Howdy. I have a Python script I want to embed inside a Pd patch. So I believe I want to use Python externals, which I believe is the way to do that.

So I tried following the instructions for including PyExt as an external, which I believe enables using Python externals. However, I immediately got into some kind of recursive installation session, since PyExt depends on something else, which depends on something else.

Where can I find the simplest current instructions for whatever I must do to include a Python script in a Pd patch? I'm using Pd 0.43.4-extended on Linux Mint 15 / Cinnamon / AMD64 . Thanks for the help.

binaries are for pyext are here http://grrrr.org/data/dev/ext/

was flext the dependency? I think that's only for building from source.

I don't know if these are the correct and complete instructions, but I followed them and it didn't seem to work:
1. Create /usr/lib/pd-extended/extra/pyext
2. Download py.pd_linux into it
3. sudo chmod -R root:root /usr/lib/pd-extended/extra/pyext
4. Create ~/Desktop/pd/scripts
5. Pd-extended: Edit: Preferences: New: ~/Desktop/pd/scripts
6. Download simple.py into it
7. Restart Pd-extended
8. Set Pd: Log: 4
9. See eg.

libdir_loader: added 'zexy' to the global objectclass path
Loaded libdir 'zexy' from '/usr/lib/pd-extended/extra/zexy'

10. Ctrl-f search for: py ; not found.
11. New canvas; Put Object; name it "simple" or "simple.py"; Pd window: "simple[.py] ... couldn't create"

Try [pyext/simple]. The pyext directory isn't part of the search path, but adding pyext in front of the object name should add it.

pyext/simple
... couldn't create

under 0.43 saving paths isn't supported anymore, so you'll either need to put the script somewhere in pd's default path or edit your ~/.pdextended manually to include another path entry and increment the npath variable. You can also include the path in a specific patch by using the [path] and [declare] objects

I updated my procedure; see details below.

* Questions:
A. It looks like I have Python 2.7.4 installed, but pyext is looking for the Python 2.5 .so . I'd like Pd to use the Python I have installed, but I don't want a big hassle. How do I use Python 2.7.4? Compared to how to use Python 2.5 with pyext?

B. How do I set the "default path" in Pd?

C. If Pd 0.43 doesn't allow setting the libraries search path (through the GUI), what does Pd do in Pd: Edit: Preferences: "Pd search path of objects, help, fonts and other files"? /var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType is set there by my default Pd 0.43.4-extended installation, though I do not have that file in my (Linux Mint 15 / Cinnamon) filesystem, and Pd complains on startup:

Cannot read plugins folder: '/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType'

* Here's my updated procedure:
1. Create /usr/lib/pd-extended/extra/pyext
2. Download py.pd_linux into it
3. sudo chmod -R root:root /usr/lib/pd-extended/extra/pyext
4. Create ~/Desktop/pd/scripts
5. Pd-extended: Edit: Preferences: New: ~/Desktop/pd/scripts
6. Download simple.py into it
7. Restart Pd-extended
8. Set Pd: Log: 4
9. See eg.

libdir_loader: added 'zexy' to the global objectclass path
Loaded libdir 'zexy' from '/usr/lib/pd-extended/extra/zexy'

10. Ctrl-f search for: py ; not found.
11. New canvas; Put Object; [import pyext/py]; Pd window:

[import]: can't load library in 'py'

12. New canvas; Put Object; [import py]; Pd window:

[import]: can't load library in 'py'
/usr/lib/pd-extended/extra/pyext/py.pd_linux: libpython2.5.so.1.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
[import]: can't load library in 'pyext/py'

13. $ python --version
Python 2.7.4

K i don't know why I said the part about putting the script in your default path. however paths are probably not saved when you re-open pd after setting them and I honestly have no idea what that dialog is for.
http://puredata.hurleur.com/sujet-8112-install-externals-libraries-gui-plug-ins-etc
Pd has default directories it does search for automatically for fonts and things, and libraries. to see which ones check the ~/.pdextended file. (you can edit this file if you do want to change the searched paths)
There is also a "standard directory" which I think is the extra directory, but unless the library is searched in the default settings it will not be loaded.

I found this... hopefully it helps? http://en.it-usenet.org/thread/15472/6557/
there is a download at the bottom

if not, it looks like you'd have to compile it yourself. I don't know of any other externals that let you use python scripting inside pure data. There are ones for the other way round (pyata)

I installed Python 2.5 with altinstall (handles multiple parallel installed Python versions) and tested it cmdline OK. But Pd [import] doesn't find the Python 2.5 library.

* Details:
1. Download the Python 2.5 source tarball; tar; configure; make; make altinstall . python2.5 --version

Python 2.5

2. Put: Object; [import py]

[import]: can't load library in 'py'

3. Put: Object; [import pyext]

[import]: can't load library in 'pyext'

4. Pd: File: New; Put: Object; [import pyext/py]

/usr/lib/pd-extended/extra/pyext/py.pd_linux: libpython2.5.so.1.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
[import]: can't load library in 'pyext/py'

5. $ locate libpython |grep 2.5

/opt/Python-2.5/libpython2.5.a
/opt/Python-2.5/Doc/lib/libpython.tex
/usr/local/lib/python2.5/config/libpython2.5.a

Instead of using the py.pd_linux binary I built and installed py from source. As I first said when I started this thread, it demanded a recursive installation session. And a lot more, including chasing down compiler flags optimized for my CPU model that the automated configuration process didn't generate. Running a sample python script still isn't working, so I'm not sure it's correct. But since Pd says it loaded the py library, I think it probably is the correct installation procedure.

Pd 0.43.4-extended on Linux Mint 15 / Cinnamon / Core i7-3612QM. GNU gcc and ld , automake . Note parameters more specific to my host's installation:
--enable-optimize=core-avx-i
OFLAGS+=-march=core-avx-i
PYTHONVERSION=2.7

* Install pyext
1. Source build
A. https://svn.grrrr.org/ext/trunk/py/readme.txt
1. Install flext
A. https://svn.grrrr.org/ext/trunk/flext/build.txt
1. python2.7-dev, python-numpy, g++ version >=3.3, subversion, libtool, automake
A. apt-get install python2.7-dev python-numpy g++ subversion libtool automake

2. Pd-extended (v0.43.4) source code
A. cd /opt
B. wget http://iweb.dl.sourceforge.net/project/pure-data/pd-extended/0.43.4/Pd-extended_0.43.4-source.tar.bz2
C. tar -xf Pd-extended_0.43.4-source.tar.bz2

3. flext
A. cd /opt
B. svn co https://svn.grrrr.org/ext/trunk/flext
C. cd flext
D. ./bootstrap.sh
E. ./configure --with-sdkdir=/opt/pd-extended/pd/src
--prefix=/usr --enable-system=pd --with-pic --with-gnu-ld
--enable-optimize=core-avx-i
F. make
G. sudo make install

4. py
A. cd /opt
B. svn co https://svn.grrrr.org/ext/trunk/py/
C. cd py
D. ../flext/build.sh pd gcc
1. (flext creates ../flext/buildsys/config-lnx-pd-gcc.txt )
2.
cp ../flext/buildsys/config-lnx-pd-gcc.txt ../flext/buildsys/config-lnx-pd-gcc.txt.orig
3. vi ../flext/buildsys/config-lnx-pd-gcc.txt
A. PDPATH=/usr/local/src/pd -> PDPATH=/opt/pd-extended/pd
B. INSTPATH=/usr/local/lib/pd/extra ->
INSTPATH=/usr/lib/pd-extended/extra
C. # optimizations for core-i7-3216QM
D. OFLAGS+=-march=pentium4 -> OFLAGS+=-march=core-avx-i

E. ../flext/build.sh pd gcc
1. (flext creates ./config.txt)
2. cp ./config.txt ./config.txt.orig
3. vi ./config.txt
4. PYTHONVERSION=2.4 -> PYTHONVERSION=2.7

F. ../flext/build.sh pd gcc
1. (flext builds py.pd_linux )

G. ../flext/build.sh pd gcc
1. (flext installs /usr/lib/pd-extended/extra/py.pd_linux )

* Use pyext
1. Pd Window: Log: 4
2. Pd: File: New
3. Put: Object: [import py]
4. Pd Window:
==============================================

py/pyext 0.2.2 - python script objects
(C)2002-2011 Thomas Grill - http://grrrr.org/ext

using Python 2.7.4 (default, Apr 19 2013, 18:30:41)
[GCC 4.7.3]

Python array support enabled

[import] loaded library: 'py'

Now when I run Pd and create a new patch, if I Put [py *] (where * could be anything, or nothing), as soon as I toggle out of Edit mode Pd crashes with a segfault. Regardless of whether I Put any other object, including [import pyext/py] (which says Pd loaded the library). Putting and editing the name and/or arguments of other object,s whether defaut Pd (eg, moses) or an extra (eg. [active] from cyclone) does not segfault. Even after I mv py.pd_linux out of .../pd-extended/extra/pyext to ~/ I get the same segfault:

kernel: [ 125.990732] pd-extended[2245]: segfault at 10 ip 00007f390a234d20 sp 00007fff00cedba8 error 4 in libpython2.7.so.1.0[7f390a08a000+2a6000]

I could see that maybe I built something wrong in either py.pd_linux or in libpython2.7.so.1.0 (especially with the optimization and CPU instructions flags I used) that maybe the libpython is crashing. But running python --version just reports Python 2.7.4 without segfault or other incident. And even after I moved py.pd_llinux out of the pd-extended tree, rebooted and retried, I'm still getting that segfault.

Edit 2013-07-24 11:32 :
(
After an apt-get purge pd-extended ; apt-get autoremove; apt-get install pd-extended my Pd installation no longer crashes, and otherwise behaves as a fresh Pd installation. I expect some config data files were corrupted by the py installation procedures, and were removed by the purge/autoremove/reinstall cycle.
)

This kind of toil to get Pd to run Python is too much to ask of even an experienced Linux hacker.

I'm on osx (linux is down) and at first the binary didn't work for me, just crashed pd (segfault), but then I did this: With py.pd_darwin and all of the example scripts and pd patches provided by mr. Grill in one directory I Opened a text editor and changed the word "py" in the pd file of an example to something else (anything but an object name). Then I opened the patch in pd and added an [import py] in the patch and then fixed the name back to py. It might not work for you but it worked for me after I thought py/ext was segfaulting also.

The dev mailing list or this http://grrrr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ext is better for tech stuff like this, or maybe contacting Mr. Grill directly? the only thing I can think of otherwise is to make sure your scripts are found by pd when you load them