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Installing JPython

JPython is distributed as a self-extracting .class file created by InstallShield - Java Edition. To install JPython, open the command line to the directory in which you have placed the JPython11.class file and then type:

    <java interpreter> JPython11

Note: if you downloaded the JPythonONLY11.class file, you must first rename it to JPython11.class.

You will probably type one of the following three lines, depending on your system. Be sure not to put ".class" on the end of the file name!

    java JPython11

    jre JPython11

    jview JPython11

If you do not have a GUI, then add -o dir_to_install_to to the command above. JPython will install to the specified directory without bringing up the graphical installer. E.g. to install to JPython-1.1 in the current directory do:

    java JPython11 -o JPython-1.1

After completing installation, you should be able to run JPython by typing:

    jpython

What Can Go Wrong?

You should check out this section if your JPython installation doesn't quite work right. It will contain tips for solving the most common problems.

Failed to execute MakeScriptAction

Sometimes the installation will fail with the above error message. I've never been able to recreate this, but from the reports, it only seems to occur when using jview on Windows 98 machines. Windows NT and all *nix systems seem to be immune to this problem, as does anybody who's using Sun's JVM on Windows. This might be caused by an outdated version of jview. You should read the platform specific notes for information on how to upgrade your jview. If the problem persists, try downloading Sun's JVM for Windows.

Can't Access Standard Python Modules

JPython only comes with a small collection of the standard Python modules. This is both due to some legal issues as well as the fact that much of the functionality of these modules is duplicated by Java packages. If you want to use parts standard Python library that are not included with JPython, you have two choices:

  1. Download and install these libraries from the JPython Download Page

  2. Add a pointer in your python.path to the Lib directory of a preexisting CPython distribution. This requires editing your "registry" file.

Other Problems

Any other problems with the installation should be reported to jpython@python.org. The installer has been modified so that JPython is now responsible for generating the appropriate launch script for each platform. The good news is that we're no longer dependant on InstallShield for fixing platform specific bugs (they don't seem to care at all about AIX, IRIX, Linux, or Mac). The bad news is that I'm now dependant on you to report any problems with the installer so that they can be fixed.

Platform Specific Notes

If all else fails, you might find that your problem is unique to your platform, and has a solution mentioned on the Platform Specific Information page.