Requirements ============ Building the Inno installer requires a Windows machine. The following system dependencies must be installed: * Python 2.7 (download from https://www.python.org/downloads/) * Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler for Python 2.7 (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=44266) * Inno Setup (http://jrsoftware.org/isdl.php) version 5.4 or newer. Be sure to install the optional Inno Setup Preprocessor feature, which is required. * Python 3.5+ (to run the ``build.py`` script) Building ======== The ``build.py`` script automates the process of producing an Inno installer. It manages fetching and configuring the non-system dependencies (such as py2exe, gettext, and various Python packages). The script requires an activated ``Visual C++ 2008`` command prompt. A shortcut to such a prompt was installed with ``Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler for Python 2.7``. From your Start Menu, look for ``Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler Package for Python 2.7`` then launch either ``Visual C++ 2008 32-bit Command Prompt`` or ``Visual C++ 2008 64-bit Command Prompt``. From the prompt, change to the Mercurial source directory. e.g. ``cd c:\src\hg``. Next, invoke ``build.py`` to produce an Inno installer. You will need to supply the path to the Python interpreter to use.:: $ python3.exe contrib\packaging\inno\build.py \ --python c:\python27\python.exe .. note:: The script validates that the Visual C++ environment is active and that the architecture of the specified Python interpreter matches the Visual C++ environment and errors if not. If everything runs as intended, dependencies will be fetched and configured into the ``build`` sub-directory, Mercurial will be built, and an installer placed in the ``dist`` sub-directory. The final line of output should print the name of the generated installer. Additional options may be configured. Run ``build.py --help`` to see a list of program flags. MinGW ===== It is theoretically possible to generate an installer that uses MinGW. This isn't well tested and ``build.py`` and may properly support it. See old versions of this file in version control for potentially useful hints as to how to achieve this.