**Course Title:** PySide6 Application Development **Section Title:** Deploying PySide6 Applications **Topic:** Packaging and creating an installer for your PySide6 app using PyInstaller.(Lab topic) As we near the end of our journey through PySide6 Application Development, it's essential to learn how to package and distribute our applications to users. In this lab topic, we'll explore how to use PyInstaller, a popular tool for packaging Python applications, to create an installer for our PySide6 app. **Why PyInstaller?** PyInstaller is a cross-platform tool that allows us to package our Python application, along with its dependencies, into a standalone executable file. This makes it easy to distribute our app to users who may not have Python or the required dependencies installed on their system. PyInstaller supports various platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. **Installing PyInstaller** Before we can start using PyInstaller, we need to install it. You can install PyInstaller using pip: ```bash pip install pyinstaller ``` **PyInstaller Basic Usage** To package our PySide6 app using PyInstaller, we need to follow these basic steps: 1. **Create a `main` script**: Define a `main` function in a Python script that will serve as the entry point for our application. This script should import the necessary modules and create an instance of our PySide6 app. 2. **Use PyInstaller to package the app**: Run the following command to package our app: ```bash pyinstaller --onefile main.py ``` This will create a `main.spec` file in the current directory. The `.spec` file contains configuration settings for our app. 3. **Build the package**: Run the following command to build the package: ```bash pyinstaller main.spec ``` This will create a `dist` directory containing our packaged app. **Customizing PyInstaller Configurations** We can customize the PyInstaller configuration by modifying the `.spec` file. For example, we can add the following lines to include our app's icon: ```python a = Analysis(['main.py'], hiddenimports=[], hookspath=[]) # ... other configurations ... a.binaries = [ ('icon.ico', '.')] pyz = PYZ(a.pure) exe = EXE(pyz, a.scripts, a.binaries, a.zipfiles, a.datas, [], # runtime_hooks name='MyApp', debug=False, bootloader_ignore_signals=False, strip=False, # not stripping symbols upx=True, # upx compression runtime_tmpdir=None, console=True, icon='icon.ico') # set the icon ``` In the above example, we've added an `icon.ico` file to the `binaries` list and set the `icon` parameter to `icon.ico` in the `EXE` function. **Package Options** PyInstaller provides various options to customize the package process. Here are some common options: * `--onefile` : Package the app into a single executable file. * `--onedir` : Package the app into a directory. * `--windowed` : Hide the console window. * `--icon` : Specify the icon for the app. **Best Practices for Packaging and Deployment** * Use a version control system to manage your code and track changes. * Use a build automation tool, such as Make or Jenkins, to automate the packaging process. * Test your packaged app on multiple platforms before releasing it to users. * Consider using a code signing tool to sign your app for added security. **Example Use Case** Let's say we have a PySide6 app called `MyApp` that we want to package using PyInstaller. We've created a `main.py` script that serves as the entry point for our app. We've also created an `icon.ico` file that we want to use as the icon for our app. Here's the modified `main.spec` file: ```python a = Analysis(['main.py'], hiddenimports=[], hookspath=[]) a.binaries = [ ('icon.ico', '.')] pyz = PYZ(a.pure) exe = EXE(pyz, a.scripts, a.binaries, a.zipfiles, a.datas, [], # runtime_hooks name='MyApp', debug=False, bootloader_ignore_signals=False, strip=False, # not stripping symbols upx=True, # upx compression runtime_tmpdir=None, console=True, icon='icon.ico') ``` We can now build the package using the following command: ```bash pyinstaller main.spec ``` This will create a `dist` directory containing our packaged `MyApp` app. **Where to Go from Here** Now that we've learned how to package our PySide6 app using PyInstaller, we're ready to explore platform-specific features, such as system tray and notifications. In the next topic, we'll dive into the world of advanced topics and final project preparation. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions or need help with packaging your PySide6 app.