[Python-Dev] Add a -z interpreter flag to execute a zip file

[Fred L. Drake, Jr.]

At 03:52 PM 7/12/2007 -0700, Andy C wrote:
 >So does everyone agree that there should be a new extension called
 >.pyz?  And that the definition of this is a .zip file with a
 >__zipmain__.py module at its root?  If so, I can make the change... I
 >haven't looked around the codebase yet but it sounds easy enough.

I'm not a Windows user, so don't have a good feel for the state of the 
extension mess on that platform these days.  PYZ isn't listed on filext.com, 
but I don't know if that means much.

On Thursday 12 July 2007, Phillip J. Eby wrote:
 > Let's use __main__, please.  Fewer names to remember, and __main__ is
 > supposed to be the __name__ of the main program.  It Just Makes Sense<TM>.

Indeed.  Let's not do something so specific it's a pain to use.

Andy C:
 >* Does anyone else want to change the -z flag to make more sense for
 >directories (and possibly change __zipmain__.py to __main__.py)?  In
 >thinking about this again, I am not sure I can come up with a real use
 >case.

Yes.  A use case for using directories, or for *not* supporting them?  These 
cases should be as similar as possible; like Phillip suggested, we should be 
thinking "sys.path entry" rather than "zip file".

Phillip Eby:
 > Testing your package before you zip it, would be one.  :)  My
 > personal main interest was in being able to add an item to sys.path
 > without having to set $PYTHONPATH on Windows.  That's why I'd like it
 > to be possible to use -z more than once (or whatever the option ends up
 > as).

What happens if multiple entries contain __main__.py entries?  I don't like 
this one so much.  I don't know what Java does if you specify -jar more than 
once; that might suggest something.

 > The only competing proposal besides what
 > I've suggested was the one to add an option to "runpy", and IMO
 > that's dead in the water due to shebang argument limits.

Agreed.

Andy:
 >* Magically looking at the first argument to see if it's a zip file
 >seems problematic to me.  I'd rather be explicit with the -z flag.
 >Likewise, I'd rather be explicit and call it __zipmain__ rather than
 >__main__.

Identifying ZIP files is straightforward; there's nothing weird about this 
one.


  -Fred

-- 
Fred L. Drake, Jr.   <fdrake at acm.org>