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# Using LiClipse IDE for Kivy Mobile Development

The entirety of these instructions would not be possible without the "Pydev Adventures" article by Zadrozny (2014). I added several troubleshooting tips and clarifications.

LiClipse is a fork of Eclipse with many addons preconfigured, such as PyDev. This is a helpful start, but there are several steps required to get Kivy working smoothly with autocomplete and run button, all explained below. For easier configuration, try using PyCharm instead.

# Configuring LiClipse for Kivy 1.8.0 (Python 3)

# Setup a workspace automatically

(only for Kivy 1.8.0 Python 3.3)

# Create a workspace manually

  • After installing, open LiClipse using icon

  • For workspace, choose where to save all of your projects (such as Documents\KivyProjects, or if on a network you could choose your home drive such as T:\username or H:). This is where LiClipse will store all of your settings for Kivy, so this folder should be used for all Kivy projects so you don't have to repeat these steps.

  • Click Window, Preferences, PyDev, Interpreters, Python Interpreter

    • For the interpreter, browse and choose the kivy python.exe such as
    • C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\Python33\python.exe

  • In the "Libraries" tab click "New folder" then paste C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\kivy

    • then push OK
    • Drag it (the path you pasted which was added to the bottom of the list) to the top of the list (this makes kivy first in python path like dragging a py file to kivy.bat would usually)

  • In the "forced builtins" tab click "New" then type kivy

    • then push OK

  • In the Environment tab, create these 3 variables to exactly the same value as your kivy.bat, such as (to make each, click new, then type the name then the value, change Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32 to your kivy directory, then push OK):

    • Click "New"
      • GST_PLUGIN_PATH
      • C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\gstreamer\lib\gstreamer-1.0
      • Click "OK"
    • Click "New"
      • GST_REGISTRY
      • C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\gstreamer\registry.bin
      • Enter
    • Click "New"
      • PATH
      • C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\Python33;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\tools;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\Python33\Scripts;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\gstreamer\bin;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\MinGW\bin;%PATH%
      • Enter

  • and EXCEPT for Window, Interpreters, Python Interpreter, Environment tab, set each variable same as in C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\kivy.bat like:

    • set kivy_portable_root=C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\
    • set GST_REGISTRY=C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\gstreamer\registry.bin
    • set GST_PLUGIN_PATH=C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\gstreamer\lib\gstreamer-1.0
    • set PATH=C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\Python33;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\tools;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\Python33\Scripts;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\gstreamer\bin;C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\MinGW\bin;%PATH%

[Liclipse may ask to add the following to the "System PYTHONPATH" --if so, click OK or Add All]

# Creating a Project

For each project, make sure you have chosen the same workspace (which is where all the settings above are stored) and select the Grammar version and Interpreter as explained below:

  • File, New, PyDev Project
    • Name it: kivypydevprojecttry1
    • Grammar Version: 3.0
    • Interpreter: C:\Kivy-1.8.0-py3.3-win32\Python33\python.exe
    • Check "Add project directory to the python path"
    • Click "Finish"

[Liclipse may ask, "This kind of project is now associated with the PyDev perspective. Do you want to open this perspective now?" Check "Remember my decision" then click "Yes"]

  • File, New, File
    • If asks which project, choose the one you named above
    • Right-click "kivypydevprojecttry1" then click "New file"
    • Name the new file "kivytry1.py" then click "Finish"
    • Copy an example kivy file and past into that blank file you named kivytry1

# Running a program

(follow these steps the first time you run each new project)

Click the green arrow to run.

[Liclipse may ask about "Save and Launch": check "Always save sources before launching", make sure all files are checked, OK]

(may take a while if bottom status bar says [loading something])

  • Double-click "Python Run"
    • At the top, change the name from New_configuration to "Kivy1"
    • Browse, choose your project you made
    • for "main module" choose your kivytry1.py or whatever your main module is (py file you want to run)
    • Click "Run"

# Troubleshooting

  • IF the wrong program is running (wrong filename is in title bar of console panel), make sure you have the correct project selected on the left panel.
  • IF your are missing the left panel, click Window, Show View, PyDev Package Explorer. Make sure the correct project you want to run is selected.
  • IF your python file ends with pyw, it may not run in Kivy. Rename it, remove the pyw, and instead make it py.
  • IF your name project appears on the left but is blank, the folder must have moved. Right-click, delete (this will not delete the folder from disk, unless you check that box to delete it), then re-add it (follow the instructions above under "Creating a Project," but for project name type the folder name where your program resides, and for Directory choose the directory above it such as "kivyProjects"--also still make sure you have chosen grammar version that matches your Kivy installation, such as 3.0 for any version of Python 3).
  • IF your project and all related files appear on the left but nothing runs when you press the green Run button, the main py file must have been renamed or moved--also again make sure you save as a name ending in .py not .pyw. Click the small black down arrow by the Run button then click "Run Configurations," then follow the instructions above under "Running a program."
  • IF your project does not run due to "jnius" not found, but you did not intentially use jnius, LiClipse may have accidentally imported something you don't need. Try removing or commenting lines at the beginning of your program such as from plyer.platforms.android.accelerometer import instance
  • IF your program just says "Program Terminated", and you drag the file to your Kivy icon on the desktop and you get "The program can’t start because MSVCR100.dll is missing from your computer." you are missing the x86 version of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package, which is needed even though you are using a 64-bit computer--see Installing Kivy for instructions.

# References

Zadrozny, F. (2014, February 13). Pydev adventures: Configuring kivy on pydev. PyDev Adventures. https://pydev.blogspot.com/2014/02/configuring-kivy-on-pydev.html