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										 |  |  | <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Macintosh Python crash course</TITLE></HEAD> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <BODY> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <H1><IMG SRC="html.icons/python.gif">Macintosh Python crash course</H1> | 
					
						
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 | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | This set of documents provides an introduction to various aspects of | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | Python programming on the Mac. It is assumed that the reader is | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | already familiar with Python and, to some extent, with MacOS Toolbox | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | programming. Other readers may find something interesting here too, | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | your mileage may vary. <p> | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | There is a companion document <a href="using.html">Using Python on the Mac</a> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | which you should read before starting here: it explains the basics of using | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | python on the Macintosh. <p> | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | Another set of Macintosh-savvy examples, more aimed at beginners, is | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | maintained by Joseph Strout, at <A | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | HREF="http://www-acs.ucsd.edu/~jstrout/python/"> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | http://www-acs.ucsd.edu/~jstrout/python/</A>. | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | The <a href="http://www.python.org/doc/lib/Top.html">Python Library | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | Reference</a> contains a section on <a | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | href="http://www.python.org/doc/lib/Macintosh-Specific-Services.html">Macintosh-specific | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | modules</a> that you should also read. Documentation is also available | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | in PostScript and other forms, see the <a | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | href="http://www.python.org/doc/">documentation</a> section on the | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | webserver. <p> | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | Some of these documents were actually written a long time ago and have seen | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | little maintainance, so use with care. <p> | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | <H2>Table of contents</H2> | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <UL> | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <A HREF="example0.html">Using python to create Macintosh applications, | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | part zero</A> whets your appetite by showing you how to ask the user | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | for a filename, and how to display a message. It explains about end-of-line | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | confusion while doing so. | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | <LI> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <A HREF="example1.html">Using python to create Macintosh applications, | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | part one</A> explains how to create a simple modal-dialog application | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | in Python. It also takes a glance at using the toolbox modules Res and | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | Dlg, and EasyDialogs for simple question-dialogs. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <LI> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <A HREF="example2.html">Using python to create Macintosh applications, | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | part two</A> turns the previous example program into a more complete | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | mac application, using a modeless dialog, menus, etc. It also explains | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | how to create applets, standalone applications written in Python. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <A HREF="freezing.html">Freezing Python programs</A> extends on this concept, | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | and shows you how to create applications that can be used on machines without | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | a full Python installed. This one is probably best skipped on first contact | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | with MacPython. | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | <LI> | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | <A HREF="textedit.html">Using FrameWork and TextEdit</A> shows you | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | how to use <code>FrameWork</code> application framework and the | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <code>TextEdit</code> toolbox to build a text editor. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <A HREF="waste.html">Using WASTE</A> expands on this editor by using | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | WASTE, an extended TextEdit replacement. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <A HREF="plugins.html">Creating a C extension module on the Macintosh</A> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | is meant for the hardcore programmer, and shows how to create an | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | extension module in C. It also handles using Modulator to create the | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | boilerplate for your module, and creating dynamically-loadable modules | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | on PowerPC Macs. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <LI> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <A HREF="applescript.html">Using Open Scripting Architecture from Python</A> explains | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | how to create a Python module interfacing to a scriptable application, | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | and how to use that module in your python program. | 
					
						
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											1996-09-09 01:48:03 +00:00
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							|  |  |  | <A HREF="cgi.html">Using python to create CGI scripts</A> is a preliminary | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | introduction to writing CGI scripts in Python and to writing scriptable applications | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | in Python. | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | <A HREF="building.html">Building Mac Python from source</A> explains | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | how to build a PPC or 68K interpreter from a source distribution. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <A HREF="embed.html">Embedding Python on the Mac</A> is a minimal example of | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | how to embed Python in other Mac applications. | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | </UL> | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | The Python distribution contains a few more examples, all unexplained: | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <I>PICTbrowse</I> is an application that locates PICT | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | resources and displays them, it demonstrates some quickdraw and the | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | resource and list managers. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <LI> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <I>Imgbrowse</I> displays image files in | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | many different formats (gif, tiff, pbm, etc). It shows how to use the | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | img modules on the mac. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <LI> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <I>Quicktime</I> has the standard <code>MovieInWindow</code> and | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <code>VerySimplePlayer</code> examples, re-coded in Python. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <LI> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <I>Resources</I>, <I>Sound</I> and <I>Speech</I> have some examples | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | on using the respective managers. In the <i>Mac:Lib</i> folder you | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | will also find modules that do useful things with the Communications | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | Toolbox, the Finder interface, etc. | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <I>Printing</I> has an example on using the Printing module to, you guessed | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | it, print from Python. The code is somewhat self-documenting. Donated | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | by Just van Rossum, who also donated the Printing module itself. | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | </UL> | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | At some point in the (possibly distant) future, I will add chapters on | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | how to use bgen to create modules completely automatic and how to make | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | your Python program scriptable, but that will have to wait. <p> | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <HR> | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | Please let me know if you miss critical information in this | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | document. I am quite sure that I will never find the time to turn it | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | into a complete MacPython programmers guide (which would probably be a | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | 400-page book instead of 10 lousy html-files), but it should contain | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | at least the information that is neither in the standard Python | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | documentation nor in Inside Mac or other Mac programmers | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | documentation. <p> | 
					
						
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							|  |  |  | <HR> | 
					
						
							|  |  |  | <A HREF="http://www.cwi.nl/~jack">Jack Jansen</A>, | 
					
						
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											1998-06-26 15:01:52 +00:00
										 |  |  | <A HREF="mailto:jack@cwi.nl">jack@cwi.nl</A>, 26-Jun-98. | 
					
						
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										 |  |  | </BODY></HTML> |