[Python-Dev] packaging location ?

[Vinay Sajip]

Paul Moore <p.f.moore <at> gmail.com> writes:

> A nice addition would be an API for managing the RECORD file. I would
> imagine functions to read/write the file (hiding the details of how to
> open the CSV file correctly in a cross-platform manner), functions to
> produce a list of the files installed for a distribution, and
> functions to validate (and maybe write) the hashes.
> 

Producing the list of files installed for a distribution might be tool-specific
(e.g. a tool might have additional tool-specific files over and above what any
PEPs mandate).

There's a method in database.py - Distribution.list_installed_files() - which
reads and returns the RECORD entries as (path, hash, size) tuples.

I think all that's needed (at the same level of abstraction) is a method
write_installed_files(iterable_of_absolute_file_paths) which writes the file.
This code is already in the distutils2.install_distinfo.install_distinfo.run()
method. I'll pull it out into such a method.

Anyone else, do chip in if you think this is insufficient or sub-optimal.

Perhaps these discussions (on the detail) should continue on distutils-sig. I'll
post there when I've made the changes.

Regards,

Vinay Sajip