Python

The Inspect Tool software was developed using Python and will run on any platform with a supported Python environment. It is compatible with Python 2.6 or 2.7 (Python above 2.7.8 is recommended). It is not compatible with Python 2.5 or earlier versions; or currently with Python 3. The following commands test the local Python installation in a UNIX-based environment:

% which python
/usr/bin/python

% python --version
Python 2.7.12
        

The first command above checks whether the python executable is in the environment's path and the second command reports the version. If Python is not installed or the version is not 2.7 (python versions above 2.7.8 are recommended for easier installation of the Inspect Tool), Python will need to be downloaded and installed in the current environment. Consult the local system administrator for installation of this software on networked machines. Most systems should have both Python 2.7 and Python 3 installed. On local machines, current versions of python can be downloaded from Python download page

Python Dependencies

The Inspect Tool software has dependencies on a number of Python libraries. In the future the code will be make into a standalone executable. However for now, the following modules must be installed in order to run the Inspect Tool:

• pds4_tools

Module and installation instruction found at Python PDS4 Tools

• Qt (if not already installed on your machine)

Mac : % brew install qt or equivalent

Windows : Installing Qt on a Windows machine.

Linux : Installing Qt on a Linux machine.

Qt download documentation : Download Qt.

• PyQt4 and SIP (C++ to Python wrapper code (i.e. Qt to PyQt))

This is the most difficult installation; installation information is found at: PyQt4 and SIP instructions. There are possible errors and workarounds listed below. If you get stuck feel free to send an email to Installation Help.

• Matplotlib

Required by Matplotlib and should be install along with Matplotlib: Installing Matplotlib

• Numpy - required by Matplotlib
• python-dateutil - required by Matplotlib
• pytz - required by Matplotlib
• cycler - required by Matplotlib
• pyparsing - required by Matplotlib

pip is a package management system used to install and manage python software packages. It is included in python versions 2.7.9 onward. It is very easy to use: How to use pip. It can be used install all of the packages listed above with the exception of PyQt4 and SIP. If you are not sure if you have pip installed on your machine do the following:

% which pip  (from Mac or linux)  
% where pip  (Windows in a command prompt window)
or
% python
>>> import pip  (Note: The import command can be used to test for installation of the other packages listed above.) 
        

Example of using pip and checking for a successful installation.

                
% pip install matplotlib
% python
>>> import matplotlib 
>>>

        

Possible Problems with PyQt4 Installation

Listed below are workarounds for error messages that may pop up

Querying qmake about your Qt installation... Determining the details of your Qt installation... This is the GPL version of PyQt 4.12.1 (licensed under the GNU General Public License) for Python 2.7.14 on darwin. Error: This version of PyQt4 and the commercial version of Qt have incompatible licenses."

Make the following changes to the configure-ng.py script

comment out the following lines:

# if introspecting and target_config.qt_licensee not in OPEN_SOURCE_LICENSEES and ltype == 'GPL':

# error(=

# "This version of PyQt4 and the commercial version of Qt have "

# "incompatible licenses.”)

You may get the following error:

RuntimeError: Python is not installed as a framework. The Mac OS X backend will not be able to function correctly if Python is not installed as a framework. See the Python documentation for more information on installing Python as a framework on Mac OS X. Please either reinstall Python as a framework, or try one of the other backends. If you are using (Ana)Conda please install python.app and replace the use of 'python' with 'pythonw'. See 'Working with Matplotlib on OSX' in the Matplotlib FAQ for more information.

If so try the following steps:

UNIX-Based Environment

This section details the environment setup for UNIX-based machines. The binary distribution includes a few shell scripts that must be executed from the command-line. Setting the PATH environment variable to the location of the scripts, enables the shell scripts to be executed from any location on the local machine.

The following command demonstrates how to set the PATH environment variable (in Bourne shell), by appending to its current setting:

% export PATH=${PATH}:/usr/local/inspect-0.2.0/bin
        

Windows Environment

This section details the environment setup for Windows machines. The binary distribution includes a few batch scripts that must be executed from the command-line. Setting the PATH environment variable to the location of the files, enables the batch scripts to be executed from any location on the local machine.

The following command demonstrates how to set the PATH environment variable, by appending to its current setting:

C:\> set PATH = %PATH%;C:\Program Files\inspect-0.2.0\bin
        

Additional methods for setting Windows environment variables can be found in the Windows System Properties document.