The Eric Python IDE

How to install the eric IDE on ChromeOS

This document describes the steps to be performed to use eric on a Chromebook with ChromeOS.

1. Preparation

Step 1: Activate the Linux environment through the settings.

Step 2: Open a terminal window and execute these steps

    sudo apt update
    sudo apt upgrade
    sudo apt install libxkbfile1 libopengl0 python3-pip python3-venv

Step 3: Modify environment to make Qt not use Wayland
As of ChromeOS 94 Qt6 is not yet compatible with the ChromeOS Wayland implementation. In order to force Qt applications to use X11 modify the "cros-garcon-override.conf" file.

    sudo vi /etc/systemd/user/cros-garcon.service.d/cros-garcon-override.conf

and add the line

    Environment="QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb"

After this change was performed close all Linux windows, log out and log back in. This step is needed to restart the Linux VM and to make the above changes effective.

Note 1: This change seems to be not needed anymore on ChromeOS 102 with the Bullseye based Linux environment.

Note 2: If eric crashes showing completion lists, this change should be applied in order to switch to use X11.

2. eric Installation

Installing eric is a simple process. There are various methods available. Please choose the one best suited to your needs and skills. eric must be used with Python 3, Qt6 and PyQt6.

2.1 Create a Python virtual environment for eric

It is recommended to install eric into a Python virtual environment in order to keep your Python distribution clean. In order to do that create it by entering the following command in the terminal window.

    python3 -m venv eric_env
    ~/eric_env/bin/python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip

Replace "eric_env" with the desired path to the directory for the virtual environment. All further instructions will assume this environment name.

2.2 Installation via the Python Package Index PyPI

Enter the following commands in the terminal window.

    ~/eric_env/bin/python3 -m pip install --upgrade --prefer-binary eric-ide

Once the installation is finished navigate to the executable directory of the Python virtual environment and execute the "eric_post_install" script. 

    ~/eric_env/bin/eric7_post_install

2.3 Installation of Qt Tools via Qt online installer

In order to get the most out of eric it is recommended to install the Qt Tools like Qt Designer or Qt Linguist. The recommended way is this.

  1. Download the Qt online installer from the Qt download site.
  2. Install Qt by executing the installer.
  3. Configure the path to the Qt tools on the Qt configuration page of the eric configuration dialog.

3. Install optional packages for eric (for plug-ins)

eric provides an extension mechanism via plug-ins. The plug-ins are available via the Plugin Repository dialog from within eric. Some plugins require the installation of additional python packages. This is done automatically during the plugin installation.