Formic2: Apache Ant FileSet and Globs

1.0.3 · maintenance · verified Sat Apr 11

Formic2 is a Python library that implements Apache Ant's FileSet and Globs patterns, including the `**` directory wildcard. It provides a programmatic and command-line interface for concisely specifying and retrieving sets of files based on inclusion and exclusion rules. Version 1.0.3 was released in May 2018, and the project's release cadence is considered stalled with no recent updates.

Warnings

gotcha The library officially supports Python 2.6+ or 3.4+. While `requires_python: <4` on PyPI suggests compatibility with Python 3.x versions up to 3.9, the documentation explicitly states it has 'not been tested on other Python version' beyond these old versions. Modern Python environments (3.10+) may encounter untested or compatibility issues.
Fix: Thoroughly test `formic2` in your specific Python 3.10+ environment before relying on it in production. Consider alternative, actively maintained libraries for new projects.
breaking The project is no longer actively maintained. The last release was over 7 years ago (May 2018). This means bug fixes, security patches, or new feature development are highly unlikely.
Fix: Be aware that issues encountered will likely require custom solutions or migration to an alternative library. Assess the risks for long-term project viability.
gotcha File matching behavior for case sensitivity differs between operating systems. `formic` is always case-insensitive on Windows (NT), but is case-sensitive by default on POSIX systems (Linux/macOS) unless `casesensitive=False` is explicitly set in `FileSet`.
Fix: When developing cross-platform applications, explicitly set the `casesensitive` parameter in `formic.FileSet` to ensure consistent behavior across different operating systems, e.g., `formic.FileSet(..., casesensitive=False)`.

Install

pip install formic2 Install with pip

Imports

FileSet
```
from formic import FileSet
```
The primary class for defining file sets with Ant-style globs.
formic
```
import formic
```
The top-level package import to access FileSet and other utilities.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to use `formic.FileSet` to define and iterate over files matching Ant-style glob patterns, including support for `**` for arbitrary directory matching. It creates a temporary directory structure to simulate a project and then uses `FileSet` to include and exclude files based on patterns.

import formic
import os
import tempfile
import shutil

# Create a temporary directory and some dummy files for demonstration
temp_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp()
current_dir = os.getcwd()
os.chdir(temp_dir) # Change to temp_dir to simulate working from there

print(f"Working in temporary directory: {temp_dir}")
os.makedirs("src/main/python", exist_ok=True)
os.makedirs("src/test/python", exist_ok=True)
os.makedirs("docs", exist_ok=True)

with open("src/main/python/app.py", "w") as f: f.write("print('app')")
with open("src/main/python/__init__.py", "w") as f: f.write("")
with open("src/test/python/test_app.py", "w") as f: f.write("print('test')")
with open("docs/README.md", "w") as f: f.write("# README")
with open("temp.bak", "w") as f: f.write("backup")

# Example 1: Find all Python files, excluding test files and __init__.py
print("\n--- Example 1: All Python files, excluding test files and __init__.py ---")
fileset1 = formic.FileSet(
    include="**/*.py",
    exclude=["**/test*/**", "**/__init__.py"],
    directory=".", # Specify current directory explicitly
    symlinks=False,
)
for file_name in fileset1:
    print(file_name)

# Example 2: Find all markdown files
print("\n--- Example 2: All Markdown files ---")
fileset2 = formic.FileSet(
    include="**/*.md",
    directory="."
)
for file_name in fileset2:
    print(file_name)

# Clean up
os.chdir(current_dir) # Change back to original directory
shutil.rmtree(temp_dir)
print(f"\nCleaned up temporary directory: {temp_dir}")

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