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distribution plan
Prepare your distribution
In order to share your newly created module, you need to prepare a
distribution. This is the Python name given to the collection of files that
together allow you to build, package, and distribute your module.
Once a distribution exists, you can install your module into your local copy Do this!
of Python, as well as upload your module to PyPI to share with the world.
Follow along with the process described on these two pages to create a
distribution for your module.
1 Begin by creating a folder for your module. Follow along with each of
With the folder created, copy your nester.py module file into the the steps described on these
folder. To keep things simple, let’s call the folder nester: pages. By the time you reach
the end, your module will
have transformed into a
The “nester.py” Python distribution.
module file.
The newly created
“nester” folder (or
nester directory).
2 Create a file called “setup.py” in your new folder.
This file contains metadata about your distribution. Edit this file by adding the following code:
Import the
“setup” function
from Python’s from distutils.core import setup
distribution utilities.
Associate your module’s
setup( metadata with the setup
name = 'nester', function’s arguments.
These are the version = '1.0.0',
setup function’s py_modules = ['nester'],
argument names. author = 'hfpython', These are the
values Head First
author_email = 'hfpython@headfirstlabs.com',
Labs use with
url = 'http://www.headfirstlabs.com', their modules;
description = 'A simple printer of nested lists', your metadata
) will be different.
40 Chapter 2