python including a folder in your distribution package

Question

I have a python package structured as below:

mypackage ├───build ├───dist ├───mypackage-------> file1.py, file2.py │ └───templates-->temp.html └───test └───MANIFEST.in └───setup.py

what I'm trying to do is to include the templates folder. Here is the relevant part of my setup.py

setup( packages=find_packages(), include_package_data=True, package_data = {'mypackages': ['templates/*.html']},

and here is my MANIFEST.in

include mypackage/templates recursive-include mypackage/ *.html

To produce the zip file, I use this command:

python setup.py sdist

Any ideas why the templates folder does not get included?

Are you missing an __init__.py in the templates folder? And this: scotttorborg.com/python-packaging/non-code-files.html — Gullydwarf
– Gullydwarf, Commented Nov 14, 2014 at 9:08
I do not have __init__.py in the template folder. I had tried putting it there but that only causes the folder to be included without the temp.html inside that folder. As for the manifest, I updated my post. It already includes mypackage/templates — max
– max, Commented Nov 14, 2014 at 17:10

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 11:49:27Z

1

You have to use MANIFEST.in to specify file to be included.

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answered Nov 14, 2014 at 23:02

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2 Comments

changing MANIFEST.in to this worked: include mypackage/templates/*

So why does this not do the same thing: recursive-include mypackage/ *.html? That was already in his manifest