Eric Firing wrote: > Jeff Whitaker wrote: >> Ted Drain wrote: >>> Could someone point me at a discussion/article that explains the >>> need for namespace packages? I'm sure there is some good reason for >>> it but on the surface it seems very confusing. I've always thought >>> that the purpose of the __init__ file is to define the public >>> interface for a package. So when you say: >>> >>> import foo >>> >>> You get foo defined in the way it should be. I'm not sure how doing : >>> >>> import foo.api as foo >>> >>> is an improvement. Whether the api is defined in __init__.py or >>> api.py doesn't seem to matter (though I'm sure this is where I'm not >>> understanding things...). I've googled and found references to >>> needing to install and distribute sub-packages separately but that >>> doesn't really seem to explain why __init__ can't be used in the >>> sub-package. Is this primarily a limitation in the distribution and >>> setup tools? >>> >>> Can someone shed some light on this for me? >>> >>> Ted >> >> Ted: I was wrong in my previous email - only the __init__.py in the >> top-level toolkits directory (now called mpl_toolkits) needs to be >> empty. So in the case of basemap, this means that the import has >> changed from >> >> from matplotlib.toolkits.basemap import Basemap >> >> to >> >> from mpl_toolkits.basemap import Basemap. >> >> We don't actually need to stuff things into an api.py file. > > But the reason you had to move to an independent mpl_toolkits package > (which is a namespace package) is because mpl itself can't be a > namespace package, because it has an __init__.py stuffed full of > goodies. Right? Not that having an independent mpl_toolkits is a bad > thing; it may make sense anyway. I think it simplifies the directory > structure of basemap (which seemed needlessly deeply nested), doesn't it?
Eric: Yes, you're correct on both counts. > > Also, the namespace package constraint is inherent in distributing > subpackages as eggs, correct? Without eggs there would be no such > constraint. Subpackages would physically land in subdirectories of > the main package upon installation. Right again. -Jeff -- Jeffrey S. Whitaker Phone : (303)497-6313 Meteorologist FAX : (303)497-6449 NOAA/OAR/PSD R/PSD1 Email : [EMAIL PROTECTED] 325 Broadway Office : Skaggs Research Cntr 1D-124 Boulder, CO, USA 80303-3328 Web : http://tinyurl.com/5telg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace _______________________________________________ Matplotlib-devel mailing list Matplotlib-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/matplotlib-devel
