entrypoints

library0.4pypypi✓ verified 10d ago

The `entrypoints` library facilitates the discovery and loading of entry points advertised by installed Python packages. It offers a lightweight and faster alternative to `pkg_resources` for this specific functionality, avoiding the full package scans that can slow down `pkg_resources` at import time. The current version is 0.4. The package is in maintenance-only mode, with new code advised to use the `importlib.metadata` module from the Python standard library for entry point management.

devops

pip install entrypoints

github ↗package ↗docs ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ENTRYPOINTS

entrypoints

devopspythonv0.4

Install

1.5s avg

Import

32ms

Disk

16MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v0.4 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.032s · 17.8MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 1.5s · import 0.032s · 18MB

16MB installed

● package 16MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

get_group_all

✓ from entrypoints import get_group_all

get_group_named

✓ from entrypoints import get_group_named

EntryPoint

✓ from entrypoints import EntryPoint

This quickstart demonstrates how to find and load entry points, specifically 'console_scripts'. It iterates through found entry points, prints their details, and attempts to load the associated Python object.

from entrypoints import get_group_all # Example: Find all 'console_scripts' entry points console_scripts = get_group_all('console_scripts') print(f"Found {len(console_scripts)} console scripts:") for ep in console_scripts: print(f" - {ep.name}: {ep.module}.{ep.attr}") try: # Load the entry point (e.g., a function) loaded_object = ep.load() # You can then call the loaded_object if it's a function # print(f" Loaded object: {loaded_object}") except Exception as e: print(f" Could not load {ep.name}: {e}")

Debug

Known issues

breakingThe `entrypoints` package is in maintenance-only mode. New code should use `importlib.metadata` (part of the Python standard library since 3.8, non-provisional since 3.10) for discovering and loading entry points. For Python versions older than 3.8, consider using the `importlib_metadata` backport.

fix

Migrate to `importlib.metadata` for new implementations: `from importlib.metadata import entry_points` (or `from importlib_metadata import entry_points` for older Python).

affects: All versions

gotchaWhen multiple versions of the same distribution are present in different directories on `sys.path`, `entrypoints` follows a 'first one wins' rule. This typically aligns with Python's import logic, but can lead to unexpected behavior if specific versions are expected.

fix

Ensure a clean and controlled Python environment, ideally using virtual environments, where only the desired version of a package is available. Rely on `pip` to manage package installations to avoid multiple `.dist-info` or `.egg-info` directories for the same package.

affects: All versions

gotcha`entrypoints` relies on `pip` (or similar tools) to ensure only one `.dist-info` or `.egg-info` directory exists for each installed package. If this assumption is violated, there's no reliable way to pick the correct metadata, which can lead to incorrect entry point resolution.

fix

Always use standard package managers like `pip` for installation. Avoid manual manipulation of `site-packages` or `dist-info`/`egg-info` directories. If issues arise, a clean reinstallation in a fresh virtual environment is recommended.

affects: All versions

Errors

Common errors & fixes

AttributeError: 'EntryPoints' object has no attribute 'get'

This error typically occurs when using an older API for accessing entry points (like `get()`) on an `EntryPoints` object, which has changed its interface in `importlib-metadata` versions 5.0 and higher. The `entrypoints` library itself is in maintenance mode and newer Python versions often implicitly use `importlib.metadata`.

fix

Pin your `importlib-metadata` package to version 4.13.0 or earlier (`pip install 'importlib-metadata<5'`). Alternatively, if using `importlib.metadata` directly, adopt the modern `select()` method to retrieve entry points by group or name, rather than dictionary-like access.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'your_package_name' (when running a console_script)

This usually happens when a console script defined in `pyproject.toml` or `setup.py` (which internally uses entry points) cannot find the module it's supposed to execute. This can be due to incorrect package structure, missing `__init__.py` files, or the package not being properly installed in the environment where the script is run.

fix

Ensure your package has `__init__.py` files in all its directories to be recognized as a package. Verify the module path specified in your `console_scripts` entry point (e.g., `my_script=my_package.module:function`) is correct and that the package is installed in the active Python environment (use `pip install -e .` for development installs).

DeprecationWarning: SelectableGroups dict interface is deprecated. Use select().

This warning indicates that code is using a dictionary-like interface on the `EntryPoints` object, which is being phased out in `importlib.metadata` (and thus affects `entrypoints` usage as well). While currently a warning, it will become an `AttributeError` in future versions.

fix

Refactor your code to use the `select()` method on the `EntryPoints` object to filter by group or name. For example, instead of `entry_points()['my_group']`, use `entry_points(group='my_group')` or `entry_points().select(group='my_group')`.

Upgrade

Version history

0.4latest on PyPI · released Feb 2, 2022

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

10 hits · last 30 days

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/takluyver/entrypoints ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/entrypoints/ ↗

docshttps://entrypoints.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ ↗