How to build Python 2.7.5 using Visual Studio 2012 Express on Windows 8 64-bit

My goal with these instructions is to produce a DEBUG build on x86_64 (AMD64 or x64). I'm working on a Python extension that is currently crashing on Windows, but work fine in Linux. I will be building debug version of Numpy and Matplotlib after the DEBUG version of Python is created with these instructions.

References:

VS2010

Prepare Environment

1. Create a directory to store the Python source tree and dependencies, I called mine python_build.

2. Download Python 2.7.5 source from python.org and unzip it to python_build

3. Download and install an SVN command-line client (Try SlickSVN)

4. Download and install Perl64

5. Download and install Visual Studio Express 2012

Test Environment

1. Open a shell

2. Bring in the msvc compiler environment for x64 by doing:

• call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\VC\vcvarsall.bat" x86_amd64

  Verify by typing 'cl.exe':

  Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 17.00.60610.1 for x64

3. Try running the svn client: 'svn --version':

• svn, version 1.8.3-SlikSvn-1.8.3-X64 (SlikSvn/1.8.3) X64
     compiled Sep  4 2013, 16:04:02 on x86_64/x86-microsoft-windows6.1.7601
  
  Copyright (C) 2013 The Apache Software Foundation.

4. Try running perl: 'perl --version'

• This is perl 5, version 16, subversion 3 (v5.16.3) built for MSWin32-x64-multi-thread

Download dependencies

Use the buildbot tools to grab the external dependencies:

• cd Python2.7.5
  Tools\buildbot\external-common.bat

Patch External Dependencies

Tcl

• diff -r -Z -U 2 tcl-8.5.2.1/generic/tclPosixStr.c /home/Nick/development/debug/tcl-8.5.2.1/generic/tclPosixStr.c
  --- tcl-8.5.2.1/generic/tclPosixStr.c   2008-06-12 09:01:20.765751000 -0700
  +++ /home/Nick/development/debug/tcl-8.5.2.1/generic/tclPosixStr.c      2013-10-05 09:09:22.967569100 -0700
  @@ -345,5 +345,5 @@
   #endif
   #if defined(EPFNOSUPPORT) && (!defined(ENOLCK) || (ENOLCK != EPFNOSUPPORT))
  -    case EPFNOSUPPORT: return "EPFNOSUPPORT";
  +    // case EPFNOSUPPORT: return "EPFNOSUPPORT";
   #endif
   #ifdef EPIPE
  @@ -405,5 +405,5 @@
   #endif
   #ifdef ESOCKTNOSUPPORT
  -    case ESOCKTNOSUPPORT: return "ESOCKTNOSUPPORT";
  +    // case ESOCKTNOSUPPORT: return "ESOCKTNOSUPPORT";
   #endif
   #ifdef ESPIPE
  @@ -793,5 +793,5 @@
   #endif
   #if defined(EPFNOSUPPORT) && (!defined(ENOLCK) || (ENOLCK != EPFNOSUPPORT))
  -    case EPFNOSUPPORT: return "protocol family not supported";
  +    // case EPFNOSUPPORT: return "protocol family not supported";
   #endif
   #ifdef EPIPE
  @@ -853,5 +853,5 @@
   #endif
   #ifdef ESOCKTNOSUPPORT
  -    case ESOCKTNOSUPPORT: return "socket type not supported";
  +    // case ESOCKTNOSUPPORT: return "socket type not supported";
   #endif
   #ifdef ESPIPE
  diff -r -Z -U 2 tcl-8.5.2.1/win/makefile.vc /home/Nick/development/debug/tcl-8.5.2.1/win/makefile.vc
  --- tcl-8.5.2.1/win/makefile.vc 2008-06-12 09:01:20.765751000 -0700
  +++ /home/Nick/development/debug/tcl-8.5.2.1/win/makefile.vc    2013-10-05 09:10:03.859581600 -0700
  @@ -449,5 +449,5 @@
  
   !if $(DEBUG)
  -ldebug = -debug:full -debugtype:cv
  +ldebug = -debugtype:cv
   !else
   ldebug = -release -opt:ref -opt:icf,3

Tk

• diff -r -Z -U 2 tk-8.5.2.0/win/makefile.vc /home/Nick/development/debug/tk-8.5.2.0/win/makefile.vc
  --- tk-8.5.2.0/win/makefile.vc  2008-06-12 09:01:54.000047000 -0700
  +++ /home/Nick/development/debug/tk-8.5.2.0/win/makefile.vc     2013-10-05 09:10:27.667979000 -0700
  @@ -473,5 +473,5 @@
  
   !if $(DEBUG)
  -ldebug = -debug:full -debugtype:cv
  +ldebug = -debugtype:cv
   !else
   ldebug = -release -opt:ref -opt:icf,3

Compile External Dependencies

• cd Python2.7.5
  Tools\buildbot\external-amd64.bat

Manually Build Openssl 1.0.1e

1. Download and unzip openssl-1.0.1e.tar.gz

2. Configure openssl:

• cd openssl-1.0.1e
  perl Configure --openssldir=%CD%\ enable-camellia disable-idea VC-WIN64A

3. Build with these commands:

• ms\do_win64a.bat
  nmake -f ms\ntdll.mak

Convert Visual Studio 2008 Solution

1. Open Python-2.7.5\PCbuild\pcbuild.sln with Visual Studio 2012 Express

2. Click OK to perform the "One-Way" upgrade on all the project files.

3. Immediately close Visual Studio 2012 Express

Patch Project Files

See this diff file: PCbuild_patches.txt

I've also just zipped up the project files so you can just unzip them into PCbuild: