Template:PT3 PYTHON LNX TRM

Language - Python

Linux with Terminal

Welcome to using Phidgets with Python! By using Python, you will have access to the complete Phidget22 API, including events.

The terminal is the default environment to make Python programs in Linux, since it's available immediately after installing Python.

Installing the Phidget Python Package

First, install Python3 if you haven't already.

As of Python 3.11, you must use a virtual environment when installing externally managed packages. First, you need to install the virtual environment for your python version:

apt-get install python3.12-venv

Next, create your virtual environment folder. We will name ours PhidgetsExample, but you can choose any name:

python3 -m venv PhidgetsExample

This creates a folder for your new project. To activate the virtual environment, use the following command:

source PhidgetsExample/bin/activate

Now that you're in the virtual environment, install the Phidget22 Python package with PIP:

pip3 install Phidget22

Setting UDev Rules

By default, Linux will not allow regular users to access physical hardware, as a security feature. This means that you must grant yourself root privileges via sudo to run Phidgets code.

sudo python3 Python_Example.py

To avoid having to use sudo every time, you can set up a rules file to allow it automatically using the vendor code for Phidget USB devices. Create a text file called 99-libphidget22.rules containing the following line:

SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ACTION=="add", ATTRS{idVendor}=="06c2", ATTRS{idProduct}=="00[3-a][0-f]", MODE="666"

Mode 666 means every user has permission to read and write to the specified devices. Next, move this file to /etc/udev/rules.d. Now you can run code that uses Phidgets as a regular user without sudo.

Finding Code Samples

To find the code sample to use for your Phidget, navigate to the Code Samples page and select your device from the drop-down menu.

Once you select your device, the code sample generator will give you a working code sample, and a selection of options to customize it to your needs.

Using the Code Samples

Click the Download Example button to download a Java file with the sample code:

Using the Code Samples

Move the downloaded example into your virtual environment folder. If the virtual environment is still active, you can run the example:

python3 Python_Example.py

Success! Your program is now running with Phidgets! If you want to exit the virtual environment, type deactivate.

What's Next?

Now that you've set up Phidgets in your programming environment, you should read our guide on Phidget Programming Basics to learn the fundamentals of programming with Phidgets.

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