Python setup.py include .json files in the egg

Question

I want to package .json files as well in the python egg file.

For example: boto package has endpoints.json file. But when I run python setup.py bdist_egg it does not include the json file in the egg. How do I include the Json file in the egg?

How do I include *.json file in the egg?

Below is the setup.py code

from setuptools import setup, find_packages, Extension

setup(
  name='X-py-backend',
  version='tip',
  description='X Python backend tools',
  author='meme',
  packages=find_packages('python'),
  package_dir={'': 'python'},
  data_files=[('boto', ['python/boto/endpoints.json'])],
  namespace_packages = ['br'],
  zip_safe=True,
)

setup(
  name='X-py-backend',
  version='tip',
  packages=find_packages('protobuf/target/python'),
  package_dir={'': 'protobuf/target/python'},
  namespace_packages = ['br'],
  zip_safe=True,
)

Scup

Answer 1

You only need to list the file on data_files parameter. Here is the example.

setup(
  name='X-py-backend',
  version='tip',
  description='XXX Python backend tools',
  author='meme',
  packages=find_packages('python'),
  package_dir={'': 'python'},
  data_files=[('boto', ['boto/*.json'])]
  namespace_packages = ['br'],
  zip_safe=True
)

You can see the details here. https://docs.python.org/2/distutils/setupscript.html#installing-additional-files

Another way to do this is to use MANIFEST.in files. you need to create a MANIFEST.in file in your project root. Here is the example.

include python/boto/endpoints.json

Please visit here for more information.https://docs.python.org/2/distutils/sourcedist.html#manifest-template

Behling

This does not work. I ran "python setup.py bdist_egg" after making this change. When I unzip the .egg file I don't find "endpoints.json" file inside boto package. Am I missing something here? – Scup

Please share your edited setup.py. I will look into it. – Behling

Answer 2

Well this works for me.

setup.py:

from setuptools import setup, find_packages

setup(
    name="clean",
    version="0.1",
    description="Clean package",
    packages=find_packages() + ['config'],
    include_package_data=True
)

MANIFEST.in:

recursive-include config *

where there is a config file under the project root directory which contains a whole bunch of json files.

Hope this helps.

Maurizio

I had data_files and everything properly included with glob etc, but *.json files were not. After I saw your post with include_package_data kwarg I used it (though I thought it'd work only for package_data) and tada, everything packaged correctly without MANIFEST.in! Thanks! – Earthy

I did this, but I had to include the MANIFEST.in file unlike @PeterBadida. – Holliman