[Twisted-Python] tap2ntsvc future

[Cory Dodt]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

I've finished the initial work on tap2ntsvc.  This script does the
tedious work of creating an installer around your Twisted service.  A
quick howto:

1. Create a tap or tac file for your application, using the method you
normally use.  **Test with twistd to make sure that you can start the
app from the command line, _before_ you wrap a service around it.**

2. Acquire and install the prerequisites of tap2ntsvc.  It depends on
software outside of Twisted, specifically:
win32all @ http://starship.python.net/crew/mhammond/win32/Downloads.html
Innoconda @ http://twistedmatrix.com/~moonfallen/innoconda.html

3. Run tap2ntsvc from the command line.  (*This is not yet integrated
with the "Twisted Command Prompt" available on MSWindows with the
official Twisted installer, but it will be when the script becomes an
official part of Twisted.) Use --help to get the command line options.
To start with, all you need to provide is the name of your tap or tac file.
| python .../Twisted/sandbox/moonfallen/tap2ntsvc myapp.tac
This will build an installable package using Innoconda.

4. Install the package.  It will be in myappsvc/myapp-...-setup.exe.

5. Start the service; it will fail, but you'll find out what modules you
need to add.
| net start myapp
**It's ok if this doesn't work.**

6. Check the Application event log to find out what modules failed to
import; you will be re-running py2exe after you add the missing modules.

7. Either: (a) re-run tap2ntsvc with the -i option or (b) add your
modules to myappsvc/setup.cfg on the "includes=" line.  If you choose to
do the latter, read myappsvc/README.txt to find out how to recompile
just the parts you need.

8. Redo steps 3 through 7 until you no longer get ImportErrors in the
Application log.

9. Some applications need data files.  If you need data files in your
application, consult myappsvc/README.txt and edit myappsvc/myapp.fms.
myapp.fms uses a special command language to make adding data files as
intuitive as possible.  You can put files in c:\Program Files\myapp or
any subdirectory thereof, so make sure your application code can find
data files there.

When you're done, you should be able to 'net start myapp' successfully.
~   When you want to rebuild it in the future, just keep these files in
your version control:
~  myappsvc/do_inno_script.py
~           do_inno.py
~           setup.cfg
~           setup.py
~           myapp.fms

Caveats, bugs, TODO:
- - you must be able to start your application in py2exe.  Things most
likely to not work are finding important data files based on the value
of __file__ in some module.
- - if you install the same service multiple times without uninstalling it
in between installs, then start it, then uninstall it, it will crash on
uninstall.  Just be sure to uninstall it in between installs while
you're experimenting.
- - I want to make the module finder more foolproof, saving several of the
steps above.  This is a non-trivial problem, however.
- - Really, it needs a frontend.  And I hate Tk.  Can I put a Gtk app into
~ Twisted proper? :-)


The future:
I want to move tap2ntsvc out of sandbox and into main Twisted.  I want
people to read this email over and try it before I do so, in case there
are important concerns I need to address.  We need to give some thought
to what to do about the 2 significant dependencies.  Should this block
tap2ntsvc from being in Twisted proper?  Is there a policy for this sort
of thing?

C
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.3-nr1 (Windows XP)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iD8DBQE/wAsO3A5SrXAiHQcRAhrbAJ4yqGWtbEZcuClQ7f2R8dTsgPt6BACfUfH+
w0KVf7umWJW/jJ5S8w/TQak=
=B3a8
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----