Run console scripts whose name doesn't match package name

[tusharsadhwani]

For eg:

$ pipx run textflip            
'textflip' executable script not found in package 'textflip'. Available
executable scripts: flip

So it does know about the script named flip, but I can't seem to figure out how to make it run that.

I've tried doing:

• pipx run textflip.flip
• pipx run textflip --spec flip
• pipx run textflip flip etc.

None of these seem to work, and I can't seem to find the relevant documentation.

[tusharsadhwani]

Also, for whatever reason, pipx run textflip.flip seems to be translated into pipx run textflip-flip, which I don't think would ever be what I intended to do. Is that intended behaviour?

[cs01]

Try moving the spec argument. It’s being interpreted as an argument to the program you are running.

pipx run --spec PACKAGE APP

[tusharsadhwani]

$ pipx run --spec=textflip flip hello
oןןǝɥ

Yup, that does work. But it feels really unintuitive to me, the --spec param name, and the fact that the package name is being passed as an optional parameter and the console_script name is being passed as the default argument. I would assume it would be the other way around.

Something like:

$ pipx run --script=flip textflip

And pipx run textflip.flip would probably be the most ideal.

[uranusjr]

The syntax you suggested is not possible since textflip.flip is a valid package name.

[haakenlid]

Maybe the error message should explain that you can run pipx --spec textflip flip here?

$ pipx run textflip            
'textflip' executable script not found in package 'textflip'.
Available executable scripts:
    'flip' - usage: 'pipx run --spec textflip flip [arguments?]'

And in cases where there's a single executable, but with a different name than the package (usually a shorter command name for convenience), the user's intention is clearly to run that one. Maybe pipx could just run textflip.flip in this case?

[uranusjr]

An error message improvement would definitely be nice.

And in cases where there's a single executable, but with a different name than the package (usually a shorter command name for convenience), the user's intention is clearly to run that one. Maybe pipx could just run textflip.flip in this case?

Makes sense to me (if we add a line reminding the user what command is actually being invoked). Fancy a contribution?

[tusharsadhwani]

Some comments for the future: Maybe some extra metadata could be added into pyproject.toml to tell it what the default runnable module is inside this package. If unspecified the top level package is taken.

[tusharsadhwani]

Fancy a contribution?

I could take it up if you want!

[uranusjr]

Maybe some extra metadata could be added into pyproject.toml to tell it what the default runnable module is inside this package.

There’s already a mechanism for that introduced in #615. For a package named foobar, the package author can define a pipx.run entry point named foobar (same name as the package) and pipx will pick it up as the default command. Then you’re free to name your console_scripts whatever you want.

I could take it up if you want!

Go ahead!

[cs01]

I just did a quick search from my phone, but didn’t see it in the docs — is pipx.run captured in our documentation anywhere? We should add a section dedicated to adding pipx support for one’s package and add that to it.