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Re: [pygame] Newbie needs Pygame instalation help (sorry)!

Adam Fitch wrote:
Hello,
Hi!
First, I downloaded and installed Python itself, version 2.4.4 (the "python-2.4.4.msi" file), from python.org <http://python.org>.
Good so far.

Second, I downloaded and ran the "pygame-1.7.1release.win32-py2.4.exe " file.
Yep, that's what you should do.

Third, I downloaded the "pygame-1.7.1release.zip" file. However, I'm not sure where to extract this file to, and it looks like the "art assets" I need are there in the "pygame-1.7.1release\examples\data\ " directory.
Yes. Basically what you're probably interested in are the \examples and the \docs directories. the rest of the stuff in that zip is just source, which you don't need because you installed pygame already.

So anyway, from the tutorial (Lecture 3 at http://rene.f0o.com/mywiki/LectureThree), I typed the following into the Python command line:

>>> import pygame, sys,os
>>> from pygame.locals import *
>>> pygame.init()
(6, 0)
>>> window = pygame.display.set_mode((468, 60))
>>> pygame.display.set_caption ('Monkey Fever')
>>> screen = pygame.display.get_surface()
>>> monkey_head_file_name = os.path.join("data","chimp.bmp")
>>> print monkey_head_file_name
data\chimp.bmp
>>> monkey_surface = pygame.image.load(monkey_head_file_name)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
pygame.error: Couldn't open data\chimp.bmp
>>> screen.blit(monkey_surface, (0,0))
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
NameError: name 'monkey_surface' is not defined

Now, obviously, I know why this failed; 'monkey_surface' is not defined, because it failed to define itself in the "monkey_surface = pygame.image.load(monkey_head_file_name)" line. Pygame couldn't open the "chimp.bmp" file. The question is, where *should* this file be located, and why isn't it in the "C:\\Program Files\Pygame-Docs\examples\" directory, as it says it should be in the tutorial? Pygame isn't creating a directory called "C:\\Program Files\Pygame-Docs\examples\", and it looks like the stuff I need is in the " pygame-1.7.1release.zip" file; it seems like all I need to do is figure out where to put that data so that Pygame will recognize it.
Python searches a certain number of directories when it is looking for files. generally, it searches the current working directory first.
So one way you could solve this is from running your python program from a certain directory.
for example, i create the directory 'c:\pygame\data\' with the file 'test.bmp' in it (which is a jpg... just kidding)
Then I start a cmd window by going to start > run, typing cmd, and hitting enter.
i issue the command 'cd c:\pygame'
Then I type 'python', which runs the interactive interpreter.
(If this doesn't work, type 'path = %path%;c:\python24' and try the command again.
this sets your path to be the same as it was before (%path%) with the addition of your python directory.)
now we can check our current directory:
>>> print os.getcwd()
C:\pygame

you should be able to do everything from here.
>>> pygame.image.load('data\\test.bmp')
<Surface(160x120x24 SW)>

There are other ways to do this, but this is the way i would do it.
If you included the data somewhere else on the pypath, then someday you might be trying to load 'test.bmp' and not realize you named it 'tset.bmp' on accident and it now is loading some image you don't want it to.
As a side note, the Pygame window doesn't seem to be initializing correctly; it just stays black, and when I mouseover it, I get the "hourglass" icon from Windows.
Pygame needs calls to its display.update() method as well as clearing out the input queue to keep this from happening. You'll get to that later in the tutorial.
Try running examples\chimp.py if you want to make sure pygame is working.
Anyway, thanks for any help anyone can provide, and, again, I'm sorry to be asking such simple questions, but I've tried for a week to work out what's gone wrong myself, and it seems better to ask the professionals at this point. :-) 
I think you made the right choice :)

By the way, if you are just getting into Python, you might want to look into joining the tutor mailing list also.
There are lots of friendly and knowledgeable people who hang out on that list.
Hope to see you there, and be sure to update us on your progress.
You'll probably get some other e-mails detailing other ways to do this as well. 

Thanks,

-Adam 
You're welcome.
-Luke