How to deploy Python to Windows users?

Question

I'm soon to launch a beta app and this have the option to create custom integration scripts on Python.

The app will target Mac OS X and Windows, and my problem is with Windows where Python normally is not present.

My actual aproach is silently run the Python 2.6 install. However I face the problem that is not activated by default and the path is not set when use the command line options. And I fear that if Python is installed before and I upgrade to a new version this could break something else...

So, I wonder how this can be done cleanly. Is it OK if I copy the whole Python 2.6 directory, and put it in a sub-directory of my app and install everything there? Or with virtualenv is posible run diferents versions of Python (if Python is already installed in the machine?).

I also play before embedding Python with a DLL, and found it easy but I lost the ability to debug, so I switch to command-line plug-ins.

I execute the plug-ins from command line and read the STDOUT and STDERR output. The app is made with Delphi/Lazarus. I install others modules like JSON and RPC clients, Win32com, ORM, etc. I create the installer with bitrock.

UPDATE: The end-users are small business owners, and the Python scripts are made by developers. I want to avoid any additional step in the deployment, so I want a fully integrated setup.

Answer 1

Copy a Portable Python folder out of your installer, into the same folder as your Delphi/Lazarus app. Set all paths appropriately for that.