How to convert python .py file into an executable file for use cross platform?

Question

I\'ve been searching through SO for a while now trying to come up with an answer to this but due to my inexperience with programming I don\'t understand much of the document

Answer 1

Install pyinstaller, a program that converts .py to .exe for python 2.7 to where python is located:

cd C:\python27\scripts
pip install pyinstaller

then move whatever python file you want to compile to C:\python27\scripts, compile from there by using:

pyinstaller --onefile yourfile.py

the --onefile is optional but it packages the whole thing(in this example yourfile.py) into one .exe. Once everything is done there will be 2 new folders along with a .spec file. From C:\python27\scripts open the folder dist. Your .exe will be located there in one file which you can double tap to execute and distribute to anyone who doesn't have python. Hope it helps.

Answer 2

Python scripts can be made directly executable, like shell scripts, by putting the python environment path in the top of the script file.

#!/usr/bin/env python3.5 

The Python installer automatically associates .py files with python.exe so that a double-click on a Python file will run it as a script. The extension can also be .pyw, in that case, the console window that normally appears is suppressed.

Detailed description also for linux is here.

Answer 3

1. Download py2exe
2. Download this msvcp90.dll
3. Copy your FileCode.py AND msvcp90.dll to C:\Python27\
4. In C:\Python27\ create new text file, then enter this code inside it:

from distutils.core import setup
import py2exe
setup(console=['Avril.py'])

5. Replace Avril.py with YourFileName.py
6. Save the file as setup.txt
7. Open CMD and type this:

cd C:\Python27\
python setup.txt py2exe

8. Now go to C:\Python27\dist\ and there's your .exe program.

Source: Manvir Singh

Answer 4

There are two distinct ways of freezing python scripts to create executables:

1. Packing the interpreter and *.pyc files into one exe file-container. Such an approach is used by tools like PyInstaller, Py2exe, cx_freeze.
2. Creating native code from Python source, usually using a middle step of converting Python-source to C or C++ code. This is done by such tools as Shed-skin and Nuitka. The problem of this aproach is that such tools do not always support all the functionality of Python (e.g. they can have some typing limitations and so on)

The point where you have to start is reading the documentation. Such tools are not just push-and-run style tools, they usually have some configuration that must be implemented (that's the problem of possibly all build systems, and as the project grows, the configuration and number of hooks also grows).

You can start with Py2exe tutorial and 'hello-world' to get acquainted with that how compilation is done. As far as I know it's a simplest way to get your goal.

And the last thing, you can't create cross-platform native executables as their file formats are strongly operating system and hardware dependent.