Installing PyQt5 on Mac OS X

I am learning how to use PyQt to create a Python GUI. These are the steps in installing PyQt5 on Mac OS X. I am running El Capitan 10.11.4 with Homebrew.

Downloading pre-requisites

• Create a virtual environment
  • $ mkvirtualenv my_app -ppython3.5
  • $ workon my_app
  • $ mkdir my_app
• Download SIP
• Download PyQt
• Move unarchived SIP and PyQt folders to your project folder
  • $ tar -xzf [tar file] or use Archive Utility

Installing PyQt

You must install SIP prior to installing PyQt.

• Installing SIP
  • $ cd sip-4.17/
  • $ python configure.py
  • $ make
  • $ make install
  • Test the installation
    • $ python
    • >>> import sip
    • >>> sip.SIP_VERSION_STR should equal ‘4.17’
  • Delete the SIP directory
• Installing PyQt
  • $ brew install qt5
  • $ brew linkapps qt5
  • $ cd PyQt-gpl-5.5.1/
  • $ python configure.py --qmake /usr/local/opt/qt5/bin/qmake
  • $ make
  • $ make install
  • Test the installation
    • $ python
    • >>> from PyQt5 import QtCore
    • >>> QtCore.QT_VERSION_STR should equal ‘5.6.0’
    • >>> from PyQt5 import Qt
    • >>> Qt.PYQT_VERSION_STR should equal ‘5.5.1’
  • Delete the PyQt directory

Creating your first project

PyQt5 Documentation and a simple hello world application to get you started: