How to Install John Zelle’s Graphics Library for Python

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology –
Computer Science & Software Engineering

Overview

Follow these directions to download the graphics library for John Zelle’s Python Programming: an Introduction to Computer Science and configure it for Windows.

Installing John Zelle’s Graphics Library for Python

1. Check that Python has been installed on your laptop by looking for the directory C:\Program Files\Python26. If Python is not installed, then follow these instructions to install it.
2. Download the graphics modules and documentation in this zip file.
3. Extract the zip file using whatever tool you use for that on your laptop.
4. Move the file zellegraphics.py to the directory C:\Program Files\Python26\Lib\site-packages

   Potential “gotchas”: (1) That is Lib, not libs, in the path. (2) if you installed Python in a different location than C:\Program Files\Python26, you’ll need to find your Python26\Lib\site-packages folder.

5. Also included is a file containing documentation for the graphics library. This file is called zellegraphics.pdf. Move that file to a place where it will be easy to find. We suggest
   My Documents → Courses → CSSE 120.
6. To verify your installation:
   1. Launch IDLE by clicking Start → All Programs → Python 2.6 → IDLE (Python GUI)
   2. At the prompt type:
      from zellegraphics import *
   3. If you do not get an error message, then the installation was successful.