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1c. Installing the Toolchain on Windows

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Corvus edited this page Jun 21, 2023 · 31 revisions

Steps

  1. Git for Windows
  2. Toolchain Installer
  3. Python (optional)
  4. Troubleshooting

Git for Windows

Git for Windows provides a terminal application (Git BASH) and installs Git on your system so that you can clone from GitHub.

Download and install the most recent version.

Toolchain Installer

Download and run the Daisy Toolchain Installer for Windows.

For detailed information on what the toolchain includes, see our Understanding the Toolchain Wiki Page.

Python (optional)

Python is used for some utilities, and integrations including helper.py, json2daisy, and pd2dsy.py

Installing python on windows can be a bit touchy. It is important to not install python from the Microsoft store.

Following the guide on python.org is a great starting point.

Once installed you should be able to open a new terminal and run python --version which should output something like:

$ python --version
Python 3.9.0

Projects in the Daisy ecosystem should work with python >= 3.8.x

Troubleshooting python installation issues

Even if you've installed the latest version, you might have issues actually running it with python. (You might be able to use py, but this project expects python on Windows, and therefore the install.sh script won't work.) If you've installed python, and running the command python doesn't work correctly, you'll need to adjust you system PATH variables. By default, Windows places the Microsoft store paths before any others, and the store has a python.exe program that simply opens up their python store page. Unfortunately, installing via the store will cause problems with normal python use, so you'll need the path pointing to your actual python install above Microsoft's. To do this:

  • Type in "path" in the windows search bar and click on the "Edit the system environment variables" tile
  • In the "System Properties" window, click the "Environment Variables" button
  • Double click the user varible labeled "Path"
  • Select the real python install (probably something like C:/Program Files/Python310) and click the "Move Up" button until that path is on top
  • Click okay, apply changes, and close and reopen any terminals. Typing in python should now bring up the normal python prompt (>>>).
  • you can exit this interactive prompt by typing quit() and pressing enter.

Troubleshooting

If you experience any issues during installation, see our dedicated Troubleshooting Wiki Page.

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