Rather than editing already complied files, a better way to change the content of your application after being created without actually recompiling the whole code would be to create the executable of a another python file in such a way that it reads the content of your code file at the time of execution.
For instance, consider making an additional file "dummy_python_file.py" that
- Reads the file containing actual code to be executed.(say from "actual_code_file.py")
- Uses
exec function (exec statement incase of python2) to execute the code of the "actual_code_file.py"
Now, make executable of this "dummy_python_file.py" instead of "actual_code_file.py" using pyinstaller as usual. Now this newly created "dummy_python_file.exe" will interpret the code from your "actual_code_file.py" every-time you execute the application. This way you won't need to recompile the updated file repeatedly. ( p.s. also see the Note on exec command at the end. )
Example:
the dummy_python_file.exe created from dummy_python_file.py having below code will always execute whatever code is present in "actual_code_file.py" at the moment when "dummy_python_file.exe" is initiated. ( i.e. you would be able execute the code after creating that ".exe" file.
# python 3.12.3
# dummy_python_file.py
# This file has to be converted to ".exe"
import os, sys
# Fetches the directory of executable "dummy_python_file.exe"
# at the moment when "dummy_python_file.exe" is ran.
# This is done so as to find the "actual_code_file.py" relatively
sys.path.append(os.getcwd())
# Opens and reads the "actual_code_file.py"
exceutable_code_str = ""
try:
with open("./actual_code_file.py") as _code:
executable_code_str = _code.read()
except FileNotFoundError as err:
print(err) #In python 2: print err
input("") ## Will avoid console window from abruptly closing after displaying error.
# Executes the code string.
exec(executable_code_str)
# In python 2: exec executable_code_str
Working demo:
Say our "actual_code_file.py" has some code as follows before making the ".exe" file:
# python 3.12.3
# actual_code_file.py
# This file can an be edited even after making "dummy_python_file.exe"
print("Hello World!")
input("") ## Will avoid console window from abruptly closing after displaying error.
Then, ...
( short gif uploaded here ): Editable EXE.gif
<img src="https://archive.org/download/editable-exe/Editable%20EXE.gif" alt="Editable EXE.gif" width="550" />
Ideally it should work for nested cases too. Just make sure that all the libraries were properly added during making of ".exe" file from pyinstaller.
In more general sense, this is just like creating a static isolated python environment that runs a designated file.
!Note
Usage of exec function is sort of considered to be dangerous, since in case somebody apart from you also might have access to the "actual_code_file.py" and that somebody might intent to inject some harmful code. ( see more on this here or here ). A simple workaround this would be to make the "dummy_python_file.py" in such a way that it stores a encrypted copy of "actual_code_file.py" first time the "dummy_python_file.exe" file is ran and stores it and later compares the text from that encrypted file with "actual_code_file.py" each time the "dummy_python_file.exe" is ran and asks for a password incase some changes are made in the code of "actual_code_file.py" and if authenticated updates the stored encrypted file. But, as long as you are are sure that only you are going to be the user it be should be fine either way.
pyinstalleractually does but if it's creating a real executable (which probably isn't the case) then reverting it to readable code anywhere near the original code is borderline impossible. If it is actually just a compact Python interpreter with your script hidden somewhere in.pycformat then reverting would be possible, but a rather complicated process that is definitively not something you would want to do since you already have the code in editable format. – Salespeople