Create Standalone Tkinter Apps by Converting to .exe with PyInstaller

pip install pyinstaller

pyinstaller --onefile your_script.py

PyInstaller D:\\testing\\test2.py

pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --distpath /path/to/destination your_script.py

C:/Users/---Path here --/python3.11.exe -m PyInstaller --onefile --windowed --distpath D:\\my_app D:\\testing\\your_script.py

Displaying time

>pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --distpath D:\\my_app D:\\testing\\click.py

Simple Calculator application

>pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --distpath D:\\my_app D:\\testing\\calculator.py

Real time stock price graph

>pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --distpath D:\\my_app D:\\testing\\stock_multi.py

Display real-time system performance

>pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --distpath D:\\my_app D:\\testing\\process.py

Creating Applications using Database

Using SQLite database

Using MySQL database

1. Ensure the JSON is external to the executable
   Instead of bundling the JSON file inside the app, keep it separate so the users can modify it directly.
2. Modify our mysql1.py to look for the JSON file in the current working directory: Our code should now look like this:

   import os
   import sys
   import json
   from sqlalchemy import create_engine, text
   
   # Define the JSON file's relative path
   json_file = 'db_config.json'
   
   # Check if the JSON file exists in the current working directory
   if not os.path.exists(json_file):
       raise FileNotFoundError(f"Configuration file {json_file} not found!")
   
   # Load database configuration from JSON
   with open(json_file, 'r') as f:
       config = json.load(f)
   
   # Establishing database connection using config
   my_conn = create_engine(config['database_url']).connect()
   
   # Rest of your Tkinter app logic

3. Use PyInstaller without bundling the JSON
   Generate our executable without the --add-data option, so that the JSON file stays external and can be modified by the user:

   PyInstaller --onefile  --windowed --distpath D:\\my_app D:\\testing\\mysql1.py

4. Instructions for Users
   Tell your users to place the db_config.json file in the same directory as the executable. User can edit this file to use their own database credentials or settings.

{
    "database_url": "mysql+mysqldb://id:pw@localhost/my_db"
}

import tkinter as tk
import os
import sys
import json
from sqlalchemy import create_engine, text

# Define the JSON file's relative path
json_file = 'db_config.json'

# Check if the JSON file exists in the current working directory
if not os.path.exists(json_file):
    raise FileNotFoundError(f"Configuration file {json_file} not found!")

# Load database configuration from JSON
with open(json_file, 'r') as f:
    config = json.load(f)

# Establishing database connection using config
my_conn = create_engine(config['database_url']).connect()

r_set = my_conn.execute(text("SELECT count(*) as no from STUDENT"))
data_row = r_set.fetchone()
no_rec = data_row[0]
limit = 8

# Tkinter window setup
my_w = tk.Tk()
my_w.geometry("350x200")

def my_display(offset):
    global my_conn
    my_conn.close()
    my_conn = create_engine(config['database_url']).connect()

    q = "SELECT * from student LIMIT " + str(offset) + "," + str(limit)
    r_set = my_conn.execute(text(q))

    for widget in my_w.grid_slaves():
        widget.grid_forget()

    i = 0
    for student in r_set:
        for j in range(len(student)):
            e = tk.Entry(my_w, width=10, fg='blue')
            e.grid(row=i, column=j)
            e.insert(tk.END, student[j])
        i += 1

    while i < limit:
        for j in range(len(student)):
            e = tk.Entry(my_w, width=10, fg='blue')
            e.grid(row=i, column=j)
            e.insert(tk.END, "")
        i += 1

    back = offset - limit
    next = offset + limit
    b1 = tk.Button(my_w, text='Next >', command=lambda: my_display(next))
    b1.grid(row=12, column=4)
    b2 = tk.Button(my_w, text='< Prev', command=lambda: my_display(back))
    b2.grid(row=12, column=1)

    if no_rec <= next:
        b1["state"] = "disabled"
    else:
        b1["state"] = "active"

    if back >= 0:
        b2["state"] = "active"
    else:
        b2["state"] = "disabled"

my_display(0)
my_w.mainloop()

Bundling a JSON Configuration File with PyInstaller

1. Structuring Your Project
   You will need two files:
   main.py: The main application script.
   db_config.json: The JSON file containing your database connection details.
   Make sure both files are in the same directory.
2. Modify Your Python Script to Handle Bundling
   In your main.py, ensure the script can locate the JSON file when the application is run as an executable by PyInstaller:

   import os
   import sys
   import json
   from sqlalchemy import create_engine, text
   
   # Check if the application is running as an executable or script
   if getattr(sys, 'frozen', False):
       base_dir = sys._MEIPASS  # Temporary folder when running PyInstaller executable
   else:
       base_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
   
   # Load JSON file
   with open(os.path.join(base_dir, 'db_config.json'), 'r') as f:
       config = json.load(f)
   
   # Establishing database connection using config
   my_conn = create_engine(config['database_url']).connect()
   
   # Rest of your Tkinter app logic

   This modification ensures that the path to the JSON file works both when running the script directly and when it's bundled into an executable by PyInstaller.
3. Use the PyInstaller --add-data Option
   Now, you need to tell PyInstaller to bundle the JSON file into the final executable:

   pyinstaller --onefile --add-data "db_config.json;." main.py

   Explanation:
   --onefile: Combines everything into a single executable file.
   --add-data "db_config.json;.": This tells PyInstaller to include the db_config.json file in the same directory as the executable. On Windows, the semicolon (;) is used to separate the source path and destination path. For Linux/macOS, use a colon (:) instead.
4. Run the Executable
   Once PyInstaller finishes, the resulting .exe file will include the db_config.json and will be able to access it without searching the temporary directory.

Table of common PyInstaller commands with descriptions: