Adding modules to Python Libs

A million years ago, when the XB version of XBMC was the only one, I did some messing around with Python scripts.

One thing I love about Python programming (and it occurs just as much in XBMC development as elsewhere) is the portability of convenience modules. I made some standard Libs that I distributed with all my scripts back in the day, and I'm coming back to the same issues again.

Specifically, I've made a generic HTMLParser that, coupled with the HTTPAPI functionality, really simplifies database queries. I figure I'll be using this parser as a module in several plugins, so it makes sense to drop it in Libs.

Along the same lines, the guys who did the Apple Quicktime Movie Trailers plugin have implemented a lightweight module of pySQLite that works even on the XBox (which requires some effort). The built-in SQLite module isn't a built-in for the version of Python XBMC runs, so that module by the Quicktime guys becomes incredibly valuable to anyone who wants SQL functionality within a Python script or plugin. I've found myself copying their folder into several plugins already.

I would like to see a new folder added to the scripts and plugins SVN, for /python/Libs, so that developers can easily produce, distribute, and maintain these sort of support modules without having to try to keep them up across multiple script/plugin folders.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I kind of agree, but back in the day the thought was these modules may change versions and old scripts would be incompatable. my thought was have xbmc include popular modules

but having them available in the svn repo is doable.

let's create a list of popular modules:

1. pysqlite2
2. elementtree
3. PIL (i use 1.6 that was beta so maybe PIL1.5 and PIL1.6)
...

PIL would be absolutely awesome. I had no idea there was a version of it that would work in XBMC Python.

I remember three different projects that I gave up on just because the image manipulation wasn't there.

What about beautifulsoup?

what about updating python to v2.6

Now you're talking....

i'm sure they would welcome a patch

i think they're nearing a freeze and i imagine upgrading to 2.6 would be a big undertaking.

I can't see it being easy.

Sort of on-topic...anyone know how to get a list of the modules currently available to import? I looked in sys.builtin_module_names and sys.modules.keys(). That gives me all of the builtins (and, for XBMC, gives me the custom xbmc modules), but it doesn't give me everything.

As a quick example, the module random doesn't show up in either list (unless you explicitly import it, in which case it's added to the second one).

XBMC is still able to import random, and when you do it shows it as being in "Q:\system\python\python24.zlib\random.py" Anyone know how to peek inside python24.zlib, or know of a reference that can tell me what's in there?

i use 7-zip.

to the best of my knowledge everything in the python 2.4 standard library is in xbmc's python.