App doesn't connect to device on Mac

[cynthi8]

• I'm submitting a ...

  • bug report

• What is the current status?

Opening the app via normal means will not connect to the device.

• If the current behavior is a bug, please provide the steps to reproduce it

From Gitter - @chiefenne

I installed the desktop app which runs fine. I also installed the Python library. When I connect PSLab via a USB cable and then start the desktop app, it says "no device connected". I validated the correct installation of the Python library with the script given in the docs (psl.multimeter.measure_capacitance() ...). This worked fine. But the device does still not show up in the desktop app.

Current workaround - @chrvoigt

start it from the command line $ open /Applications/PSLab-Desktop.app .. just make sure to connect the device first

• What is the expected behavior?
  Connection works without needing this workaround.

• Please tell us about your environment:

  • OS with version number: [ Windows / OSX / Linux Distro ]
    Mojave 10.14.6

• Other information ( Any research that you may have done which you think is the cause of problem )
  This is likely because Mac handles command line and GUI apps differently. Environmental variables might be set in one and not set in the other depending on how python is installed.

• Would you like to work on it?
  I don't have a Mac so it will be hard for me to reproduce.

[chiefenne]

Here is some information on my environment where I encounter above described behavior.

Environment:
macOS Big Sur: 11.2.3 (20D91)

Python:
I am using Python 3.7.8 from an Anaconda installation.

For which environmental variables do I have to look out?

[cynthi8]

For which environmental variables do I have to look out?

PSLab desktop opens a Python Shell to run the backend that comminicates with the PSLab board. The Python Shell runs whatever python3 binary is found on the PATH.

Running GUI applications from the command line will pass the correct PATH that contains the python3 executable. Running via Finder/double clicking the icon in /Applications will not pass this variable.

[chiefenne]

Ok. Thanks

[chrvoigt]

just adding my 2 cents ... the notion of 'standard python' in macOS may be confusing

macOS comes with a baked-in Python2.7 https://docs.python.org/3/using/mac.html
$ which python
/usr/bin/python

if we install Python3 with brew it has a standard path for installing python versions
$ which python3
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.9/bin/python3

if we install PSLab with pip it also has a standard path for installing PSLab under
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.9/lib/python3.9/site-packages

so maybe that could help to improve findability of Python and / or PSLab libraries.

however is there maybe an easier way of bundling Electron and Python code? (even at the expense of the size of the packaged App?)