Easy Install facilitates automatic downloading, installation, building, and management of Python packages.
I recently came across Easy Install, a Python module named easy_install, bundled with setuptools that lets you automatically download, build, install, and manage Python packages. In order to use it, you'll need at least Python 2.3.5, or if you're on a 64-bit platform, Python 2.4.
Installing "Easy Install" is a simple process. All you need to do is download ez_setup.py and run it. This will download and install the appropriate setuptools egg for your Python version. An easy_install script will be installed in the normal location for Python scripts on your platform. However, Windows users should avoid putting ez_setup.py inside their Python installation; it should be placed in another directory before running it.
You might receive a message telling you about an obsolete version of setuptools being present. If this happens, you need to delete it entirely, along with the old pkg_resources module if it's present on sys.path.
The ez_setup.py script accepts the same Command-Line Options and Configuration Files as easy_install itself, so you can use them to control its behavior. For example, you can use the --script-dir option to direct script installation to a custom location. However, you should not use custom installation locations without first reading the section below on Custom Installation Locations.
The instructions assume that you are installing to Python's primary site-packages directory and you have unrestricted internet access on the computer where you are installing.
If you are behind an NTLM-based firewall that prevents Python programs from accessing the net directly, you may wish to first install and use the APS proxy server. This will let ez_setup.py download the setuptools egg.
If you can't use APS, or don't have internet access at all, you will need to first download the appropriate .egg file from the setuptools PyPI page using a computer with internet access. Place the egg in the same directory as ez_setup.py on the target computer before running it.
If you are installing to a custom location or don't have write access to Python's primary site-packages directory, you should also see the Custom Installation Locations section for detailed instructions.
The latest release brings some new features to the table. EasyInstall no longer aborts the installation process if a URL it wants to retrieve cannot be downloaded (unless it's an actual package download). Instead, it issues a warning and tries to keep going. It also fixes the issue of distutils-style scripts originally built on Windows having their line endings doubled when installed on any platform.
Lastly, there is an added --local-snapshots-ok flag, which allows you to build eggs from projects installed using setup.py develop. The update also fixes the issue of URLs scraped from web pages not being HTML-decoded.
Overall, Easy Install is a great module for automating Python package management. The instructions for installation are straightforward, and with the latest updates, it's even more effective.
Installing "Easy Install" is a simple process. All you need to do is download ez_setup.py and run it. This will download and install the appropriate setuptools egg for your Python version. An easy_install script will be installed in the normal location for Python scripts on your platform. However, Windows users should avoid putting ez_setup.py inside their Python installation; it should be placed in another directory before running it.
You might receive a message telling you about an obsolete version of setuptools being present. If this happens, you need to delete it entirely, along with the old pkg_resources module if it's present on sys.path.
The ez_setup.py script accepts the same Command-Line Options and Configuration Files as easy_install itself, so you can use them to control its behavior. For example, you can use the --script-dir option to direct script installation to a custom location. However, you should not use custom installation locations without first reading the section below on Custom Installation Locations.
The instructions assume that you are installing to Python's primary site-packages directory and you have unrestricted internet access on the computer where you are installing.
If you are behind an NTLM-based firewall that prevents Python programs from accessing the net directly, you may wish to first install and use the APS proxy server. This will let ez_setup.py download the setuptools egg.
If you can't use APS, or don't have internet access at all, you will need to first download the appropriate .egg file from the setuptools PyPI page using a computer with internet access. Place the egg in the same directory as ez_setup.py on the target computer before running it.
If you are installing to a custom location or don't have write access to Python's primary site-packages directory, you should also see the Custom Installation Locations section for detailed instructions.
The latest release brings some new features to the table. EasyInstall no longer aborts the installation process if a URL it wants to retrieve cannot be downloaded (unless it's an actual package download). Instead, it issues a warning and tries to keep going. It also fixes the issue of distutils-style scripts originally built on Windows having their line endings doubled when installed on any platform.
Lastly, there is an added --local-snapshots-ok flag, which allows you to build eggs from projects installed using setup.py develop. The update also fixes the issue of URLs scraped from web pages not being HTML-decoded.
Overall, Easy Install is a great module for automating Python package management. The instructions for installation are straightforward, and with the latest updates, it's even more effective.
What's New
Version 0.6c6: N/A