### Full cx_Freeze Setup for MSI Build

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/bdist_msi.html

A complete setup.py script demonstrating how to configure cx_Freeze for building an MSI installer, including executable definitions, build options, and MSI-specific configurations.

```python
from cx_Freeze import Executable, setup

directory_table = [
    ("ProgramMenuFolder", "TARGETDIR", "."),
    ("MyProgramMenu", "ProgramMenuFolder", "MYPROG~1|My Program"),
]

msi_data = {
    "Directory": directory_table,
    "ProgId": [
        ("Prog.Id", None, None, "This is a description", "IconId", None),
    ],
    "Icon": [
        ("IconId", "icon.ico"),
    ],
}

bdist_msi_options = {
    "add_to_path": True,
    "data": msi_data,
    "environment_variables": [
        ("E_MYAPP_VAR", "=-*MYAPP_VAR", "1", "TARGETDIR")
    ],
    "upgrade_code": "{XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX}",
}

build_exe_options = {"excludes": ["tkinter"], "include_msvcr": True}

executables = [
    Executable(
        "hello.py",
        base="gui",
        copyright="Copyright (C) 2026 cx_Freeze",
        icon="icon.ico",
        shortcut_name="My Program Name",
        shortcut_dir="MyProgramMenu",
    )
]

setup(
    name="hello",
    version="0.1",
    description="Sample cx_Freeze script to test MSI arbitrary data stream",
    executables=executables,
    options={
        "build_exe": build_exe_options,
        "bdist_msi": bdist_msi_options,
    },
)
```

--------------------------------

### Conda-forge Requirements Example (Linux)

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/development/index.html

Example of setting up a conda environment for cx_Freeze development on Linux, including installing specific packages and dependencies.

```bash
git clone https://github.com/marcelotduarte/cx_Freeze
cd cx_Freeze
conda create -n cx313conda -c conda-forge python=3.13 -y
conda activate cx313conda
conda install -c conda-forge patchelf -y
conda install -c conda-forge --file=requirements-dev.txt
prek install --install-hooks --overwrite -t pre-commit
pip install -e. --no-deps --no-build-isolation
```

--------------------------------

### Specify zip_include_packages in setup.py

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Example of how to specify packages to be included in the zip archive within a setup.py script.

```python
# ...
zip_include_packages = ["encodings", "PySide6", "shiboken6"]


```

--------------------------------

### Run bdist_msi with setup.py

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/bdist_msi.html

Use this command to build a Windows MSI installer when your project is configured using setup.py.

```python
python setup.py bdist_msi
```

--------------------------------

### Display install_exe Command Options

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Use this command to view the available options for the install_exe command when customizing executable installations.

```bash
python setup.py install_exe --help
```

--------------------------------

### Install Patchelf on Fedora

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/faq.html

Use this command to install the Patchelf utility on Fedora Linux.

```bash
dnf install patchelf

```

--------------------------------

### Setup cx_Freeze Executable with setup.py

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Configure build options and executables directly within a Python setup.py script for cx_Freeze projects.

```python
from cx_Freeze import setup

# Dependencies are automatically detected, but they might need fine-tuning.
build_exe_options = {
    "excludes": ["tkinter", "unittest"],
    "zip_include_packages": ["encodings", "PySide6", "shiboken6"],
}

setup(
    name="guifoo",
    version="0.1",
    description="My GUI application!",
    options={"build_exe": build_exe_options},
    executables=[{"script": "guifoo.py", "base": "gui"}],
)

```

--------------------------------

### Install Patchelf on Debian-based systems

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/faq.html

Use this command to install the Patchelf utility on Debian-based Linux distributions.

```bash
sudo apt-get install patchelf

```

--------------------------------

### Install cx_Freeze using uv

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/installation.html

Install or upgrade cx_Freeze using the uv package manager. It is recommended to use this within a virtual environment.

```bash
uv pip install --upgrade cx_Freeze
```

--------------------------------

### Build MSI Installer on Windows

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Command to generate a Windows Installer (MSI) package for your cx_Freeze application.

```bash
python setup.py bdist_msi

```

--------------------------------

### Install cx_Freeze without Make

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/development/index.html

If make is not installed, upgrade pip and install cx_Freeze in editable mode with development and documentation dependencies.

```bash
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -e .[dev,doc]
prek install --install-hooks --overwrite -t pre-commit
```

--------------------------------

### Configure bdist_msi in pyproject.toml

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/bdist_msi.html

Example configuration for the bdist_msi command within a pyproject.toml file, demonstrating options like adding to PATH, environment variables, and product naming.

```toml
[project]
name = "hello"
version = "0.1.2.3"
description = "Sample cx_Freeze script to test MSI arbitrary data stream"

[[tool.cxfreeze.executables]]
script = "hello.py"
base = "gui"
copyright = "Copyright (C) 2026 cx_Freeze"
icon = "icon.ico"
shortcut_name = "My Program Name"
shortcut_dir = "MyProgramMenu"

[tool.cxfreeze.build_exe]
excludes = ["tkinter", "unittest"]
include_msvcr = true

[tool.cxfreeze.bdist_msi]
add_to_path = true
environment_variables = [
    ["E_MYAPP_VAR", "=-*MYAPP_VAR", "1", "TARGETDIR"]
]
product_name = "Hello cx_Freeze"

```

--------------------------------

### Install cx_Freeze using pip

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/installation.html

Use this command to install or upgrade to the latest version of cx_Freeze with pip. It is recommended to use this within a virtual environment.

```bash
pip install --upgrade cx_Freeze
```

--------------------------------

### Run bdist_msi with pyproject.toml

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/bdist_msi.html

Use this command to build a Windows MSI installer when your project is configured using pyproject.toml.

```bash
cxfreeze bdist_msi
```

--------------------------------

### Clone cx_Freeze Repository

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/development/index.html

Clone the cx_Freeze repository using git and navigate into the directory. Then, install the project using make.

```bash
git clone https://github.com/marcelotduarte/cx_Freeze
cd cx_Freeze
make install
```

--------------------------------

### Minimal setup.py for Command Line Options

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

A basic setup.py script is required when using command-line options to override or supplement build settings.

```python
from cx_Freeze import setup

build_exe_options = {
    "zip_include_packages": ["encodings", "PySide6", "shiboken6"],
}

setup(
    name="guifoo",
    version="0.1",
    description="My GUI application!",
    options={"build_exe": build_exe_options},
    executables=[{"script": "guifoo.py", "base": "gui"}],
)

```

--------------------------------

### Create macOS App Bundle with setup.py

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/bdist_mac.html

Use this command with setup.py to create a macOS application bundle.

```python
python setup.py bdist_mac
```

--------------------------------

### Build AppImage using setup.py

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/bdist_appimage.html

Use this command to build an AppImage when your project is configured with setup.py.

```python
python setup.py bdist_appimage
```

--------------------------------

### Display bdist_deb Help via setup.py

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/bdist_deb.html

Use this command to view the available options and usage for the bdist_deb command when managing your project with setup.py.

```python
python setup.py bdist_deb --help
```

--------------------------------

### Invoke cx_Freeze build with setup.py

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Execute the setup.py script to build cx_Freeze executables.

```bash
python setup.py build

```

--------------------------------

### Configure cx_Freeze with setup.cfg

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Define project metadata and cx_Freeze build options in a setup.cfg file for simpler configurations.

```ini
[metadata]
name = guifoo
version = 0.1
description = My GUI application!

[build_exe]
excludes = tkinter,unittest
zip_include_packages = encodings,PySide6,shiboken6

```

--------------------------------

### Install cx_Freeze using conda

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/installation.html

Install cx_Freeze from the conda-forge channel using the conda package manager. This is a convenient way to manage dependencies in a conda environment.

```bash
conda install conda-forge:cx_Freeze
```

--------------------------------

### Create RPM Package with setup.py

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/bdist_rpm.html

Alternatively, use the bdist_rpm command with setup.py for RPM package creation.

```python
python setup.py bdist_rpm
```

--------------------------------

### cx_Freeze build command help

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Display help information for the cx_Freeze 'build' command, including available options.

```bash
python setup.py build --help

```

--------------------------------

### Create RPM Package with Packager Option (setup.py)

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/bdist_rpm.html

Specify the packager information when creating an RPM package using setup.py.

```python
python setup.py bdist_rpm --packager="John Doe <jdoe@example.org>"
```

--------------------------------

### Build Documentation Locally

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/development/index.html

Build the HTML documentation for cx_Freeze locally using Sphinx. The output will be in the build/doc/html folder.

```bash
make html
```

--------------------------------

### cx_Freeze Python Package Requirements

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/installation.html

These are the Python package requirements for cx_Freeze. They are automatically installed by pip or conda. Note the OS-specific requirements for filelock, patchelf, dmgbuild, lief, and python-msilib.

```text
freeze-core >=0.6.1
packaging >=25.0
setuptools >=78.1.1,<83.0
tomli >=2.0.1               #  Python 3.10, Python 3.11+ has tomllib
filelock >=3.20.3           #  Linux
patchelf >=0.14,<0.18       #  Linux
dmgbuild >=1.6.1            #  macOS
lief >=0.15.1               #  Windows
python-msilib >=0.4.1       #  Python 3.13+ on Windows
```

--------------------------------

### Ignore Multiprocessing Warning in cx_Freeze (Command Line)

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/faq.html

This command-line example shows how to configure cx_Freeze to ignore the runtime warning message related to `freeze_support()` on Linux and macOS. This is achieved by setting the `constants` option.

```bash
cxfreeze --script test.py build_exe --constants='ignore_freeze_support_message=1'

```

--------------------------------

### Invoke cx_Freeze build_exe with command line options

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Build cx_Freeze executables using setup.py and specifying build options directly on the command line.

```bash
python setup.py build_exe --excludes=tkinter,unittest

```

--------------------------------

### Enable Multiprocessing Support in cx_Freeze

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/faq.html

This Python snippet demonstrates the necessary setup for multiprocessing support in cx_Freeze applications. Ensure `freeze_support()` is called immediately after the `if __name__ == "__main__":` block to avoid runtime errors on Windows and ensure proper behavior on other systems.

```python
from multiprocessing import Process, freeze_support


def f():
    print("Hello from cx_Freeze")


if __name__ == "__main__":
    freeze_support()
    Process(target=f).start()

```

--------------------------------

### cx_Freeze build command options

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Lists common options for the cx_Freeze 'build' command, such as --build-base and --compiler.

```text
Options for 'build' command:
  --build-base (-b)  base directory for build library
  (...)
  --compiler (-c)    specify the compiler type
  --help-compiler    list available compilers


```

--------------------------------

### Build Wheel Locally

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/development/index.html

Use the make command to build a wheel package locally for cx_Freeze.

```bash
make wheel
```

--------------------------------

### Invoke cxfreeze build with setup.cfg

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Command to build executables using cx_Freeze when configuration is primarily in setup.cfg.

```bash
cxfreeze --script=guifoo.py --base=gui

```

--------------------------------

### Build Mac Application Bundle

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/setup_script.html

Use the bdist_mac command to create a Mac application bundle with cx_Freeze.

```bash
python setup.py bdist_mac

```

--------------------------------

### Test Documentation Locally

Source: https://cx-freeze.readthedocs.io/en/stable/development/index.html

Run the tests for the documentation locally using the make htmltest command.

```bash
make htmltest
```