[Distutils] Re: [I18n-sig] JapaneseCodecs 1.4.7 released

[Barry A. Warsaw]

[Adding distutils-sig@python.org

>>>>> "MvL" == Martin v Loewis <martin@v.loewis.de> writes:

    >> I just realized we still have a problem with this distutils
    >> package.  It still insists on installing japanese.pth in
    >> /usr/local/lib/python-2.2/site-packages even if I include
    >> --install-lib and --install-purelib switches to the "python
    >> setup.py install" command.

    MvL> Since japanese.pth is processed as a 'data' file, you have
    MvL> two options: 1. Only invoke the install_lib command, not the
    MvL> install command. This will then avoid the install_headers,
    MvL> install_scripts, and install_data commands (the first two not
    MvL> being used here, anyway).

    MvL> 2. Provide the --install-data= argument to the install
    MvL> command, to specify an alternative prefix for data files.

I think I'm going to go with your second suggestion, since it fits in
better with what I've already got.

ObDistutils: the install command has a --root option and a --home
option, both of which would seem to do what I want, but neither quite
do.  E.g. invoking install with --root=/tmp/foo leaves me with
/tmp/foo/usr/local/lib/python2.1/site-packages/<pkg> and invoking with
--home=/tmp/foo leaves me with /tmp/foo/lib/python/<pkg>

What I really want is an option to leave me with /tmp/foo/<pkg> so
that I can put /tmp/foo on sys.path and be done with it, yet still
guarantee that distutils will only install files under /tmp/foo and no
where else.  It seems that I'm left with this as my best option:

% python setup.py install --install-lib /tmp/foo --install-purelib \
    /tmp/foo --install-data /tmp/foo

That still leaves me with /tmp/foo/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages/japanese.pth
but I'll ignore that for now <wink>.

Am I whacked not to want those extra directories in what I have to set
my PYTHONPATH to?  Maybe I'm just bucking the natural order of things,
but I still think I'd like an install command option that collapses
those three options into one.

If distutils is going to be used to install stuff in a site-packages
override directory, or in a user-specific search-first directory, I
think we need to make this simpler.

but-maybe-I'm-insane-ly y'rs,
-Barry