# CEF Python

[![](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-2.7-yellow.png "Python versions supported")](https://github.com/cztomczak/cefpython#cef-python)
[![](https://img.shields.io/badge/release-v31.2-orange.png "GitHub latest release")](https://github.com/cztomczak/cefpython/releases/latest)
[![](https://img.shields.io/badge/pypi-v31.2-blue.png "PyPI latest release")](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/cefpython3/)
[![](https://img.shields.io/badge/commits%20since-v31.2-lightgray.png "Commits since v31.2 release")](https://github.com/cztomczak/cefpython/compare/05366f2...master)

Table of contents:
* [Important notes](#important-notes)
* [Introduction](#introduction)
* [Compatibility](#compatibility)
* [Downloads](#downloads)
* [Support](#support)
* [Notifications on new releases](#notifications-on-new-releases)
* [Changes in API during updates](#changes-in-api-during-updates)
* [Donate](#donate)


## Important notes

* Branches cefpython51/52/53+ with latest Chrome are tested and work only
  on Linux currently. Instructions for building these are
  in docs/[Build-instructions.md](docs/Build-instructions.md).
  Beta downloads are available on the [Github Releases](../../releases) page.
  Pre-releases are also available on PyPI.
* The last stable release that works on all platforms is in the cefpython31
  branch. Downloads for this branch are available on wiki pages. Up-to-date
  API docs for the cefpython31 branch can be viewed in commit 
  [169a1b2](https://github.com/cztomczak/cefpython/tree/169a1b20d3cd09879070d41aab28cfa195d2a7d5/docs/api).
* Repository rewritten on 2016-02-15 to reduce its size. Please clone it again.


## Introduction

CEF Python is an open source project founded by
[Czarek Tomczak](http://www.linkedin.com/in/czarektomczak)
in 2012 to provide python bindings for the
[Chromium Embedded Framework](https://bitbucket.org/chromiumembedded/cef).
See the growing list of
[applications using CEF](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_Embedded_Framework#Applications_using_CEF)
on wikipedia. Examples of embedding CEF browser are available for many popular
GUI toolkits including: [wxPython](../../wiki/wxPython),
[PyGTK](../../wiki/PyGTK), [PyQt](../../wiki/PyQt),
[PySide](../../wiki/PySide), [Kivy](../../wiki/Kivy),
[Panda3D](../../wiki/Panda3D)
and [PyWin32](src/windows/binaries_32bit/pywin32.py).

Some use cases for CEF:

* Embed a web browser control with great HTML5 support (based on Chromium)
* Use it to create a HTML5 based GUI in an application. This can act as a
  replacement for GUI toolkits like wxWidgets/Qt/Gtk. For native communication
  between javascript and python use
  [javascript bindings](api/JavascriptBindings.md).
  Another option is to run an internal python web server and use
  websockets/XMLHttpRequest for js<>python communication. This way you
  can write a desktop app in the same way you write web apps.
* Render web content off-screen in applications that use custom drawing
  frameworks. See the [Kivy](../../wiki/Kivy)
  and [Panda3D](../../wiki/Panda3D) examples.
* Use it for automated testing of existing web applications. Use it for web
  scraping, or as a web crawler or other kind of internet bots.


## Compatibility

* Supported Python versions: 2.7
  (for Python 3.4 / 3.5 support see [Issue #121](../../issues/121)).
* Supported platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac.<br>
  Both 32-bit and 64-bit binaries are available for all platforms.


## Downloads

On Win/Mac you can install from PyPI using this command:
`pip install cefpython3`.

* For Windows: see the
  [Download_CEF3_Windows](../../wiki/Download_CEF3_Windows) wiki page.
* For Linux: see the
  [Download_CEF3_Linux](../../wiki/Download_CEF3_Linux) wiki page.
* For Mac: see the
  [Download_CEF3_Mac](../../wiki/Download_CEF3_Mac) wiki page.

To be notified when new downloads are available see the
[Notifications on new releases](#notifications-on-new-releases) section.


## Support

* Documentation:
  * See [API docs](api/) in the api/ directory
  * See [Wiki Pages](../../wiki)
  * See issues with the
    [Knowledge Base](../../issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3A%22Knowledge+Base%22)
    label
* Ask questions and report problems on the
  [Forum](https://groups.google.com/group/cefpython)
* Please do not ask questions in the Issue Tracker


## Notifications on new releases

To be notified of new releases subscribe to this
[RSS/Atom feed](https://github.com/cztomczak/cefpython/releases.atom).

Announcements are also made on the
[Forum](https://groups.google.com/d/forum/cefpython).
To be notified of these via email set your Membership and Email settings
and change delivery preference to Daily summaries.


## Changes in API during updates

CEF Python depends on CEF and API breaks are inevitable when updating
to a newer CEF. When updating cefpython to a new version go to the
[GitHub Releases](https://github.com/cztomczak/cefpython/releases) page
and check release notes for all the releases that appeared between
your old version and the new version. Look for lists named
"Changes in API that break backward compatibility".

Due to unavoidable changes in API it is recommended for your setup scripts
that use for example PIP to install the cefpython3 package, to hardcode
the cefpython version string. If for example using PIP's requirements.txt
file then list the cefpython3 package in the following format:
`cefpython3 == 31.2`.


## Donate

If you would like to support general CEF Python development efforts by
making a donation see the [Donations](../../wiki/Donations) wiki page.