Configure Python for Use With MinGW

Configuring Python

In order to compile modules for Python with MinGW you need to configure python to know which compiler to use.  This is easily accomplished with the following steps.

• cd /path/to/python/Lib/distutils
• Create or edit distutils.cfg and add

• [build]
• compiler=mingw32

• If your compiler no longer supports -mno-cygwin then you will need to edit cygwincompiler.py to remove the references to -mno-cygwin.  If you have a cygwincompiler.pyc file then remove it, it will be recreated on next use of cygwincompiler.py.

Once you’ve completed these steps you should be able to build python modules with MinGW.  This document was completed as a result of needing python bindings to libxml2.

Setting up MSYS

You will need to edit your ~/.profile file and add the following lines.  This is needed because I’ve found some configure scripts do not properly ask PYTHON for the values.  In this context I am assuming you installed Python version 2.7 at c:/python27.

• export PYTHON_PREFIX=c:/python27
• export PYTHON=${PYTHON_PREFIX}/python.exe
• export PYTHON_EXEC_PREFIX=${PYTHON_PREFIX}/Lib/site-packages
• export PYTHON_LIBS=”-L{$PYTHON_PREFIX} -lpython27”
• export PYTHON_INCLUDES=-I{$PYTHON_PREFIX}/include