[Distutils] Python people want CPAN and how the latter came about

[Tarek Ziadé]

On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 1:14 PM, David Cournapeau <cournape at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 7:28 PM, Tarek Ziadé <ziade.tarek at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 5:12 AM, David Cournapeau <cournape at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 10:35 PM, Tarek Ziadé <ziade.tarek at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> When you say "which could be solved relatively easily" I suggest that
>>>> you take the time to add concise and precise proposals in
>>>> bugs.python.org so I can work on them.
>>>
>>> Technically, it is easy. Only have two mechanisms for data files: one
>>> for installed data files, and one for extra source files (as done in
>>> automake for example):
>>>  -  Extra files only need to be listed (and included in sdist)
>>>  -  Install data files need a target directory. One of the problem
>>> with distutils here is that you can only hardcode paths - in my own
>>> packaging solution, I use $path variables so that any path defined
>>> internally can be reused ($bindir, etc...); something similar could be
>>> defined in distutils.
>>
>> distutils uses install schemes with variables too ($base, etc), that
>> are expanded at installation time. and differs depending on the
>> options you pass to the install command.
>> (look at the command/install module)
>
> To be clear: I am talking about the POV of the setup.py writer here.
> AFAIK, those $path variables are not available in this case: when
> using data_files, you only have the choice between using absolute
> files or relative to package path. That's why you had to advise one
> poster to move his files into a package in one recent email, and that
> the only solution to another poster was to create a new command (to
> access those $path vars).

We are discussing these options as a matter of fact, in PEP 376.

Maybe you missed the mails related to that.

See:
http://wiki.python.org/moin/Distutils/DiscussionOverview

feel free to comment and help,