manifest file in Python

Purpose of the MANIFEST.in File

The MANIFEST.in file allows you to specify which files should be included in the source distribution of your package. When you run the setup.py sdist command, Python’s setuptools or distutils reads this file and includes the specified files in the created tarball or zip file.

Example MANIFEST.in Content and Explanation

Let's break down the example MANIFEST.in file:

include selenium/selenium.py
include selenium/__init__.py
include selenium/py.typed
include selenium/webdriver/common/linux/selenium-manager
include selenium/webdriver/common/macos/selenium-manager
include selenium/webdriver/common/windows/selenium-manager.exe
include CHANGES
include README.rst
include LICENSE

Explanation of Each Line

• include selenium/selenium.py: Ensures that selenium.py in the selenium directory is included in the source distribution.
• include selenium/__init__.py: Ensures that the __init__.py file in the selenium directory is included. This is typically needed to mark the directory as a package.
• include selenium/py.typed: Includes the py.typed file, which is used to indicate that the package supports type hints, according to PEP 561.
• include selenium/webdriver/common/linux/selenium-manager: Includes the selenium-manager executable for Linux.
• include selenium/webdriver/common/macos/selenium-manager: Includes the selenium-manager executable for macOS.
• include selenium/webdriver/common/windows/selenium-manager.exe: Includes the selenium-manager.exe executable for Windows.
• include CHANGES: Includes the CHANGES file, which usually contains the change log for the project.
• include README.rst: Includes the README.rst file, which often contains the project’s readme, providing an overview and instructions.
• include LICENSE: Includes the LICENSE file, which contains the licensing information for the project.

Why Include These Files?

Python Source Files and Package Metadata:

• Including Python source files like selenium.py and __init__.py is necessary for the functionality of the package.
• The py.typed file is included to ensure that type information is available for tools like mypy, which check type hints.

Executables:

• The selenium-manager executables for different platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows) are included to ensure that the package can provide platform-specific functionality without requiring users to manually download these executables.

Documentation and Licensing:

• Including CHANGES, README.rst, and LICENSE files is important for documentation and legal compliance. These files provide users with information about the project’s updates, usage instructions, and licensing terms.

How MANIFEST.in Works with setup.py

The MANIFEST.in file works in conjunction with the setup.py script. Here’s a simple example of how the setup.py might look:

from setuptools import setup, find_packages

setup(
    name='selenium',
    version='4.0.0',
    packages=find_packages(),
    include_package_data=True,  # This is important to ensure MANIFEST.in is respected
    ...
)

• include_package_data=True: This line tells setuptools to include any additional files specified in the MANIFEST.in file.