Difference between entry_points/console_scripts and scripts in setup.py?
PythonPackagesetup.pyPython Problem Overview
There are basically two ways to install Python console scripts to my path by setup.py:
setup(
...
entry_points = {
'console_scripts': [
'foo = package.module:func',
],
}
)
and
setup(
...
scripts = [
'scripts/myscript.sh'
]
)
What are the differences? I see the first approach allows me to choose nice, specific name for my script, but are there any other differences? Different original purposes, compatibility (setuptools, distutils, ...?), usage, ...? I am quite confused and a nice elaborated reply could help me (and probably also others) to properly understand all this.
Update: Since I asked the question PyPA published these cool docs on the topic.
Python Solutions
Solution 1 - Python
The docs for the (awesome) Click package [suggest a few reasons][1] to use entry points instead of scripts, including
- cross-platform compatibility and
- avoiding having the interpreter assign
__name__to__main__, which could cause code to be imported twice (if another module imports your script)
Click is a nice way to implement functions for use as entry_points, btw.
[1]: http://click.pocoo.org/dev/setuptools/ "dev docs for the Click package"
Solution 2 - Python
One key difference between these two ways of creating command line executables is that with the setuptools approach (your first example), you have to call a function inside of the script -- in your case this is the func inside of your module. However, in the distutils approach (your second example) you call the script directly (which allows being listed with or without an extension).
Solution 3 - Python
The setup tools entry point approach (#1) also has the benefit that on windows an .exe will be created that can be double clicked and invoked like a regular windows program. This is in addition to having a script placed in the bin path on posix-like systems.
Solution 4 - Python
One more difference is that when using console_scripts, my module's __init__ file was run. When just using scripts, the module __init__ was not run, only the script was run.