python-can
==========

|release| |docs|  |build| 

.. |release| image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/python-can.svg
   :target: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/python-can/
   :alt: Latest Version

.. |docs| image:: https://readthedocs.org/projects/python-can/badge/?version=latest
   :target: http://python-can.readthedocs.org/en/latest/?badge=latest
   :alt: Documentation Status
                
.. |build| image:: https://drone.io/bitbucket.org/hardbyte/python-can/status.png
   :target: https://drone.io/bitbucket.org/hardbyte/python-can/latest
   :alt: CI Server


The **C**\ ontroller **A**\ rea **N**\ etwork is a bus standard designed
to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other. It
has priority based bus arbitration, reliable deterministic
communication. It is used in cars, trucks, wheelchairs and more. See
`wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAN_bus>`__ for more info.

This module provides controller area network support for
`Python <http://python.org/download/>`__.

Configuration File
------------------

In order to use this library a CAN interface needs to be specified. A
method to do this is to create a configuration file called ``can.conf``,
``~/.canrc`` or ``can.ini``.

The configuration file sets the default interface and channel:

::

    [default]
    interface = <the name of the interface to use>
    channel = <the channel to use by default>

Interfaces
----------

The interface available are:

kvaser
~~~~~~

`Kvaser <http://www.kvaser.com>`__'s CANLib SDK for Windows (also
available on Linux)

socketcan
~~~~~~~~~

On linux the socketcan interface is exposed via either:

-  socketcan\_ctypes
-  socketcan\_native

serial
~~~~~~

A text based interface. For example use over bluetooth with
``/dev/rfcomm0``

pcan
~~~~

`Peak-System <http://www.peak-system.com/>`__'s PCAN-Basic API.

Installation
------------

GNU/Linux dependencies
----------------------

Reasonably modern Linux Kernels (2.6.25 or newer) have an implementation
of ``socketcan``. This version of python-can will directly use socketcan
if called with Python 3.3 or greater, otherwise that interface is used
via ctypes.

Windows dependencies
--------------------

Kvaser
~~~~~~

To install ``python-can`` using the Kvaser CANLib SDK as the backend:

1. Install the `latest stable release of
   Python <http://python.org/download/>`__.

2. Install `Kvaser's latest Windows CANLib
   drivers <http://www.kvaser.com/en/downloads.html>`__.

3. Test that Kvaser's own tools work to ensure the driver is properly
   installed and that the hardware is working.

PCAN
~~~~

To use the PCAN-Basic API as the backend (which has only been tested
with Python 2.7):

1. Download the latest version of the `PCAN-Basic
   API <http://www.peak-system.com/Downloads.76.0.html?>`__.

2. Extract ``PCANBasic.dll`` from the Win32 subfolder of the archive or
   the x64 subfolder depending on whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit
   installation of Python.

3. Copy ``PCANBasic.dll`` into the working directory where you will be
   running your python script. There is probably a way to install the
   dll properly, but I'm not certain how to do that.

Note that PCANBasic API timestamps count seconds from system startup. To
convert these to epoch times, the uptime library is used. If it is not
available, the times are returned as number of seconds from system
startup. To install the uptime library, run ``pip install uptime``.

Install python-can
------------------

You may need to install
`pip <http://www.pip-installer.org/en/latest/installing.html>`__ and
`setuptools <https://pypi.python.org/pypi/setuptools>`__ first.

Two options, install normally with:

::

    python setup.py install

Or to do a "development" install of this package to your machine (this
allows you to make changes locally or pull updates from the Mercurial
repository and use them without having to reinstall):

::

    python setup.py develop

On linux you will need ``sudo`` rights.

Documentation
-------------

The documentation for python-can has been generated with Sphinx they can
be viewed online at
`python-can.readthedocs.org <https://python-can.readthedocs.org/en/latest/>`__

Generation
~~~~~~~~~~

With sphinx installed the documentation can be generated locally with:

::

    python setup.py build_sphinx