Parse and Create Python Distribution Metadata

0.9.0 · active · verified Thu Apr 16

dist-meta is a Python library (current version 0.9.0) designed to parse and create Python distribution metadata, primarily interacting with `dist-info/METADATA` files. It provides tools for reading distribution information, entry points, and `RECORD` files. Releases are made irregularly as features are added or issues resolved.

Common errors

```
dist_meta.metadata.MissingFieldError: 'Name'
```
cause The input metadata string or file is missing a required field, such as 'Name' or 'Version', which are mandatory in Python distribution metadata.

fix Ensure all mandatory fields (e.g., `Metadata-Version`, `Name`, `Version`) are present and correctly formatted in the metadata string or file being parsed.
```
AttributeError: 'str' object has no attribute 'read'
```
cause Attempted to pass a string containing metadata directly to `dist_meta.metadata.load()`, which expects a file-like object with a `read()` method.

fix Use `from dist_meta.metadata import loads` and pass the metadata as a string to the `loads()` function. Alternatively, if you intend to read from a file, open the file and pass the file object to `load()`.

Warnings

gotcha When parsing metadata, ensure the input string or file adheres to the Python Core Metadata Specifications (e.g., PEP 643 for Metadata-Version 2.2+ or earlier PEPs). Incorrectly formatted or incomplete metadata may lead to parsing errors or missing fields.
Fix: Refer to the official Python packaging specifications for the metadata version you are working with. Validate metadata structure and required fields before parsing.
gotcha The `loads()` function is for parsing a string, while `load()` is for parsing a file-like object. Using a file path directly with `loads()` or string content with `load()` will result in `TypeError` or `AttributeError`.
Fix: For string content, use `dist_meta.metadata.loads()`. For file paths or file objects, open the file and pass the content to `loads()` or the file object to `load()` respectively.

Install

pip install dist-meta Install with pip

Imports

loads
```
from dist_meta.metadata import loads
```

get_distribution

from dist_meta.distributions import get_distribution

EntryPoint

from dist_meta.entry_points import EntryPoint

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to parse a Python distribution's metadata string using `dist_meta.metadata.loads`. This is useful for programmatically inspecting package information.

from dist_meta.metadata import loads

metadata_content = '''\
Metadata-Version: 2.1
Name: my-example-package
Version: 1.2.3
Summary: A simple example Python package.
Author: Example Developer
Author-Email: dev@example.com
Requires-Python: >=3.6.1
''')

parsed_metadata = loads(metadata_content)

print(f"Package Name: {parsed_metadata['Name']}")
print(f"Package Version: {parsed_metadata['Version']}")
print(f"Requires Python: {parsed_metadata['Requires-Python']}")

view raw JSON →