python / calibre-debug / venv

[Rushdie1234]

It feels like a catch-22, but if you use the calibre api it requires its own binary (calibre-debug) and yet to code in a virtual environment (venv), you also have to use a specific binary, in this case the python binary created in the venv. Is it possible to use the calibre database within python within a virtual environment? Am I missing something maybe?

Any help would be appreciated.

[kovidgoyal]

Why do you want to use a venv? calibre contains its own isolated python already. Simply use it. If you want to import some other packages, then add the path to them to sys.path before importing them.

[Rushdie1234]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Why do you want to use a venv? calibre contains its own isolated python already. Simply use it. If you want to import some other packages, then add the path to them to sys.path before importing them.

Well installing libraries is usually done within a venv, not system wide. So how does that work? I can't install a library legitimately without venv. (Not really.)

Again, I could be missing something.

[Rushdie1234]

Say, for instance I wanted to use eBookLib. To insall that, I use pip, but to do that I need to be within a venv. Pip won't let me install system-wide unless I break with security.

[kovidgoyal]

Why on earth would you want to use ebooklib with calibre, calibre contains far more capable code to read ebook formats. And no you dont need to install using venv, venv is just a crutch for people that dont take the time to understand how python importing works. Just download ebooklib wheel and add the path to the wheel to sys.path and then import it. Or unzip the whl file and add the path to the top level directory containing the top level __init__.py to sys.path and import it.

[Rushdie1234]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Why on earth would you want to use ebooklib with calibre, calibre contains far more capable code to read ebook formats. And no you dont need to install using venv, venv is just a crutch for people that dont take the time to understand how python importing works. Just download ebooklib wheel and add the path to the wheel to sys.path and then import it. Or unzip the whl file and add the path to the top level directory containing the top level __init__.py to sys.path and import it.

I don't want to use ebooklib. That was just an example of an external library. There could be a thousand libraries I need in a given script.

But yes, I understand. Just manually download and include the library in the project folder and then add to sys.path. That makes sense.

I would argue though that pip isn't a crutch for the clueless, as you implied. It seems elegant and efficient to me.

But thank you for the help.

[kovidgoyal]

If you think the python packaging ecosystem is elegant I urge you to google problems with python packaging.