Verify package name to ensure that it can be imported

[mjmikulski]

Situation

When creating a package:

import quilt3
quilt3.config(default_remote_registry='s3://your-bucket')
p = quilt3.Package()
p.push("username/packagename")

The package name can be any string. In particular it may be e.g. fashion-mnist.

Why is it wrong?

I would like to install the package and import it as suggested:

from quilt3.data.username import packagename

but here the packagename must be a correct python identifier. For example, it cannot contain -.

Solutions

Verify the package name during package creation and warn (or raise an exception) if it is not a valid python identifier. One can use the python built-in string method isidentifier:

>>> 'a-b'.isidentifier()
False
>>> 'a_b'.isidentifier()
True

I could create a pull request with such a change. So please share your thoughts about it.

[akarve]

Good catch. Our users have definitely expressed that Python identifiers are too limiting for package names. I would suggest that we deprecate this feature, as there are other bugs in import.py at the moment -- and it will never work for certain Python names (i.e. the Python import syntax will never support arbitrary strings)--so we are better off avoiding the inconsistency of "some packages import some don't." .browse is the programmatic equivalent and does not have the limitations of import. Thoughts?

[mjmikulski]

Sure that it can be limiting. But if it just a warning, it should be fine. Anyway, if loading data by import is going to be deprecated, then it may be indeed pointless to warn.