Python

Python

Installed version	2.7.9
Development status	Active
Written in	Python
Website	python.org

Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language. It is also a type of snake and it is also a rollercoaster, but one is arguably more relevant to your research than the others.

Since Python version 2.7 has reached end of life since January first 2020, this version is no longer installed on the PCs in the labs. Standard is now: Python 3.7 64-bits. If you still have scripts written in Python2, the scripts should be upgraded to Python 3. Most changes are probably the print statements. Print statements should always have parentheses: print('some text') Key differences between Python 2 and Python 3 are here: https://sebastianraschka.com/Articles/2014_python_2_3_key_diff.html

Psychopy 2020.2.10 has been installed in the root of the Python3.7 64-bit version. This is also the default version when 'psychopy' is typed from the command prompt. It is also the default that opens when a .py file is double-clicked. It also can be started by clicking the appropriate icon on the desktop. There is also a Psychopy 2020.2.10 installed on Python3.6 32-bits. This version has its own icon on the desktop and should be used when you are using a TOBII Eyetracker.

When your script fails to load in Psychopy, because you need packages that are not installed on our labcomputers, please contact TSG.

On the labcomputer, there is support for Spyder, PyCharm and Psychopy.

The information below is outdated

Installation

Windows (32 bit)

1. Download the Win32 installer
2. Double-click on the executable and follow the steps on your screen.

Configuration

Windows Environment Variables

Computer --> Properties --> Advanced settings --> Environment Variables.

Add the following Path:

C:\Python27;C:\Python27\Lib\site-packages\;C:\Python27\Scripts\;

Package Management

pip

After Python is installed, you can use pip to install your required packages. pip is included with Python 2.7.9 or greater. For older versions, use the following steps to install:

1. Download get-pip.py
2. Execute get-pip by entering the following command: python get-pip.py

To install a package, simply execute the following command: c:\pip install PACKAGE_NAME
Replace PACKAGE_NAME with the name of the package of choice.

Note: By default, packages are installed in the following folder (Windows):

C:\Python27\Lib\site-packages

This location may differ if you have installed Python somewhere else.

Setuptools

For package management with setuptools, install setuptools using the following command: pip install -U setuptools

To install a package, simply execute the following command: c:\easy_install PACKAGE_NAME
Replace PACKAGE_NAME with the name of the package of choice.

List of Python Packages

Python Library	Description	Installed	Installer Type	URL
PIL	Python Image Library	Yes	Package Manager	http://www.pythonware.com/products/pil/
SciPy	Python-based ecosystem of open-source software for mathematics, science, and engineering.	Yes	Package Manager	http://www.scipy.org/install.html
PyWin32	Python Extensions for Windows	Yes	Windows Installer	http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/files/pywin32/
PySerial	Serial access for Python	Yes	Windows Installer	https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pyserial
wxPython	GUI Toolkit for Python	Yes	Windows Installer	http://www.wxpython.org/download.php#msw
matplotlib	2D plotting library for Python	Yes	Windows Installer	http://matplotlib.org/downloads.html
pyo	dedicated Python module for digital signal processing	Yes	Windows Installer	http://ajaxsoundstudio.com/software/pyo/
Opencv2	Open Source Computer Vision is a library of programming functions mainly aimed at real-time computer vision	Yes	Windows Installer	http://opencv.org/
PyQt	Python binding of the cross-platform GUI toolkit Qt	Yes	Windows Installer	http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/software/pyqt/download5
PyQtGraph	Scientific Graphics and GUI Library for Python	Yes	Windows Installer	http://www.pyqtgraph.org/
LXML	library for processing XML and HTML in the Python language	Yes	Package Manager	http://lxml.de/
PyGame	Pygame is a set of Python modules designed for writing games.	Yes	Windows installer	http://pygame.org/news.html
PANDAS	Python Data Analysis Library	Yes	Package Manager	http://pandas.pydata.org/
Expyriment	A Python library for congnitive and neuroscientific experiments.	Yes	Package Manager	http://www.expyriment.org/
Pyparse	Parse text files in an easier and more maintainable manner	Yes	Package Manager	https://pypi.python.org/pypi/PyParse/1.1.7
AVbin	media decoding/decompression library	Yes	Windows Installer	https://code.google.com/p/avbin/
Pyglet	a cross-platform windowing and multimedia library for Python.	Yes	Manual Install	File:Pyglet-1.1.4.zip
FreeType	Library to Render Fonts	Yes	Manual Install	File:Freetype.zip
Psignifit
Psychopy	Psychology Software in Python	Yes	Package Manager	http://www.psychopy.org

For Psychopy dependancies, check the Psychopy page.

Windows Handlers

Check the Handlers by opening the Windows registry editor.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python27\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python27\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Python.CompiledFile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python27\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Python.File\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python27\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"

Python DLL Files

• C:\Python27\DLLs\
• Path Within the script.
• C:\Windows\System32 or
• C:\Windows\SysWOW64

Usage

Example: TestArgs.py

Execute the following script within the commandline (CMD): python testArgs.py a.
You should see the following result:

number of argument:  2
 argv[0]: ./testArgs.py
 argv[1]: a

See Also

• Psychopy
• Workshop: Python for social scientists

External Links

• Official Website