temporary paths</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#the-nuget-org-packages">4.3. The nuget.org packages</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows#the-embeddable-package">4.4. The embeddable package</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#python-application">4.4.1. Python Application</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#embedding-python">4.4.2. Embedding Python</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#alternative-bundles">4.5. Alternative bundles</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows#configuring-python">4.6. Configuring Python</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#excursus-setting-environment-variables">4.6.1. Excursus: Setting environment variables</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#finding-the-python-executable">4.6.2. Finding the Python executable</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#utf-8-mode">4.7. UTF-8 mode</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows#python-launcher-for-windows">4.8. Python Launcher for Windows</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows#getting-started">4.8.1. Getting started</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#from-the-command-line">4.8.1.1. From the command-line</a></li> <li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#virtual-environments">4.8.1.2. Virtual environments</a></li> <li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#from-a-script">4.8.1.3. From a script</a></li> <li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#from-file-associations">4.8.1.4. From file associations</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#shebang-lines">4.8.2. Shebang Lines</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#arguments-in-shebang-lines">4.8.3. Arguments in shebang lines</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows#customization">4.8.4. Customization</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#customization-via-ini-files">4.8.4.1. Customization via INI files</a></li> <li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#customizing-default-python-versions">4.8.4.2. Customizing default Python versions</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#diagnostics">4.8.5. Diagnostics</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#dry-run">4.8.6. Dry Run</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#install-on-demand">4.8.7. Install on demand</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#return-codes">4.8.8. Return codes</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#finding-modules">4.9. Finding modules</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="windows#additional-modules">4.10. Additional modules</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#pywin32">4.10.1. PyWin32</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#cx-freeze">4.10.2. cx_Freeze</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#compiling-python-on-windows">4.11. Compiling Python on Windows</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="windows#other-platforms">4.12. Other Platforms</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l1">
<a class="reference internal" href="mac">5. Using Python on a Mac</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l2">
<a class="reference internal" href="mac#getting-and-installing-macpython">5.1. Getting and Installing MacPython</a><ul> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="mac#how-to-run-a-python-script">5.1.1. How to run a Python script</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="mac#running-scripts-with-a-gui">5.1.2. Running scripts with a GUI</a></li> <li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="mac#configuration">5.1.3. Configuration</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="mac#the-ide">5.2. The IDE</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="mac#installing-additional-python-packages">5.3. Installing Additional Python Packages</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="mac#gui-programming-on-the-mac">5.4. GUI Programming on the Mac</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="mac#distributing-python-applications-on-the-mac">5.5. Distributing Python Applications on the Mac</a></li> <li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="mac#other-resources">5.6. Other Resources</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="editors">6. Editors and IDEs</a></li> </ul>  <div class="_attribution">
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