setup.py not installing data files

Question

I have a Python library that, in addition to regular Python modules, has some data files that need to go in /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-package/mylibrary.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to convince setup.py to actually install the data files there. Note that this behaviour is under install - not sdist.

Here is a slightly redacted version of setup.py

module_list = list_of_files

setup(name         ='Modules',
      version      ='1.33.7',
      description  ='My Sweet Module',
      author       ='PN',
      author_email ='email',
      url          ='url',
      packages     = ['my_module'],

# I tried this. It got installed in /usr/my_module. Not ok.

      # data_files   = [ ("my_module",  ["my_module/data1",
      #                                  "my_module/data2"])]

# This doesn't install it at all.
      package_data = {"my_module" : ["my_module/data1",
                                     "my_module/data2"] }
     )

This is in Python 2.7 (will have to run in 2.6 eventually), and will have to run on some Ubuntu between 10.04 and 12+. Developing it right now on 12.04.

Answer 1

UPD: package_data accepts dict in format {'package': ['list', 'of?', 'globs*']}, so to make it work, one should specify shell globs relative to package dir, not the file paths relative to the distribution root.

data_files has a different meaning, and, in general, one should avoid using this parameter.

With setuptools you only need include_package_data=True, but data files should be under version control system, known to setuptools (by default it recognizes only CVS and SVN, install setuptools-git or setuptools-hg if you use git or hg...)

---

with setuptools you can:

- in MANIFEST.im:

    include my_module/data*

- in setup.py:

    setup(
        ...
        include_package_data = True,
        ...
    )