- How transform a python program .py in an executable program in Ubuntu? [duplicate]
- 5 Answers 5
- How to Convert .Py Files to .Exe (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Using pyinstaller to convert .py file to .exe (Windows, Linux, and macOS)
- Using cx_freeze to convert .py file to .exe
- Using Auto PY to EXE application to convert one or more .py files to .exe (Windows)
- Conclusion
- What do I use on linux to make a python program executable
- 9 Answers 9
How transform a python program .py in an executable program in Ubuntu? [duplicate]
I have a simple python program and I want an executable version (for Ubuntu Linux) of this program to avoid running it in the terminal with python myprogram.py . How can I do that ?
5 Answers 5
There is no need to. You can mark the file as executable using
Make sure it has a shebang line in the first line:
And your linux should be able to understand that this file must be interpreted with python. It can then be ‘executed’ as
As various others have already pointed out you can add the shebang to the top of your file
#!/usr/bin/python or #!/usr/bin/env python
and add execution permissions chmod +x program.py
allowing you to run your module with ./program.py
Another option is to install it the pythonic way with setuptools. Create yourself a setup.py and put this in it:
from setuptools import setup setup( name = 'Program', version = '0.1', description = 'An example of an installable program', author = 'ghickman', url = '', license = 'MIT', packages = ['program'], entry_points = , )
This assumes you’ve got a package called program and within that, a file called program.py with a method called main(). To install this way run setup.py like this
This will install it to your platforms site-packages directory and create a console script called prog. You can then run prog from your terminal.
You can try using a module like cxfreeze
At the top op your python program add:
I know the easiest, exact and the best solution. I had the same problem like you but now, I can run my Python/Tkinter(GUI) program with its icon.
As we create .bat files on Windows, we can also create equivalent the .bat files easily in Linux too. Thanks to this file, that, we can start our programs without terminal even if it needs to get command on terminal to start (like Python programs) with double click to its icon (really .png icon 🙂 ) or we can write commands to facilitate our works. So, how is this going to happen ?
For example, if we want to run our .py program, we just need to write this command to terminal :
So if we create a file that can automatically run this command, problem would be solved. In addition to that, you can have your own icon and even you don’t have to open terminal !
How to Convert .Py Files to .Exe (Windows, macOS, Linux)
A .py file extension is used when the file of a program or script is written in Python . So, these files ending with the .py extension can be written and modified with almost any text editor. However, if you want to run the file, you would need a Python interpreter .
On the other hand, a .exe file extension is used by Windows executable program files. EXE stands for “executable” and it’s very commonly used by programs on Windows which is why it may sound familiar to you. This is because EXE files contain code that can be easily understood and directly executed by a computer.
That being said, there are many reasons why someone may want to convert a .py file to .exe. Maybe you just created an app using Python and want your friend to test it. Besides that, maybe you need someone to run a script you just wrote to automate a task for them. So, double-clicking on an executable file is much easier than for example, downloading and installing Python and running the file from the command line.
Fortunately for us, there are tools that we can use to do this in a few simple steps.
In this guide, we’ll go over how to convert a .py file to .exe on Windows , Linux , and macOS .
Table of Contents
Using pyinstaller to convert .py file to .exe (Windows, Linux, and macOS)
PyInstaller is a Python package that compiles a Python application and its dependencies into one package. So, this packaged app can then be executed by the user without the need to install the Python interpreter or any other modules.
Before we begin the conversion of a file from .py to .exe, we will need to install a package called PyInstaller . In order to install a package using the native command line, simply enter:
For this example, I will be using a simple program called test.py that prints out a string. Once PyInstaller has been installed, proceed to:
Once you see this at the end of the command line, you’re good to go!
- Next, navigate to your project’s folder. There will be a few new files and folders created in your project’s folder, one of them being called dist . Open the dist folder and there will be another folder called test .
Inside this test folder, there will be an exe file named after your original python file. In this case, it is named test.exe.
When double-clicked, a Command Prompt window will open and the code will be executed.
This same method can be used to convert files from .py to .exe on Linux and macOS as well.
Using cx_freeze to convert .py file to .exe
Another way to convert .py files to .exe is by using cx_freeze . Cx_freeze is used to create executable files from python scripts and it is cross-platform.
Before starting, let’s say we want to convert a program called test.py . To use cx_freeze, we have to:
- First, create a file called setup.py in the same folder where test.py is located.
- Then, edit the setup.py file to contain the following:
from cx_Freeze import setup, Executable setup(name = "test", version = 1, executables = [Executable("test.py")])
- After that, open the Command Prompt and navigate to the folder where setup.pyand test.py are located.
Once completed, the test.exe file will be found in a folder that is located inside the same folder as setup.py. For example, my setup.py is inside a folder called test. Hence, my test.exe can be found in test\build\exe.win-amd64-3.8 .
Using Auto PY to EXE application to convert one or more .py files to .exe (Windows)
Auto PY to EXE is a GUI application that makes it extremely easy and straightforward to convert files. In order to use Auto PY to EXE, we have to first install it through the command line:
Then, a GUI should appear on your screen.
The next step is to browse and select the .py file that you wish to convert to .exe.
Once the file has been selected, you need to choose either the One Directory or One File option. One Directory essentially means that all the files and dependencies related to the project file will be placed in a single directory. One File means that the application will create a single .exe file consisting of all project dependencies excluding media files.
For this example, I will be proceeding with the following configuration:
Once the conversion has been completed, you will see a similar message in the output box:
So, proceed to the folder mentioned to find the converted .exe file:
You can read more about using Auto PY to EXE here .
Conclusion
Learning how to convert a python file to an executable file is a very useful skill for any python developer or programmer.
There are many reasons why someone would have to convert a python file to an executable file. This seemingly simple but yet important task can help in many ways ranging from increasing the user-friendliness of a program to enabling a non-computer savvy person to be able to use and understand a script they made to help them automate a certain task.
In this article, we looked at the many different ways for a developer to convert .py files to .exe. These include using PyInstaller , cx_Freeze , and a GUI application called Auto PY to EXE .
With that being said, we hope you’ve found this guide helpful when it comes to making your python files executable in your development space.
Feel free to share this post with your fellow coders to guide them through converting their .py files to .exe!
What do I use on linux to make a python program executable
I just installed a linux system (Kubuntu) and was wondering if there is a program to make python programs executable for linux.
No, it isn’t a dupe. That question is related to distributing python software avoiding library availability and compatibility issues.
9 Answers 9
Just put this in the first line of your script :
Make the file executable with
I’m confused. How does the «#!/usr/bin/env python» work when the hash is supposed to make it a commented line? I tried running the script without the hash line, but it didn’t work. So obviously the line is required, but how does it work if it’s a comment?
If you’re sending scripts to a fellow programmer, this is fine. But this is not a suitable way to distribute Python programs to end users. What if the user doesn’t have Python installed? What if they do, but it’s a different version than you wrote the program in? Overall this will only work for a tiny percentage of users, especially on Windows.
@MathManiac If you proceed as you’re implying, about 15% of users will be unable to run your application. This will be a crippling support burden, not to mention a fantastically hostile user experience, which will generate a torrent of hateful «application X sucks» posts. I stand by my assertion that this is not a suitable way to distribute applications to end-users.
@Nav That’s called a Shebang. It’s commented out because it shouldn’t be interpreted by python. It gives information to the operating system. More specifically it says what program should be used to execute the script.
If you want to obtain a stand-alone binary application in Python try to use a tool like py2exe or PyInstaller.
You can use PyInstaller. It generates a build dist so you can execute it as a single «binary» file.
Python 3 has the native option of create a build dist also:
Putting these lines at the starting of the code will tell your operating systems to look up the binary program needed for the execution of the python script i.e it is the python interpreter.
So it depends on your operating system where it keeps the python interpreter. As I have Ubuntu as operating system it keeps the python interpreter in /usr/bin/python so I have to write this line at the starting of my python script;
After completing and saving your code
- Start your command terminal
- Make sure the script lies in your present working directory
- Type chmod +x script_name.py
- Now you can start the script by clicking the script. An alert box will appear; press «Run» or «Run in Terminal» in the alert box; or, at the terminal prompt, type ./script_name.py
If one want to make executable hello.py
first find the path where python is in your os with : which python
it usually resides under «/usr/bin/python» folder.
at the very first line of hello.py one should add : #!/usr/bin/python
then through linux command chmod
one should just make it executable like : chmod +x hello.py
- put #! /usr/bin/env python3 at top of script
- chmod u+x file.py
- Change .py to .command in file name
This essentially turns the file into a bash executable. When you double-click it, it should run. This works in Unix-based systems.
These steps works irrespective of whether you have single standalone python script or if you have multiple dependent script called by your main file.
On MacOS systems, the source file path requires the full path, not relative to where you are specifying it.
as I find it a bit ambiguous, as to what exactly you refer to with a »Program», I present here an answer, how to make a »package»-program executable from the command line in Linux, as this was not answered in this question before.
Essentially you have to follow the official instructions, but in essence, you have to do the following steps:
1.) Refactor your program into the structure presented here (you essentially have the choice between two structures)
2.) Assuming you chose the »flat layout» and your project name is awesome (i.e. assuming your source files lie in program/awesome ), you create two files, setup.py and setup.cfg file, at your program level (i.e. program ), with the contents below:
from setuptools import setup setup()
[metadata] name = awesome version = 0.0.1 description = My awesome program is 'awesomer' than yours author =Awesome Name email = awesome@program.earth [options] packages = find: install_requires = [options.entry_points] console_scripts = awesome = awesome:main
3.) In your program/awesome folder you create a __init__.py file, with a main function, where you can then start your »real» program. I.e. put into your __init__.py file at least the following code to see an effect:
def main(): print("MY AWESOME PROGRAM WORKS!")
4.) Install it using e.g. python setup.py install
5.) Execute it from the command line using awesome , e.g. $> awesome
Hope this helps anyone — Thinklex