On 05. 02. 19 0:44, Eli Young wrote:
Python packages can specify extras dependencies, which are sets of dependencies not 
required for core functionality, and which generally correspond to some feature. These 
can then be specified by downstream consumers of the package. For example, requests has 
an entry in extras called security[1], which currently adds requirements of python 
packages pyOpenSSL >= 0.14, cryptography >= 1.3.4, and idna >= 2.0.0. A 
downstream consumer that wants to use this would add a dependency on requests[security].

 From what I can tell, the current practice in Fedora packaging is to ignore 
these. This simplifies packaging Python modules that have extras specified, but 
ultimately pushes the specification of those dependencies down into every 
consumer of the package, whether users or other packages.

As an example of this, I currently maintain the python-dns-lexicon package, 
which provides a common CLI and API for various different DNS providers. Some 
of the providers have additional dependencies that are necessary to function, 
and which are specified as extras. The Plesk provider, for example, also 
requires python-xmltodict[2]. In line with what appears to standard practice, 
extra dependencies are not currently installed with the broader 
python-dns-lexicon package. If, however, a user or dependent package wants to 
utilize the Plesk functionality of python-dns-lexicon, they now need to know 
that python-xmltodict needs to be installed, and will need to check whenever 
the package updates as to whether or not that has changed.

How should we be handling this? Right now, it seems that most packages follow 
this behavior of punting on the responsibility to package consumers. Should 
this continue? If not, how should we handle things? Should we just include all 
extras dependencies in the parent package? Alternatively, should we have 
dummy/meta subpackages for extras that require the parent package as well as 
any extras dependencies (e.g. python-dns-lexicon-plesk would require 
python-dns-lexicon and python-xmltodict)?

This (metapackages) is what I've done in python-trimesh:

https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/python-trimesh/blob/master/f/python-trimesh.spec#_62
https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/python-trimesh/blob/master/f/python-trimesh.spec#_86

I'd still consider this on case by case basis instead of developing a general solution, sometimes a simple Recommends works. Sometimes, it's more complicated.

I'm CCing packaging and python to get more attention to this, but please keep the discussion on devel, so it's not shattered.


[1]: https://github.com/requests/requests/blob/v2.21.0/setup.py#L105
[2]: https://github.com/AnalogJ/lexicon/blob/v3.0.6/setup.py#L101


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Miro Hrončok
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IRC: mhroncok
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