How to install Jam.py on Windows¶

The below document is adopted from Django Docs.

This document will guide you through installing Python 3.x and Jam.py on Windows. It also provides instructions for setting up a virtual environment, which makes it easier to work on Python projects. This is meant as a beginner’s guide for users working on Jam.py projects and does not reflect how Jam.py should be installed when developing patches for Jam.py itself.

The steps in this guide have been tested with Windows 10. In other versions, the steps would be similar. You will need to be familiar with using the Windows command prompt.

Install Python¶

Jam.py is a Python web framework, thus requiring Python to be installed on your machine. At the time of writing, Python 3.8 is the latest version.

To install Python on your machine go to https://www.python.org/downloads/. The website should offer you a download button for the latest Python version. Download the executable installer and run it. Check the boxes next to “Install launcher for all users (recommended)” then click “Install Now”.

After installation, open the command prompt and check that the Python version matches the version you installed by executing:

...\> py --version

About `pip`¶

pip is a package manager for Python and is included by default with the Python installer. It helps to install and uninstall Python packages (such as Jam.py!). For the rest of the installation, we’ll use pip to install Python packages from the command line.

Setting up a virtual environment¶

It is best practice to provide a dedicated environment for each Jam.py project you create. There are many options to manage environments and packages within the Python ecosystem, some of which are recommended in the Python documentation.

To create a virtual environment for your project, open a new command prompt, navigate to the folder where you want to create your project and then enter the following:

...\> py -m venv project-name

This will create a folder called ‘project-name’ if it does not already exist and set up the virtual environment. To activate the environment, run:

...\> project-name\Scripts\activate.bat

The virtual environment will be activated and you’ll see “(project-name)” next to the command prompt to designate that. Each time you start a new command prompt, you’ll need to activate the environment again.

Install Jam.py¶

Jam.py can be installed easily using pip within your virtual environment.

In the command prompt, ensure your virtual environment is active, and execute the following command:

...\> py -m pip install jam.py

This will download and install the latest Jam.py release.

After the installation has completed, you can verify your Jam.py installation by executing pip list in the command prompt.

Common pitfalls¶

If you are connecting to the internet behind a proxy, there might be problems in running the command py -m pip install Jam.py. Set the environment variables for proxy configuration in the command prompt as follows:
```
...\> set http_proxy=http://username:password@proxyserver:proxyport
...\> set https_proxy=https://username:password@proxyserver:proxyport
```

If your Administrator prohibited setting up a virtual environment, it is still possible to install Jam.py as follows:

...\> python -m pip install jam.py

This will download and install the latest Jam.py release.

After the installation has completed, you can verify your Jam.py installation by executing pip list in the command prompt.

However, running jam-project.py will fail since it is not in the path. Check the installation folder:

...\> python -m site --user-site

The output might be similar to below:

C:\Users\youruser\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.9_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python39\site-packages

Replace site-packages at the end of above line with Scripts:

...\> dir C:\Users\youruser\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.9_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python39\Scripts

The output might be similar to below:

...\> Directory of C:\Users\yourser\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.9_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python39\Scripts

    13/04/2023  02:59 PM    <DIR>          .
    13/04/2023  02:59 PM    <DIR>          ..
    13/04/2023  02:59 PM             1,087 jam-project.py
                   1 File(s)          1,087 bytes
                   2 Dir(s)  177,027,321,856 bytes free

Create the new folder somewhere and run jam-project from from it:

...\> python C:\Users\youruser\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.9_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python39\Scripts\jam-project.py

Run the new project:

...\> python server.py