Google Apitools

Warnings

• breaking This library is officially deprecated and not actively developed. It is maintained only for use by the Google Cloud SDK. New projects should NOT use `google-apitools` directly; instead, use the official Google Cloud Client Libraries for specific services (e.g., `google-cloud-storage`, `google-cloud-bigquery`).
  Fix: For new projects, migrate to modern Google Cloud Client Libraries (e.g., `google-cloud-*`). For existing projects that depend on it via Cloud SDK, continue usage but be aware of its deprecated status.
• breaking Version 0.5.5 was an emergency release due to a backwards incompatible change in `oauth2client` 4.0.0. This indicates tight coupling with older dependency versions, which might break with newer versions of its core dependencies if not carefully managed.
  Fix: If `apitools <0.5.5` is used, ensure `oauth2client` is pinned to a compatible version (e.g., `<4.0.0`). If using `oauth2client >=4.0.0`, `apitools` should be `0.5.5+`. However, given the deprecation, upgrading `apitools` for new projects is not recommended.
• gotcha The library heavily supports Python 2.7 (indicated by `requires_python: >=2.7`). While it works with Python 3, its design and maintenance context are rooted in an older era of Python development, which might lead to unexpected behaviors or compatibility issues in modern Python 3-only environments.
  Fix: Avoid using in new Python 3-only projects. For existing projects, ensure thorough testing for Python 3 compatibility, especially with newer Python 3.x releases (e.g., 3.9+).
• gotcha Apitools is primarily designed for use with *auto-generated* client libraries specific to Google APIs. Direct usage of its base components (like `Http` or `encoding`) for general REST API interaction can be more complex and less intuitive compared to other, more actively maintained HTTP client libraries (e.g., `requests`).
  Fix: If not using a generated Apitools client, consider using a more general-purpose and actively maintained HTTP client library like `requests`.

Install

• pip install google-apitools Install latest version

Imports

• encoding

  from apitools.base.py import encoding

  Used for message serialization and deserialization (e.g., `DictToMessage`, `MessageToDict`).
• HttpError

  from apitools.base.py import exceptions

  While `HttpError` is defined in `apitools.base.py.exceptions`, the common and recommended import pattern is to import the `exceptions` module itself.
• GetCredentials

  from apitools.base.py import credentials_lib

  A helper function to retrieve Google application credentials.
• Http

  from apitools.base.py import http_wrapper

  To obtain the underlying `httplib2.Http` object, typically through methods like `http_wrapper.MakeRequest.http()` or other helpers within the `http_wrapper` module.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates core apitools functionalities: converting Python dictionaries to message objects (simulating usage with a generated client's message class) and back, and catching a simulated `HttpError`. It highlights the library's role in serialization/deserialization and error handling, which are central to its use with auto-generated API clients.

from apitools.base.py import encoding
from apitools.base.py import exceptions

# Apitools is primarily used with auto-generated client libraries
# that define specific Message classes. For demonstration, we'll
# define a simple Message using apitools' base Message class.

class MySimpleMessage(encoding.Message):
    field1 = encoding.StringField(1)
    field2 = encoding.IntegerField(2)

# 1. Convert a Python dictionary to an apitools Message
data_dict = {'field1': 'Hello Apitools', 'field2': 42}
message_instance = encoding.DictToMessage(data_dict, MySimpleMessage)

print(f"Original dict: {data_dict}")
print(f"Converted Message: {message_instance}")
print(f"Accessing message fields: {message_instance.field1}, {message_instance.field2}")

# 2. Convert an apitools Message back to a Python dictionary
dict_from_message = encoding.MessageToDict(message_instance)
print(f"Converted back to dict: {dict_from_message}")

# 3. Handle simulated HttpError (common in API interactions)
try:
    # In a real scenario, this error would be raised during an API call
    raise exceptions.HttpError(
        'https://api.example.com/data/404',
        request_headers={'User-Agent': 'apitools-demo'},
        response_headers={'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
        status_code=404,
        content=b'{"error": "Resource not found"}'
    )
except exceptions.HttpError as e:
    print(f"\nCaught a simulated HTTP Error:")
    print(f"Status Code: {e.status_code}")
    print(f"Error Content: {e.content.decode('utf-8')}")
    print(f"URL: {e.url}")