How can I run a Makefile in setup.py?

Question

I need to compile ICU using it's own build mechanism. Therefore the question:

How can I run a Makefile from setup.py? Obviously, I only want it to run during the build process, not while installing.

Answer 1

If you are building a python extension you can use the distutils/setuptools Extensions. For example:

from setuptools import Extension
# or:
# from distutils.extension import Extension
setup(...
      ext_modules = [Extension("pkg.icu",
                               ["icu-sqlite/icu.c"]),
                    ]
      )

There are lots of options to build extensions, see the docs: http://docs.python.org/distutils/setupscript.html

Answer 2

The method I normally use is to override the command in question:

from distutils.command.install import install as DistutilsInstall

def MyInstall(DistutilsInstall):
    def run(self):
        do_pre_install_stuff()
        DIstutilsInstall.run(self)
        do_post_install_stuff()

...

setup(..., cmdclass={'install': MyInstall}, ...)

This took me quite a while to figure out from the distutils documentation and source, so I hope it saves you the pain.

Note: you can also use this cmdclass parameter to add new commands.