Installing Leo Editor on Windows

This is for a virgin system without python etc installed. Skip any step not needed. Consider this a placeholder. Eventually this page or something like it will be folded into the Leo docs and this wil be irrelevant.

1. Install Python 2.x - There are many sources, but from http://www.python.org/download/releases/ is good.

2. Install PyQt - acquire and run Binary Package from http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/software/pyqt/download which matches installed Python version (so for python 2.5 scan for the “Py2.5″ in filename)

3. Install Leo

• Head to http://sourceforge.net/projects/leo/ and slap [Download Now]
• You can unpack the .zip file anywhere, including Python’s site-packages folder, for example, C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\leo-4-6-2-final
• [optional] Generate/update a junction link from unpacked leo-4-6-2-final to …\site-packages\leo (cmd prompt):

cd C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\
junction leo leo-4-6-2-final

• Create windows shortcut with following properties (edit paths as necessary; change leo to leo-4-6-2-final if you didn't create a junction):
  • r-click on Desktop > New > Shortcut > Target: c:\Python25\pythonw.exe > Name: Leo Editor > ok, ok
  • Select shortcut > Properties:
    Target = C:\Python25\pythonw.exe C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\leo\launchLeo.py
    Start in = "%userprofile%\My Documents" (change to wherever you like to save your work)

• Associate .leo filetype batch file (cmd prompt):

ftype LeoFile=C:\Python25\pythonw.exe C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\leo\launchLeo.py “%1″
assoc .leo=LeoFile

Optional

• Put this leo.bat in %PATH%:

@start /b "Leo" C:\Python25\python.exe -i C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\leo\launchLeo.py %*

• Add to r-click-->new context menu:
  • save this empty template leofile.leo to %windir%\ShellNew
    (alternatively, from a command prompt run "leo %windir%\ShellNew\leofile.leo", save and exit)
    
  • merge  leo-shell-new.reg.txt to your registry.

 

Further reading / Sources used:

• Leo filetype association - http://webpages.charter.net/edreamleo/install.html#how-to-associate-leo-with-leo-files-on-windows
• Leo template file - http://webpages.charter.net/edreamle...and-techniques
• Junction links - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx, http://groups.google.com/group/leo-editor/msg/30116f9193241dc4
• FTYPE - http://ss64.com/nt/ftype.html
• ASSOC - http://ss64.com/nt/assoc.html