How to properly install GWSL after building from source.

[steviator]

Despite the sparse instructions, I have managed to installl the old versions of python and pip required and successfully built GWSL. I now have working binaries in the dist\GWSL_version directory, but it doesn't run correctly because it is not fully installed.

How exactly do I install GWSL once it has been built? What I would like to be able to do is to write a proper guide to building it that can be followed by mere mortals, and to distribute freely available binaries for this GPL licensed program as a favor to the author since he is very busy and has no time to make freely available builds.

Can the author please explain exactly how to properly install GWSL to save me considerable time and effort figuring it out myself.

[Rjlintkh]

From the official guide, Python 3.7 is recommended.

We will be using virtualenv to prevent unexpected errors like

raise error(exception.winerror, exception.function, exception.strerror)
win32ctypes.pywin32.pywintypes.error: (1920, 'LoadLibraryExW', 'The file cannot be accessed by the system.')

install virtualenv if you haven't

pip install virtualenv

Upon trials, it seems for Python versions newer than 3.7 it is possible to encounter ImportError: No module named _bootlocale, then you may need the latest version of PyInstaller by removing ==3.5 in the next command

git clone https://github.com/Opticos/GWSL-Source.git
cd GWSL-Source

virtualenv build_env
.\build_env\Scripts\activate

pip install pygame pywin32 winshell Pillow imtools keyboard pyinstaller==3.5 pyxdg psutil
python build.py

deactivate

Now GWSL is built to dist/GWSL_'version'/, just copy it to %AppData%/GWSL

cd dist
for /d %i in (GWSL_*) do if /i not "%~nxi"=="GWSL_service" xcopy "%i\*" "%AppData%\GWSL\" /E /H /C /I

[windgazer]

With severely lacking python knowledge I attempted to use your instructions to install. However, due some past requirements I had Python11 installed. Although removing the ==3.5 allowed the build to succeed, I then ran into some error involving fpsClock.

So, in an attempt to get closer to your recommendations I went and installed Python3.7, but as I cannot get rid of 11 (and to help somebody else stumbling over this) I would like to provide some of the 'hacks' involved in getting a Python3.7 build running on a machine with a later Python version also running (python has built-in ways of dealing with multiple versions):

To get Python 3.7 installed, in Powershell (should work in cmd, but I mostly use powershell, so just in case...):

winget install -D Python.Python.3.7

Getting the essentials updated / running:

py -V:3.7 -m ensurepip --user
py -V:3.7 -m pip install --upgrade pip
py -V:3.7 -m pip install virtualenv
py -V:3.7 -m virtualenv build_env
.\build_env\Scripts\activate

From this point forwards you can now follow @Rjlintkh instruction from the earlier post. (After activating the virtual_env python --version will report 3.7.xx)

I personally could not be bothered to copy, I symlinked instead, so after install you might (in elevated command, powershell lacks mklink)

mklink /d %AppData%\GWSL ".\dist\GWSL_145 MSIX build 3"

[Manabarb]

To be able to get a full binary, forget anything you think you know about python/installing stuff and follow these instructions blindly.

In order to know wtf we are doing, we will forgo any shenanigans and straight up run the python.exe we need (Because every python.exe installation has their own folder tree with all the specific modules for it and the system usually only allows the installation of compatible modules for that exe)

1. Download "python 37" python-3.7.9-amd64.exe from the bottom of this url's webpage:
   https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-379/ MD5 7083fed513c3c9a4ea655211df9ade27 (or whatever suits your system) (this is the latest 3.7 official installer you will be able to find)
2. Install it on a folder tree that has no spaces, else face the wrath of the " & 'C:\Program Files\Python37\python.exe' " syntax, and Make sure that the TK IDLE option remains Selected/Enabled/Checked!!!!! (if you didn't, run the installer again and modify it)
3. Download the whole Code repo (CWSL-Source) as a zip
4. Extract the zip
5. Inside the extracted zip's folder, on the same location build.py is, create a new TXT file called r.txt
6. Write this inside the file:

pygame-ce
pywin32
winshell
Pillow
imtools
keyboard
pyxdg
psutil

6.1 Save the File!
7) Uninstall pyinstaller using the "python 37" program you just installed.
Example: & 'C:\Program Files\Python37\python.exe' -m pip uninstall pyinstaller
8) Install pyinstaller with the same .exe
Example: & 'C:\Program Files\Python37\python.exe' -m pip install pyinstaller
9) Now MAKE SURE you are working From Inside the Extracted Zip folder and NOT from the python.exe location, or any other restricted access location. (to verify, you should be able to enter " .\build.py " and it should TRY to build)
Example: C:\Users\User\Downloads\GWSL-Source-master>
10) Install the other module dependencies using the -r option of pip and the -module option of python with your file:
Example: & 'C:\Program Files\Python37\python.exe' -m pip install -r .\r.txt
11) The holy Grail! You will call your 3.7.9 python exe and ask it to run build.py successfully!!!!!!
Example: & 'C:\Program Files\Python37\python.exe' .\build.py
12) Enjoy having a full build of this thing and not wasting around 4 hours troubleshooting multiple python configurations and versions. (Double click on it, Brah, U WON!)

By following this guide, you have been able to avoid errors such as:
Keyboard
Failed to execute script pyi_rth_pkgres
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'tkinter'
No matching distribution found for tkinter
WARNING: lib not found: SDL2.dll
Any other "nofound" BS

Documentation:

https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/reference/requirements-file-format/
https://github.com/Opticos/GWSL-Source/issues/195#issuecomment-2623510821
The G search that brought me here: https://www.google.com/search?q=OpenGL+3.2+VcXsrv
Now let's see if I can beg some distro to run Linux's Albion Online on a 21H2 Windows using the Graphics Card with an X server, pray for me, friends!