I'm creating an installer for one of my projects, which downloads the binaries of the project (in a ZIP file) and then unzips it into a directory in the programs folder of the OS, and I want to add this directory to the PATH.
My script is an installer with a UI, and it's aimed to be compiled to a .exe/executable.
I tried this:
import os
os.environ['PATH'] += os.pathsep + install_dir # `install_dir` is the installation directory
But it's not permanent and doesn't stay at the end of the script.
Here's what I did (I know, this isn't the best solution, but it works):
import os
import subprocess
import sys
def add_to_path_win(new_path):
new_path = new_path.strip().replace('/', '\\').removesuffix("\\")
key = win32api.RegOpenKeyEx(
win32con.HKEY_CURRENT_USER,
r"Environment",
0,
win32con.KEY_ALL_ACCESS
)
current_path, _ = win32api.RegQueryValueEx(key, "Path")
if new_path in current_path.split(os.pathsep) or \
new_path + '\\' in current_path.split(os.pathsep):
return
new_path_value = new_path + os.pathsep + current_path
win32api.RegSetValueEx(key, "Path", 0, win32con.REG_EXPAND_SZ, new_path_value)
win32api.RegCloseKey(key)
refresh_path()
def edit_environment_variables_file(file_path, new_path):
with open(file_path, 'a') as environment_variables_file:
environment_variables_file.write(f'PATH="{new_path}{os.pathsep}$PATH"\n')
refresh_path()
def add_to_path_bash(new_path):
new_path = new_path.strip().replace('\\', '/').removesuffix('/')
if os.path.exists(os.path.expanduser('~/.bash_profile')):
file_path = os.path.expanduser('~/.bash_profile')
elif os.path.expanduser('~/.profile'):
file_path = os.path.expanduser('~/.profile')
else:
raise FileNotFoundError("Couldn't find the .bash_profile/.profile")
edit_environment_variables_file(file_path, new_path)
def add_to_path_sh(new_path):
new_path = new_path.strip().replace('\\', '/').removesuffix('/')
if os.path.expanduser('~/.profile'):
file_path = os.path.expanduser('~/.profile')
else:
raise FileNotFoundError("Couldn't find the .profile")
edit_environment_variables_file(file_path, new_path)
def add_to_path_zsh(new_path):
new_path = new_path.strip().replace('\\', '/').removesuffix('/')
if os.path.expanduser('~/.zshenv'):
file_path = os.path.expanduser('~/.zshenv')
else:
raise FileNotFoundError("Couldn't find the .zshenv")
edit_environment_variables_file(file_path, new_path)
def add_to_path_unix(shell):
if shell == 'bash':
return add_to_path_bash
elif shell == 'sh':
return add_to_path_sh
elif shell == 'zsh':
return add_to_path_zsh
# ################################################################################
def remove_from_path_win(new_path):
new_path = new_path.strip().replace('/', '\\').removesuffix("\\")
key = win32api.RegOpenKeyEx(
win32con.HKEY_CURRENT_USER,
r"Environment",
0,
win32con.KEY_ALL_ACCESS
)
current_path, _ = win32api.RegQueryValueEx(key, "Path")
current_path = current_path.split(os.pathsep)
if new_path not in current_path or \
new_path + '\\' not in current_path:
return
if new_path + '\\' in current_path:
new_path = new_path + '\\'
current_path.remove(new_path)
win32api.RegSetValueEx(key, "Path", 0, win32con.REG_EXPAND_SZ, os.pathsep.join(current_path))
win32api.RegCloseKey(key)
refresh_path()
def remove_from_environment_variables_file(file_path, new_path):
with open(file_path, 'r+') as environment_variables_file:
content = environment_variables_file.read()
if f'export PATH="{new_path}{os.pathsep}$PATH"\n' in content:
content = content.replace(f'export PATH="{new_path}{os.pathsep}$PATH"\n', '')
if f'PATH="{new_path}{os.pathsep}$PATH"\n' in content:
content = content.replace(f'PATH="{new_path}{os.pathsep}$PATH"\n', '')
refresh_path()
def remove_from_path_bash(new_path):
new_path = new_path.strip().replace('\\', '/').removesuffix('/')
if os.path.exists(os.path.expanduser('~/.bash_profile')):
file_path = os.path.expanduser('~/.bash_profile')
elif os.path.expanduser('~/.profile'):
file_path = os.path.expanduser('~/.profile')
else:
raise FileNotFoundError("Couldn't find the .bash_profile/.profile")
remove_from_environment_variables_file(file_path, new_path)
def remove_from_path_sh(new_path):
new_path = new_path.strip().replace('\\', '/').removesuffix('/')
if os.path.expanduser('~/.profile'):
file_path = os.path.expanduser('~/.profile')
else:
raise FileNotFoundError("Couldn't find the .profile")
remove_from_environment_variables_file(file_path, new_path)
def remove_from_path_zsh(new_path):
new_path = new_path.strip().replace('\\', '/').removesuffix('/')
if os.path.expanduser('~/.zshenv'):
file_path = os.path.expanduser('~/.zshenv')
else:
raise FileNotFoundError("Couldn't find the .zshenv")
remove_from_environment_variables_file(file_path, new_path)
def remove_from_path_unix(shell):
if shell == 'bash':
return remove_from_path_bash
elif shell == 'sh':
return remove_from_path_sh
elif shell == 'zsh':
return remove_from_path_zsh
# ################################################################################
def refresh_path_win():
key = win32api.RegOpenKeyEx(
win32con.HKEY_CURRENT_USER,
r"Environment",
0,
win32con.KEY_ALL_ACCESS
)
current_path, _ = win32api.RegQueryValueEx(key, "Path")
os.environ['PATH'] = current_path
win32api.RegCloseKey(key)
def refresh_from_environment_variables_file(shell, file_path):
proc = subprocess.Popen(
[shell],
stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
text=True
)
proc.stdin.write(f"source {file_path}\n")
proc.stdin.write(f"echo $PATH\n")
path, _ = proc.communicate()
os.environ['PATH'] = path
def refresh_path_bash():
if os.path.exists(os.path.expanduser('~/.bash_profile')):
file_path = '~/.bash_profile'
elif os.path.expanduser('~/.profile'):
file_path = '~/.profile'
else:
raise FileNotFoundError("Couldn't find the .bash_profile/.profile")
refresh_from_environment_variables_file(shell, file_path)
def refresh_path_sh():
if os.path.expanduser('~/.profile'):
file_path = '~/.profile'
else:
raise FileNotFoundError("Couldn't find the .profile")
refresh_from_environment_variables_file(shell, file_path)
def refresh_path_zsh():
if os.path.expanduser('~/.zshenv'):
file_path = '~/.zshenv'
else:
raise FileNotFoundError("Couldn't find the .zshenv")
refresh_from_environment_variables_file(shell, file_path)
def refresh_path_unix(shell):
if shell == 'bash':
return refresh_path_bash
elif shell == 'sh':
return refresh_path_sh
elif shell == 'zsh':
return refresh_path_zsh
if sys.platform in ("win32", 'cygwin'):
import win32api
import win32con
add_to_path = add_to_path_win
remove_from_path = remove_from_path_win
refresh_path = refresh_path_win
elif sys.platform.startswith("linux") or sys.platform == "darwin":
shell = os.environ['SHELL'].removeprefix('/bin/')
if shell in ('bash', 'sh', 'zsh'):
add_to_path = add_to_path_unix(shell)
remove_from_path = remove_from_path_unix(shell)
refresh_path = refresh_path_unix(shell)
else:
raise NotImplementedError(f"Unsupported shell: {shell}")
else:
raise NotImplementedError(f"Unsupported platform: {sys.platform}")
I published this on PyPI in a package called pathenv, see https://github.com/foxypiratecove37350/pathenv for the source code.
remove_from_path() handles only two of the infinitely possible cases.