Creating a distributable EXE

Installing PyInstaller

From console:

• pip install pyinstaller or
• pip install --user pyinstaller

From Pycharms (Windows) - part 1

• File / settings / project / project interpreter
• Install package (the green 'plus' icon)
• Package name is 'PyInstaller'
• Remember to tick the 'Install to user's site packages directory' option
• Write down the location of the site packages directory - you will need it later
• Click "Install package"
• Close once complete

From Pycharms (Windows) - part 2

• File / settings / tools / external tools
• Add (green 'plus' icon)
• Name: PyInstaller or other meaningful name
• Description: Make an EXE file
• Program: C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python36\Scripts\pyinstaller.exe ... Note: This is where you need to know your site packages directory. Type that part in first, then click the three dot icon on the right ... and navigate the folders until you reach the PyInstaller.exe file.
• Parameters: --clean --onefile $FilePath$ $Prompt$
• Working directory: $ProjectFileDir$
• Click OK

Modify your code

The main difficulty with the manner that pyInstaller works, is the way it handles "extra" files you want to use (such as images, music/sounds etc). When run, the EXE file will put these in a randomly created temporary folder. You need to modify your code so it knows where to find these files. Add the following function to your code:

def get_true_filename(filename):
    try:
        # Hack for pyInstaller. Refer https://stackoverflow.com/a/13790741
        base = sys._MEIPASS
    except Exception:
        base = os.path.abspath(".")
    return os.path.join(base, filename)

Now, where ever you are loading those images, sounds etc in your project, modify the code as follows:

From:

SPRITE = pygame.image.load("my_sprite.png")

To:

SPRITE = pygame.image.load(get_true_filename("my_sprite.png"))

Create the EXE file

Using pyCharm:

• Open the python file that your project opens with
• Right click / External tools / PyInstaller
• At the "Enter paramters" box type --add-data *.wav;. --add-data *.png;. --add-data *.jpg;. (etc ... for all the types of files you need added)
• Note the semi colon and the dot after each type of file in the above line.

Using console:

pyinstaller --clean -–onefile myscript.py --add-data *.wav;. --add-data *.png;. --add-data *.jpg;.

• Note the semi colon and the dot after each type of file in the above line.

Notes

• The output of PyInstaller is specific to the active operating system and the active version of Python.
• On Mac/Linux the --add data format uses a colon instead of semi-colon.
• The --add-data can take folder names, and copy the contents to relative folder names. eg: --add-data media/*;media