Hello,
I have a Python program (of which I am upstream) and I want to package
it. However, it has some private modules and I don't know how to treat them.
Section 3.1.1 of the Python Packaging Policy says they should be in
/usr/share/. This makes sense, being private data of the package.[1]
However, this doesn't seem to be how Python programs normally work. I
asked on IRC (freenode:#python), and the response was that Python
programs don't have the concept of "private modules". Any module, no
matter how program-specific, is installed publicly. This feels wrong for
me, and not "the Debian Way".
This wouldn't be a problem in itself, but I need support from the Python
system to make things work: my program needs to import my private
module, which means its directory must be in sys.path. But how do I get
it there? I see several options, none of which seems really good:
1. Hard-code the directory in the program.
+ It works.
- It will then only work on Debian
- It cannot run from a different path.
2. Let the upstream program assume that the module is in the search path
(either installed publicly or in the same directory as the script). Use
a debian patch to add Debian's private path to it.
+ It works.
+ The upstream script works for non-Debian people.
- The patch may not apply cleanly in a next version, so it slightly
increases maintainance burden.
- The packaged program is not the upstream version (is that actually a
problem?)
3. Create a module for handling this. I import the module and call a
function on it providing my package name. It will add the required
directories to sys.path.
+ This would be great, if it worked, but:
- Othes operating systems don't have this module, so even though the
approach is intended to make it more portable, it actually makes it
Debian-specific.
4. Virtualenv was suggested on IRC. I'm not sure how I should use it; it
seems like a tool for users with little permissions on the system, not
for a package which can access anything. But I might be wrong, so I
wanted to mention it.
+ ?
- ?
5. Create a wrapper executable script which just runs the program from
/usr/share. Have the private module in the same directory as the
program. (I've seen this used by freealchemist.)
+ It works.
- It's a clumsy workaround.
6. Make /usr/bin/program a symlink to the actual file in the private
directory. It will then search in its real place. (I've seen this used
by angrydd.)
+ It works.
+ It's not as clumsy.
- It still seems to be a workaround.
- It is not obvious to a user who copies the file and changes it, why
the copy doesn't find its modules.
Any thoughts on this are welcome.
Thanks,
Bas
Ps: please Cc me on replies, I'm not subscribed to this list.
(And keep these lines, so I alse get replies to replies.)
[1] Actually, it says it should go in /usr/share/modulename/, while I
would expect it to go in /usr/share/packagename/.../modulename/. Am I
misreading this? In particular, should package foo (with private module
bar) really create /usr/share/bar?
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