cate-installer

This repository provides scripts used to build and deploy (TODO!) a stand-alone installer which includes both a Miniconda Python, Cate, and all Cate dependencies.

See also the cate-conda repo which is used to build various Conda packages for Cate.

Building a Conda stand-alone installer

Install constructor (version >= 2.0) in your root Miniconda:

$ source activate
$ conda install constructor

Clone this repo if not already done:

git clone https://github.com/CCI-Tools/cate-installer.git

Build Anaconda installer cate (see installer/construct.yaml):

$ cd cate-installer
$ constructor installer

Warning: there is still an absolute (Windows) path in installer/construct.yaml which will remain until we have uploaded the Cate Conda package to a public repository.

The generated installer will have the same options as the default Conda installation in silent mode, namely:

Windows installer options

• /InstallationType=[JustMe|AllUsers], default: JustMe
• /AddToPath=[0|1], default: 1
• /RegisterPython=[0|1], make this the system’s default Python, default: 0 (Just me), 1 (All users)
• /S, run in silent mode
• /D=<installation absolute path>

Example:

> cate-1.0.0-Windows-x86_64.exe /S /InstallationType=JustMe /AddToPath=0 /RegisterPython=0 /D=C:\Users\Dave\cate-1.0.0

Linux and Darwin installer options

• -b, batch mode, no PATH modifications to ~/.bashrc
• -p, installation prefix/path
• -f, force installation even if prefix -p already exists

Example:

$ ./cate-1.0.0-Linux-x86_64.sh -b -f -p /home/dave/cate-1.0.0

Remaining issues and TODOs

• For the Cate CLI, we'd like to have desktop icons for Windows, Mac OS and at least Ubuntu. Currently, we can only have a Windows menu group (which is ok for time being). See conda/constructor#38
• On Windows, constructor will install anything it finds in a package's Menu entry. Therefore users currently find also entries for Jupyter Notebook and the IPython QT Console, which is annoying.
• We would actually like to create an installer, where Miniconda is just a sub-tree. This is required because later we'll have to add an Electron GUI with HTML/JS sources:

    <install-dir>/
        bin/
        docs/
        notebooks/
        gui/
        python/
        ...

• Check out https://github.com/conda/conda-launch for later integration with Jupyter

More information

• Building packages in Conda docs
• conda build
• construct.yml
• PEP 440 -- Version Identification and Dependency Specification