Connecting External Modules to Foresight Analytics Platform

For Python integration on Windows OS:

1. Download Python distribution file.

2. Install Python on the same computer where the Foresight Analytics Platform desktop application is installed. If Python is supposed to be used in the web application, install Python on the computer where BI server is located.

3. Select the Add Python 3.5 to PATH checkbox in the Python installer to add a path to the folder with installed Python in the Path system variable.

Therefore, Foresight Analytics Platform is integrated with Python. All executed scripts must be located in the folder with installed Foresight Analytics Platform.

To specify an additional folder with scripts:

• Create a PythonPath string parameter in the registry and set up the required path to the additional scripts folder. The parameter is created in the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Foresight\Foresight Analytics Platform\9.0\DevEnv\Python.

• Use the IPythonUtils.AddFolderToPythonPath method.

For Python integration on Linux OS prebuild Python source files.

Python Build from Source Files on Linux OS

See below an example of Python source files build of 3.6.9 version on Astra Linux CE OS.

Execute the following operations:

1. Download archive containing source files of Python 3.6.9:

wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.6.9/Python-3.6.9.tgz

2. Unpack file form archive:

tar xvf Python-3.6.9.tgz

cd Python-3.6.9

3. Add the configure file delivered with Python sources, parameters --enable-shared to generate dynamic library used by platform and --prefix that specifies Python installation folder:

./configure --enable-shared --prefix=/opt/python

4. Compile Python source code, using altinstall:

sudo make altinstall

NOTE. The altinstall command is used to prevent Python binary file replacement which default path is S/usr/bin/python, where S is the Python installation folder path.

Compilation result must be the following:

Collecting setuptools

Collecting pip

Installing collected packages: setuptools, pip

Successfully installed pip-18.1 setuptools-40.6.2

Integration with Python on Linux OS

See below the example of Python 3.6.9 integration on Astra Linux CE OS. Make sure that Python source files build is ready.

For Python integration on Astra Linux CE OS:

1. Check that source files are correctly built and a new Python version is installed.

If the default version was not rewritten in the system, check the current Python version using the following command:

python3.6 --version

2. Execute one of the operations if the command was not found:

• Add a path to the Python installation folder in the Path system variable:

echo export PATH=$PATH:/opt/python/bin >> ~/.bashrc

source ~/.bashrc

• Determine a path to Python libpython3.*m.so library which was created using the --enable-shared parameter in Step 3:

echo export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/opt/python/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH" >> ~/.bashrc

source ~/.bashrc

On the first Python use, the platform will look for the library from the list:

libpython3.8m.so, libpython3.7m.so, libpython3.6m.so, libpython3.5m.so

The platform will use the first found library before the restart. To restart the platform, restart services using the command:

sudo service foresight-httpd2.4-fp9.2 restart

3. If several Python versions have been installed, execute one of the operations to use the specific library version:

• Create a symbolic link to the required library:

ln -s /opt/python/lib/libpython3.6m.so /opt/foresight/fp9.2-biserver/bin/

• In the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Foresight\Foresight Analytics Platform\9.0\DevEnv\Python create a string parameter:

"PythonLib"="libpython3.6m.so"

 Save settings to the file with the *.reg extension to the folder /opt/foresight/fp9.2-biserver/bin.

NOTE. The registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER can be replaced with HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE if the path to the Python library is specified for all users and not only for the current user.