looseversion

library1.3.0pypypi✓ verified 23d ago

The `looseversion` package is a backwards/forwards-compatible fork of `distutils.version.LooseVersion`, designed for comparing heterogeneous version schemes that do not strictly follow PEP 440. It offers an identical interface and comparison logic to the original, with the main enhancement being comparability between `looseversion.LooseVersion` and `distutils.version.LooseVersion` instances. The current version is 1.3.0, released on July 5, 2023, and it aims to be a stable replacement for the deprecated `distutils` version class, with a relatively low release cadence focused on compatibility and maintenance.

serialization

pip install looseversion

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · LOOSEVERSION

looseversion

serializationpythonv1.3.0

Install

1.5s avg

Import

—

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 v1.3.0 · 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 0.000s · 17.8MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 1.5s · import 0.000s · 18MB

16MB installed

● package 16MB

Code

Verified usage

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

LooseVersion

✓ from looseversion import LooseVersion

✗ from distutils.version import LooseVersion

The `distutils.version.LooseVersion` class is deprecated and will be removed in Python 3.12 and later. The `looseversion` package provides a direct, compatible replacement.

Demonstrates basic version object creation and comparison, including comparison with a string literal.

from looseversion import LooseVersion v1 = LooseVersion("1.0.0") v2 = LooseVersion("2.0.0") print(f"'{v1}' < '{v2}' is {v1 < v2}") print(f"'{v1}' < '2' is {v1 < '2'}")

Debug

Known issues

breakingDirect import from `distutils.version.LooseVersion` will cause `ModuleNotFoundError` in Python 3.12 and later, as `distutils` is removed from the standard library.

fix

Change import statements from `from distutils.version import LooseVersion` to `from looseversion import LooseVersion`.

affects: Python 3.12+

gotchaFor comparing versions of Python packages that strictly follow PEP 440, `packaging.version.Version` is generally preferred. `looseversion.LooseVersion` is specifically designed for more heterogeneous or 'anarchic' version schemes that do not conform to PEP 440.

fix

Evaluate whether your version comparison needs align with PEP 440 (use `packaging.version.Version`) or if you require the more flexible, `distutils`-style 'loose' comparison (use `looseversion.LooseVersion`).

affects: All versions

gotchaWhile `looseversion.LooseVersion` aims for compatibility, some very unusual version strings (e.g., those starting with non-numeric characters in segments) might behave unexpectedly due to its underlying 'loose' parsing logic, which differs significantly from strict semantic versioning. It attempts to split on periods or letter strings and compare numerically/lexically.

fix

Test `looseversion` behavior with your specific, non-standard version string formats to ensure it meets expectations, especially for complex or highly unconventional patterns.

affects: All versions

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils'

The `distutils` package, which historically contained `LooseVersion`, has been deprecated and removed in Python 3.12 and later versions.

fix

Update your import statement from `from distutils.version import LooseVersion` to `from looseversion import LooseVersion`.

AttributeError: module 'distutils' has no attribute 'version'

This error occurs when code attempts to access `distutils.version.LooseVersion`, but the `distutils` module or its `version` attribute is no longer directly available or has moved within `setuptools` in newer Python environments.

fix

Change the import statement to `from looseversion import LooseVersion`.

AttributeError: 'LooseVersion' object has no attribute 'version'

This typically happens when an invalid or `None` value is passed to the `LooseVersion` constructor, or when a comparison is attempted between a `LooseVersion` object and an incompatible type, leading to an attempt to access a non-existent `.version` attribute on the `LooseVersion` instance itself.

fix

Ensure that a valid version string is always passed to the `LooseVersion()` constructor, and that comparisons are made between properly initialized `LooseVersion` objects or compatible types.

TypeError: '<' not supported between instances of 'str' and 'int'

This error arises when `LooseVersion` attempts to compare components of version strings that are of fundamentally different and unorderable types (e.g., a string like 'alpha' and an integer like '1') within its comparison logic.

fix

While `looseversion` is designed for flexible versioning, review the version strings for highly heterogeneous segments that might not have a clear comparative order. Consider normalizing such segments or ensuring consistency in type for comparable parts.

Upgrade

Version history

1.3.0latest on PyPI · released Jul 5, 2023

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

11 hits · last 30 days

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/effigies/looseversion ↗

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