Compiling C and C++ Sources using PyInstaller

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Now, I know what you might be thinking: “Why would anyone want to do this? Can’t they just use the good old-fashioned makefile or cmake?” Well, bro, let me tell you why.

First of all, the benefits of using PyInstaller for compiling C and C++ sources. For starters, it’s incredibly easy to set up just install PyInstaller with pip (or your preferred package manager) and you’re good to go! No more messing around with makefiles or cmake scripts that seem like they were written in a foreign language.

With PyInstaller, you can easily create standalone executables for your C/C++ programs without any external dependencies (like the standard library). This means that your program will run on any machine with Python installed no need to worry about installing all of those ***** libraries.

And let’s not forget about the best part: PyInstaller is incredibly fast! Unlike traditional compilers, which can take hours or even days to compile large C/C++ projects, PyInstaller can do it in just a few minutes (or less)! This makes it perfect for those times when you need to quickly test out some code without having to wait forever.

So how does PyInstaller work? Well, let’s take a look at an example:

# Import necessary modules
from distutils.core import setup # Importing the setup function from the distutils.core module
import pyinstaller # Importing the pyinstaller module

# Set up the project details
setup(name='my_program', # Name of the project
       version='1.0', # Version number
       description='A simple C/C++ program that does stuff', # Description of the project
       author='Your Name Here', # Author of the project
       license='MIT', # License for the project
       keywords='PyInstaller, C, C++', # Keywords related to the project
       classifiers=[], # List of classifiers for the project
       data=['my_program.c'], # List of C/C++ source files to be included in the distribution
       pyz = [
           { 'script': 'main.py' }, # Main script to be included in the distribution
           { 'data': ['*.h'] }  # List of header files to be included for linking purposes
         ]
     )

In this example, we’re using the `setup()` function from distutils to create a new package called “my_program”. We’ve also added some metadata (like the name, version, and author) that will be included in our executable.

Next, how PyInstaller handles C/C++ source files. In this case, we’re using the `data` parameter to include a single file called “my_program.c”. This tells PyInstaller to copy the file into our package and include it in the final executable.

But what if you have multiple C/C++ source files? No problem! Just add them all to your data list:

# This script is used to add multiple C/C++ source files to the data list for PyInstaller to include in the final executable.

# First, we define the data list and add the first file "my_program.c" to it.
data = ['my_program.c']

# Then, we use a for loop to iterate through the remaining files and add them to the data list.
for file in ['file1.h', 'file2.c']:
    data.append(file)

# Finally, we print the updated data list to ensure all files have been added.
print(data)

# Output: ['my_program.c', 'file1.h', 'file2.c']

And that’s it! Now, when you run `pyinstaller my_program.spec`, PyInstaller will automatically compile and link your C/C++ sources into a single executable file called “my_program”. It’s really that easy!

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