Trac is being migrated to new services! Issues can be found in our new YouTrack instance and WIKI pages can be found on our website.

Python-purple HowTo

Introduction

Python-purple is a python bind for libpurple. It was written using Cython extension. As the Cython's website says: "Cython is a language that makes writing C extensions for the Python language as easy as Python itself. Cython is based on the well-known Pyrex, but supports more cutting edge functionality and optimizations.".

Python-purple provides access to libpurple functions from python programs. You only need to import purple.so module (e.g. import purple from python shell) to start using python-purple. This HOWTO is not about modifying/extending python-purple bind itself, but how to write a python application using python-purple.

Downloading python-purple

To download from GIT repository, issue the following command:

git clone https://vcs.maemo.org/git/python-purple

You will find python-purple source code inside python-purple/ directory.

Building and installing python-purple

In order to build python-purple, you need the following packages:

  • cdbs
  • debhelper
  • libpurple-dev
  • libglib2.0-dev
  • python2.5-dev
  • python2.5-distutils
  • cython (optional)

NOTE: Although it's not dependent, cython should also needed if you want to re-create purple.c file (generated from cython using purple.pyx).

Building cython-generated purple.c file (optional):

$ cython purple.pyx -I libpurple/

This is also done by setup.py when running:

$ python2.5 setup.py build

If you don't need to generate purple.c file, you can use setup_dist.py:

$ python2.5 setup_dist.py build

Both setups generates purple.so inside build/ directory. The difference is that setup.py also generates purple.c file, if it doesn't exists.

To install files inside your system:

$ sudo python2.5 setup.py install --root=/usr

You can also create a debian package of it:

$ dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot

Run python-purple module

To import purple module inside a python program, you need to call python interpreter and/or run the python script with LD_PRELOAD tag attached. For example:

$ LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libpurple.so.0 python2.5 nullclient.py
Last modified 14 years ago Last modified on May 14, 2010, 2:59:34 PM
All information, including names and email addresses, entered onto this website or sent to mailing lists affiliated with this website will be public. Do not post confidential information, especially passwords!