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copyme

A simple template for python development. Use this repository as a template for developing a python library or package.

Note

Check out the documentation website

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Templates

When copying files from this repo, remember that they are templates. So:

1. look for [CHANGE THIS] for mandatory modifications;
2. look for [CHECK THIS] for possible modifications;
3. look for [EXAMPLE] for simple examples (comment or uncomment it if needed);
4. look for [ADD MORE IF NEDDED] for possible extra features;
5. placeholders are designated by curly braces: {replace-this}.

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Configuration files

This repository relies on several configuration files that are essential for the proper functioning of the template. Each file has a specific role, and some of them work together, so they should be edited thoughtfully. Below is an overview of the main configuration files and what you should know about them.

File	Purpose	Key Notes
pyproject.toml	Project configuration	Manages dependencies, build system, and project settings. Update when adding dependencies or changing project structure.
.gitignore	Git ignore rules	Specifies files/folders Git should ignore (e.g., temp files, datasets, build outputs). Keeps repo clean.
.github/workflows/style.yaml	Style CI configuration	Runs code style checks using Black. Depends on pyproject.toml dev dependencies.
docs/conf.py	Docs configuration	Configures Sphinx for building documentation. Update if project structure changes.
.github/workflows/docs.yaml	Docs CI configuration	Automates online docs build. Relies on pyproject.toml and docs/conf.py. Requires extra steps (see file).
tests/conftest.py	Testing configuration	Provides shared fixtures and settings for tests. Can be customized to fit project needs.
.github/workflows/tests.yaml	Testing CI configuration	Runs automated unit tests on CI. Ensures code correctness after changes.

Note

All config files are commented with recommended actions and extra steps.

Warning

Online documentation build may require additional setup — check .github/workflows/docs.yml.

Important

Continous Integration (CI) steup allows for check-ups for commits and not allowing bad code to be pushed to the main branch. So Style, Docs and Tests must always pass.

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Repo layout

A standard python repo may use the following layout. This layout is known as src layout, since it stores the source code under a src/{repo} folder.

See more on flat vs src layout

copyme/
│
├── LICENSE
├── README.md                     # [CHECK THIS] this file (landing page)
├── .gitignore                    # [CHECK THIS] configuration of git vcs ignoring system
├── pyproject.toml                # [CHECK THIS] configuration of python project
├── MANIFEST.in                   # [CHECK THIS] configuration of source distribution
│
├── .venv/                        # [ignored] virtual environment (recommended for development)
│
├── .github/                      # github folder
│    └── workflows/               # folder for continuous integration services
│         ├── style.py            # [CHECK THIS] configuration file for style check workflow
│         ├── tests.py            # [CHECK THIS] configuration file for tests workflow
│         └── docs.yml            # [CHECK THIS] configuration file for docs build workflow
│
├── src/                          # source code folder
│    ├── copyme.egg-info          # [ignored] [generated] files for local development
│    └── copyme/                  # [CHANGE THIS] source code root
│         ├── __init__.py         # template init file
│         ├── module.py           # template module
│         ├── ...                 # develop your modules
│         ├── mypackage/          # template package
│         │    ├── __init__.py
│         │    └── submodule.py
│         └── data/               # run-time data
│              └── src_data.txt   # dummy data file
│
├── tests/                        # testing code folder
│    ├── conftest.py              # [CHECK THIS] configuration file of tests
│    ├──unit/                     # unit tests package     
│    │    ├── __init__.py
│    │    └── test_module.py      # template module for unit tests
│    ├── bcmk/                    # benchmarking tests package
│    │    ├── __init__.py               
│    │    └── test_bcmk.py        # template module for benchmarking tests
│    ├── data/                    # test-only data
│    │     ├── test_data.csv
│    │     ├── datasets.csv       # table of remote datasets
│    │     └── dataset1/          # [ignored] subfolders in data
│    └── outputs/                 # [ignored] tests outputs
│
├── docs/                         # documentation folder
│    ├── docs_update.rst          # updating script
│    ├── about.rst                # info about the repo
│    ├── api.rst                  # api reference using sphinx autodoc
│    ├── conf.py                  # [CHECK THIS] configuration file for sphinx
│    ├── dummy.md                 # markdown docs also works
│    ├── index.rst                # home page for documentation
│    ├── usage.rst                # instructions for using this repo
│    ├── make.bat                 # (optional) [generated] sphinx auxiliar file 
│    ├── Makefile                 # (optional) [generated] sphinx auxiliar file 
│    ├── figs/                    # figs-only files
│    │    ├── logo.png
│    │    ├── logo.svg
│    │    └── fig1.png               
│    ├── data/                    # docs-only data
│    │    └── docs.txt            # dummy data file
│    ├── generated/               # [generated] sphinx created files 
│    ├── _templates/              # [ignored] [generated] sphinx created stuff
│    ├── _static/                 # [ignored] [generated] sphinx created stuff
│    └── _build/                  # [ignored] [generated] sphinx build
│
└── examples/                     # (optional) learning resources 
     ├── examples_01.ipynb    
     └── examples_02.ipynb