Package: appstore
App Storeis an Apache2 licensed, user-oriented front-end forpip,
written in pure-Python, and compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.App Storeis currently in the planning stages. But your thoughts and help
are welcome.BackgroundI feel I see a lot of folks complain about Python packaging and distribution
online. Recently,PyOxidizerwas published as yet another solution in this
space. Personally, I have always found eitherPyInstalleror Cython’sembedoption to be sufficient. But I really think these tools are solving
the wrong problem.Most of the tooling is meant to produce a binary executable. But that’s kind of
the easy part. The hard part is updates, crash reports, and uninstalls. It’s
managing the whole lifecycle of an application.When I worked at Microsoft, I used aClickOnceapplication and my experience
was ideal. Installation and updates just worked seemlessly. I clicked the
installer once and everything just worked. It was like installing an app on my
phone and running it. I don’t know how any of that works, but it just works.Recently, I developed a Python package with a few requirements and a few static
files. It was just a bit more than a single script could manage. My go-to for
internal business needs in that case is a locally hosted PyPI or simple wheel
file. I wanted that to work here too but I didn’t want to teachpipandvenvto run my script. What I wanted was a pip-porcelain.I think a graphical PIP could go a bit further and be an app store for Python
packages. I love the idea of running Python scripts or pyc files easily on the
client machine. I don’t even care if it’s just a command-line application. Give
me something that handles installs, updates, uninstalls, and crash reports and
I’ll be happy. And allow me to continue using__file__and writing
cross-platform Python scripts that don’t require separate compilation.I imagine something like a webserver running on the client’s machine with an
icon in the taskbar. Let’s use “A” as our icon for now. Click the icon and a
webbrowser opens pointing to localhost with a gui front-end for PIP. I thinkrumpswould get us there on Macs. Win32 must have something similar and
Ubuntu or whatnot something too. For deployment, usefbs.App Storeis currently in the planning stages. But your thoughts and help
are welcome.FeaturesPure-PythonTODOFully DocumentedTODO100% Test CoverageTODOOne-Click Executables for Windows, Mac OS X, and LinuxTODOGraphical User Interface forpipTODOPackage Installs, Updates, UninstallsTODOvenv’s for Installed PackagesTODOCrash ReportsTODOStartup Utilities: Windows Start Menu, Mac OS X Applications FolderDeveloped on Python 3.7Tested on CPython 2.7, 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7Tested on Linux, Mac OS X, and WindowsTested using Travis CI and AppVeyor CIQuickstartInstallingApp Storeis simple withpip:$ pip install appstoreYou can access documentation in the interpreter with Python’s built-in help
function:>>> import appstore
>>> help(appstore)User GuideFor those wanting more details, this part of the documentation describes
tutorial, benchmarks, API, and development.App Store TutorialApp Store API ReferenceReferenceApp Store DocumentationApp Store at PyPIApp Store at GitHubApp Store Issue TrackerLicenseCopyright 2019 Grant JenksLicensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the “License”); you may not use
this file except in compliance with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the
License athttp://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed
under the License is distributed on an “AS IS” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR
CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.