packaging - How to create Python egg file

Question

I have questions about egg files in Python.

I have much Python code organized by package and I'm trying to create egg files. I'm following instructions, but they are very common.

According to that, it seems I need to have a setup.py file.

1. Would you please tell me what I need to put into setup.py file and where it should reside?
2. I suppose it's enough to create setup.py and then start "setup.py bdist_egg" for getting egg file. Could you please confirm?
3. Is it possible to include only .pyc files into egg file?
4. Having .egg file how I can just start the code from it without unpacking like java -jar <jar file> does?

Answer 1

You are reading the wrong documentation. You want this: https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/setuptools.html#develop-deploy-the-project-source-in-development-mode

1. Creating setup.py is covered in the distutils documentation in Python's standard library documentation here. The main difference (for python eggs) is you import setup from setuptools, not distutils.

2. Yep. That should be right.

3. I don't think so. pyc files can be version and platform dependent. You might be able to open the egg (they should just be zip files) and delete .py files leaving .pyc files, but it wouldn't be recommended.

4. I'm not sure. That might be “Development Mode”. Or are you looking for some “py2exe” or “py2app” mode?