entry point in setup.py

Question

/project  
../project/script.py  
../project/__init__.py  (This is a blank File)
setup.py  
other files like README.

#script.py
def function1():
    print "hi"

def main():
    function1()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()


#setup.py
setup(
name='project',
version= __version__,
long_description=markdown_contents,
packages=['project'],
entry_points={
  'console_scripts': [ 'project=project:main']
  }
)

I am able to to pip install and stuff. but when I run project once the package is installed , I get init_.pyc'> has no 'main' attribute
I just want to run the functions in main of script.py when I run project command on the box. What am I doing wrong ?

Answer 1

Your main project package indeed doesn't have a main attribute. project:main means: import main from the project module, and you don't have such an object in __init__.py.

You probably want to refer to project.script:function1 instead. That object does exist.

Best practice is to define a main() function, and use that as an entry point:

def function1():
    print "hi"

def main():
    function1()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Now you can add more to main() as needed.

Note that the __name__ == '__main__' test will always be false when the script module is imported by the script generated by setuptools. The file is not run directly.