Tools for programming in Python

This last section is for tools (executables) written in Python that themselves interact with Python code. If you need to package two versions of the executable, one for each major Python version, then this section is for you.

Examples: pip, pytest, nosetest.

If this doesn’t fit your package, look into other sections.

Porting the specfile to Python 3

Because your package has an executable that interacts with Python code, users will most likely want it to work both with code for Python 2 and code for Python 3, as both are very common today. And even in the future, there will be heaps of legacy Python 2 code that may still be useful.

When you want to package two different executables, the best practice (put forth by the Fedora Packaging Guidelines for Python) is to split your package into two subpackages. One subpackage for Python 2 and one for Python 3. That will allow the user to install just one of them instead of having to install the other as well, for which they not have any need.

Let’s take an example spec file and port it to illustrate the process. We start with a spec file for a Python tool packaged for Python version 2:

%global srcname example

Name:           python-%{srcname}
Version:        1.2.3
Release:        1%{?dist}
Summary:        An example Python tool

License:        MIT
URL:            https://pypi.org/project/%{srcname}
Source0:        https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/source/e/%{srcname}/%{srcname}-%{version}.tar.gz

BuildArch:      noarch
BuildRequires:  python-devel
Requires: python-some-module
Requires: python2-other-module

%description
A Python tool which provides a convenient example.


%prep
%autosetup -n %{srcname}-%{version}


%build
%{__python} setup.py build


%install
%{__python} setup.py install --skip-build --root $RPM_BUILD_ROOT


%check
%{__python} setup.py test


%files
%license COPYING
%doc README
%{python_sitelib}/*
%{_bindir}/sample-exec


%changelog
...

Modifications

First it is recommended to update the software you are packaging to its newest upstream version. If it already is at the latest version, increment the release number. Don’t forget to add a %changelog entry as well.

Note

In this document you will encounter lot of RPM macros. You can look up many of the Python macros in the Python packaging guidelines (click the Expand button on the right side).

Creating subpackages

Each subpackage you create will need to have its own name, summary and description. If you haven’t already, it is thus advised to declare macros for common values at the top of the specfile:

%global srcname example

Now we can use these to create the subpackages. The following should be placed beneath the %description section of the base package:

%package -n python2-%{srcname}
Summary:  %{summary}
Requires: python-some-module
Requires: python2-other-module
%{?python_provide:%python_provide python2-%{srcname}}

%description -n python2-%{srcname}
A Python tool which provides a convenient example.


%package -n python3-%{srcname}
Summary:  %{summary}
Requires: python3-some-module
Requires: python3-other-module
%{?python_provide:%python_provide python3-%{srcname}}

%description -n python3-%{srcname}
A Python tool which provides a convenient example.

First, using the %package macro you start defining a new subpackage, specifying its full name as python2-%{srcname}, which in this case will become python2-example. Next we provide the summary which we defined earlier.

BuildRequires: tags from the original spec file will remain where they are—declared in the definition of the base package at the top of the spec file. However, the runtime requirements—the ones listed using the Requires: tag—will be different for the two subpackages, so they have to be moved here to the definition of each subpackage.

While you can cut and paste all the Requires: tags directly from the base package to the python2- subpackage, remember that for the python3- subpackage you need to find Python 3 versions of each of the runtime dependencies.

Note

You can see that the naming of Python 2 packages isn’t uniform: some follow the current convention of using the python2- prefix, older ones use only the python- prefix, and the oldest might be without a prefix at all.

In many cases the Python 2 package can be found under both the python2- and python- prefixes, one of them being virtually provided by the Provides: tag. Whenever possible, use the version with the python2- prefix.

%python_provide

Now that we’re splitting the package python-example into python2-example and python3-example, we need to define what will happen when the user tries to install the unversioned name python-example.

At the time of this writing, the packaging guidelines say that the default version should be the one for Python 2. However, it is expected to change to Python 3 some time in the future. To avoid having to adjust all Python packages in Fedora when that time comes, the %python_provide macro was devised:

%{?python_provide:%python_provide python2-%{srcname}}
and
%{?python_provide:%python_provide python3-%{srcname}}

This is a line you should include in each of your subpackages and it works thus: First the part ?python_provide: checks whether the macro exists and if not, the entire line is ignored. After that we actually use the %python_provide macro and give it one argument—the name of the given subpackage.

The macro will then check whether this Python version is default or not—if not, the line is again ignored. However, if indeed this is the currently default Python version, the macro is replaced with a virtual provides tag: Provides: python-%{srcname}. This will tell the packaging system (dnf, yum, …) to install this subpackage when user searches for python-example.

%description

Each subpackage also needs to contain its own description. However, unlike the Summary: and Requires: tags, which are automatically applied to the subpackage declared above them, the %description macro needs to be told to which subpackage it belongs. You can do that by appending the same name as you did with the %package macro itself.

%description -n python3-%{srcname}
A Python tool which provides a convenient example.

BuildRequires and Requires

Now that you’re building subpackages for both Python 2 and Python 3, you need to adjust the BuildRequires: by adding Python 3 versions of all the existing build dependencies. Starting with python-devel: Use its new version-specific name python2-devel and add it’s Python 3 equivalent python3-devel.

As described above, Requires: tags are a bit more complicated. You should move the current set of Requires: underneath the definition of the Python 2 subpackage, and for the Python 3 subpackage, you need to find Python 3 alternatives for all the current Python 2 runtime requirements that are specified with the Requires: tags.

%build

Currently your package is building the software for Python 2, what we need to do is also add building for Python 3. While we’re modifying the spec file, however, it’s a good idea to also update it to new standards—in this case a new macro.

In the ideal case, you’ll find the build done with either the %py2_build macro or its older version %py_build, which you then should exchange for the former. In either case, you can just add the macro %py3_build afterwards, and this part is done. Note that to use these macros, you need to have python2-devel and/or python3-devel listed among BuildRequires, but most Python packages already do.

%build
%py2_build
%py3_build

In many cases, however, you will find a custom build command prefixed by the %{__python} or %{__python2} macros, or in some cases just prefixed by the python interpreter invoked without a macro at all, e.g.:

%{__python} custombuild.py --many-flags
    or
python custombuild.py --many-flags

In these cases first try substituting the whole build command by the new pair of smart macros %py2_build and %py3_build, which should in many cases correctly figure out what ought to be done automatically. Otherwise, duplicate the entire command and change the invocation of the python interpreter to the %{__python2} macro in one of them and to the %{__python3} in the other.

%build
%{__python2} custombuild.py --many-flags
%{__python3} custombuild.py --many-flags

Rarely, you might encounter some non-Python build script such as a Makefile. In these instances you have to adjust the script on your own, consult the documentation for the specific build method.

%install

The %install section is perhaps the most crucial one, because we have to be very mindful of which executable goes where and what symlinks should be created.

First, in the same manner as in the preceding %build section, it is advisable to upgrade the current Python 2 install command to use the new %py2_install macro, however, if that doesn’t work for you, you can stick with the current install command, just make sure it’s invoked by the %{__python2} macro. The corresponding Python 3 install command will then either be the custom command prefixed by %{__python3} or the new %py3_install macro, which I’ll be using in this example.

Again as in the %build section, in the rare cases where you encounter a non-Python install script such as a Makefile, consult documentation for the specific install method and make adjustments on your own.

As the packaging guidelines specify, the Python 2 package is currently to be the default one, thus it is best if we first install the Python 3 version of our software and then the one for Python 2, because in case they are installing some files into the same directories (such as /usr/bin/), one installation will overwrite the files of the other. So if we install the Python 2 version last, its files will be located in those shared directories.

%install
%py3_install

# Now /usr/bin/sample-exec is Python 3, so we move it away
mv %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python3_version}

%py2_install

# Now /usr/bin/sample-exec is Python 2, and we move it away anyway
mv %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python2_version}

%check

Unlike in previous sections, there’s no special macro for the %check section, and so here if the original spec file uses any sort of a python script for testing, just make sure that the tests are invoked once using the %{__python2} macro and a second time using the %{__python3} macro.

%check
%{__python2} setup.py test
%{__python3} setup.py test

Chances are that you will encounter a custom Python command that runs the tests, such as nosetests or py.test. In that case find out what is the name of the executable for Python 3 and run it after the Python 2 command.

If the command for Python 2 can be invoked explicitly for Python 2, e.g. as py.test-2 instead of just py.test, use it. Note that to use py.test commands, you need to have python2-pytest and/or python3-pytest listed among BuildRequires.

%check
py.test-2
py.test-3

or

nosetests-%{python2_version}
nosetests-%{python3_version}

As you can see on the example of the nosetests, not all packages follow the proper naming conventions for executables. To list what executables a package contains, you can use:

$ dnf repoquery -l python3-nose | grep /usr/bin/
/usr/bin/nosetests-3.4

%files

The presence or absence of a %files section is the deciding factor in whether a given package or subpackage gets built or not. Therefore, to assure that our base package doesn’t get built (as all the content has been moved to the two subpackages), make sure there is no %files section without a subpackage name.

You can reuse the current %files section for the Python 2 submodule by giving it the appropriate package name. You can keep it almost the same as before, just make sure that, where appropriate, it uses the new macros %{python2_sitelib}, %{python2_sitearch}, %{python2_version} or perhaps %{python2_version_nodots}. Finally, don’t forget to add the two new locations of the executable we’ve made available through the symlinks.

%files -n python2-%{srcname}
%license COPYING
%doc README
%{python2_sitelib}/*
%{_bindir}/sample-exec
%{_bindir}/sample-exec-2
%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python2_version}

Accordingly we’ll also add a %files section for the Python 3 subpackage. You can copy the previous files section, but make sure you change all the Python 2 macros into Python 3 versions. And unlike the former, the Python 3 %files section shall not contain the unversioned executable (sample-exec in our example) as that executable is for Python 2, not 3.

%files -n python3-%{srcname}
%license COPYING
%doc README
%{python3_sitelib}/*
%{_bindir}/sample-exec-3
%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python3_version}

Are shebangs dragging you down (to Python 2)?

A shebang is an indicator on the first line of an executable script that indicates in what interpreter is the script supposed to be launched, examples include python, bash and perl. When software gets ported to Python 3, the lone shebang often remains forgotten and keeps pointing to Python 2. In most cases this is handled automatically: the setup.py script (usually run through the %py3_build and %py3_install RPM macros) adjusts shebangs for you. However, sometimes it’s up to you to handle the situation.

RPM has very good capabilities of automatically finding dependencies, and one of the ways it accomplishes that is by looking at the shebangs of all the files in the package. Therefore it is important to check if the shebangs are not dragging in a runtime dependency on Python 2.

As the porting of the spec file is nearly finished, build it and then run the following analysis on the resulting Python 3 RPM file:

$ rpm -qp --requires path/to/an.rpm | grep -E '/usr/bin/(python|env)'

This will list all the Python executables your RPM package depends on as well as the /usr/bin/env executable which usually invokes python. The use of env is dangerous: applications should be using the safe system version of Python and not trust whatever version env might try to substitute. If you find that an RPM package for Python 3 depends on Python 2 or /usr/bin/env you need to fix it.

Fixing shebangs

First find out what shebangs are used in your package by unpacking the sources for the project, cd-ing into the unpacked directory and trying the following command(s):

$ # Searches for all shebangs among the sources
$ grep -r '^#!/' .

$ # Searches only Python shebangs
$ grep -rE '^#!/usr/bin/(python|env python)' .

You will usually find one of these two shebangs:

#!/usr/bin/python
#!/usr/bin/env python

It is advisable to change both of these to #!/usr/bin/python3. /usr/bin/env can be useful for scripts, but applications should link to the system version of Python outright.

To change the shebangs in the files you can use one (or a combination) of the following commands, which you should place at the end of the %prep section. They will change the shebangs to point to the Python 3 interpreter stored in the ${__python3} macro.

$ # Change shebang in individual files
$ sed -i '1s=^#!/usr/bin/\(python\|env python\)[0-9.]*=#!%{__python3}=' path/to/file1 file2 file3 ...

$ # Change shebang in all relevant files in this directory and all subdirectories
$ # See `man find` for how the `-exec command {} +` syntax works
$ find -type f -exec sed -i '1s=^#!/usr/bin/\(python\|env python\)[23]\?=#!%{__python3}=' {} +

$ # Change shebang in all relevant executable files in this directory and all subdirectories
$ find -type f -executable -exec sed -i '1s=^#!/usr/bin/\(python\|env python\)[23]\?=#!%{__python3}=' {} +

You don’t have to worry about accidentally corrupting other files as these scripts will only change a file if the beginning of its first line exactly matches one of the two aforementioned shebangs.

Ported RPM spec file

Here you can peruse the entire ported spec file:

%global srcname example

Name:           python-%{srcname}
Version:        1.2.3
Release:        2%{?dist}
Summary:        An example Python tool

License:        MIT
URL:            https://pypi.org/project/%{srcname}
Source0:        https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/source/e/%{srcname}/%{srcname}-%{version}.tar.gz

BuildArch:      noarch
BuildRequires:  python2-devel
BuildRequires:  python3-devel

%description
A Python tool which provides a convenient example.


%package -n python2-%{srcname}
Summary:        %{summary}
Requires:       python-some-module
Requires:       python2-other-module
%{?python_provide:%python_provide python2-%{srcname}}

%description -n python2-%{srcname}
A Python tool which provides a convenient example.


%package -n python3-%{srcname}
Summary:        %{summary}
Requires:       python3-some-module
Requires:       python3-other-module
%{?python_provide:%python_provide python3-%{srcname}}

%description -n python3-%{srcname}
A Python tool which provides a convenient example.


%prep
%autosetup -n %{srcname}-%{version}


%build
%py2_build
%py3_build


%install
# Here we have to think about the order, because the scripts in /usr/bin are
# overwritten with every setup.py install.
# If the script in /usr/bin provides the same functionality regardless
# of the Python version, we only provide Python 3 version and we need to run
# the py3_install after py2_install.

# If we need to include the executable both for Python 2 and 3--for example
# because it interacts with code from the user--then the default executable
# should be the one for Python 2.
# We are going to assume that case here, because it is a bit more complex.

%py3_install

# Now /usr/bin/sample-exec is Python 3, so we move it away
mv %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python3_version}

%py2_install

# Now /usr/bin/sample-exec is Python 2, and we move it away anyway
mv %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python2_version}

# The guidelines also specify we must provide symlinks with a '-X' suffix.
ln -s ./sample-exec-%{python2_version} %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-2
ln -s ./sample-exec-%{python3_version} %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-3

# Finally, we provide /usr/bin/sample-exec as a link to /usr/bin/sample-exec-2
ln -s ./sample-exec-2 %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec


%check
%{__python2} setup.py test
%{__python3} setup.py test


# Note that there is no %%files section for the unversioned Python package
# if we are building for several Python runtimes
%files -n python2-%{srcname}
%license COPYING
%doc README
%{python2_sitelib}/*
%{_bindir}/sample-exec
%{_bindir}/sample-exec-2
%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python2_version}

%files -n python3-%{srcname}
%license COPYING
%doc README
%{python3_sitelib}/*
%{_bindir}/sample-exec-3
%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python3_version}


%changelog
...

Diff of the changes

And here you can see the diff of the original and the ported spec files to fully observe all the changes that were made:

--- /home/docs/checkouts/readthedocs.org/user_builds/python-rpm-porting/checkouts/latest/specs/tool.spec.orig
+++ /home/docs/checkouts/readthedocs.org/user_builds/python-rpm-porting/checkouts/latest/specs/tool.spec
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Name:           python-%{srcname}
 Version:        1.2.3
-Release:        1%{?dist}
+Release:        2%{?dist}
 Summary:        An example Python tool
 
 License:        MIT
@@ -10,11 +10,30 @@
 Source0:        https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/source/e/%{srcname}/%{srcname}-%{version}.tar.gz
 
 BuildArch:      noarch
-BuildRequires:  python-devel
-Requires: python-some-module
-Requires: python2-other-module
+BuildRequires:  python2-devel
+BuildRequires:  python3-devel
 
 %description
+A Python tool which provides a convenient example.
+
+
+%package -n python2-%{srcname}
+Summary:        %{summary}
+Requires:       python-some-module
+Requires:       python2-other-module
+%{?python_provide:%python_provide python2-%{srcname}}
+
+%description -n python2-%{srcname}
+A Python tool which provides a convenient example.
+
+
+%package -n python3-%{srcname}
+Summary:        %{summary}
+Requires:       python3-some-module
+Requires:       python3-other-module
+%{?python_provide:%python_provide python3-%{srcname}}
+
+%description -n python3-%{srcname}
 A Python tool which provides a convenient example.
 
 
@@ -23,22 +42,61 @@
 
 
 %build
-%{__python} setup.py build
+%py2_build
+%py3_build
 
 
 %install
-%{__python} setup.py install --skip-build --root $RPM_BUILD_ROOT
+# Here we have to think about the order, because the scripts in /usr/bin are
+# overwritten with every setup.py install.
+# If the script in /usr/bin provides the same functionality regardless
+# of the Python version, we only provide Python 3 version and we need to run
+# the py3_install after py2_install.
+
+# If we need to include the executable both for Python 2 and 3--for example
+# because it interacts with code from the user--then the default executable
+# should be the one for Python 2.
+# We are going to assume that case here, because it is a bit more complex.
+
+%py3_install
+
+# Now /usr/bin/sample-exec is Python 3, so we move it away
+mv %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python3_version}
+
+%py2_install
+
+# Now /usr/bin/sample-exec is Python 2, and we move it away anyway
+mv %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python2_version}
+
+# The guidelines also specify we must provide symlinks with a '-X' suffix.
+ln -s ./sample-exec-%{python2_version} %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-2
+ln -s ./sample-exec-%{python3_version} %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec-3
+
+# Finally, we provide /usr/bin/sample-exec as a link to /usr/bin/sample-exec-2
+ln -s ./sample-exec-2 %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/sample-exec
 
 
 %check
-%{__python} setup.py test
+%{__python2} setup.py test
+%{__python3} setup.py test
 
 
-%files
+# Note that there is no %%files section for the unversioned Python package
+# if we are building for several Python runtimes
+%files -n python2-%{srcname}
 %license COPYING
 %doc README
-%{python_sitelib}/*
+%{python2_sitelib}/*
 %{_bindir}/sample-exec
+%{_bindir}/sample-exec-2
+%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python2_version}
+
+%files -n python3-%{srcname}
+%license COPYING
+%doc README
+%{python3_sitelib}/*
+%{_bindir}/sample-exec-3
+%{_bindir}/sample-exec-%{python3_version}
 
 
 %changelog