Document how to import sqliteimport and load a database

Author: kurtmckee

.pre-commit-config.yaml

@@ -74,3 +74,9 @@ repos:
     rev: "v1.0.0"
     hooks:
       - id: "verify-consistent-pyproject-toml-python-requirements"
+
+  - repo: "https://github.com/shellcheck-py/shellcheck-py"
+    rev: "v0.11.0.1"
+    hooks:
+    -   id: "shellcheck"
+        args: ["-x"]

changelog.d/20250921_122610_kurtmckee_doc_sitecustomize.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+Documentation
+-------------
+
+*   Document how to import sqliteimport and load a database of packages.
+
+    This now includes runnable scripts showing fully-automated loading
+    using ``sitecustomize.py`` and the ``PYTHONPATH`` environment variable.
+    In addition, more information is provided
+    for manually importing sqliteimport and loading a database.

docs/index.rst

@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ Table of contents
 ..  toctree::
     :maxdepth: 1
 
-    load
+    load/index
     bytecode
     flake8/index
     isort/index

docs/load.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# Install sqliteimport in a virtual environment.
+python -m venv demo-venv
+& ./demo-venv/bin/Activate.ps1
+python -m pip install 'sqliteimport[cli]'
+
+# Install flake8 and bundle it into a database.
+python -m pip install flake8 --target flake8/
+sqliteimport bundle flake8/ flake8.sqlite3
+Remove-Item -Recurse -Force flake8/
+
+# Create a `sitecustomize.py` file.
+$site_packages_directory=python -c 'import site; print(site.getsitepackages()[0])'
+Write-Host "Creating a sitecustomize.py file in ${site_packages_directory}"
+Write-Output 'import sqliteimport' > "${site_packages_directory}/sitecustomize.py"
+
+# Point PYTHONPATH at the database.
+$env:PYTHONPATH="flake8.sqlite3"
+
+# Run flake8, and show where it's imported from.
+python -m flake8 --version
+python -c 'import flake8; print(f"Imported flake8 from {flake8.__file__!r}")'

docs/load/assets/automatic.ps1

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Install sqliteimport in a virtual environment.
+python -m venv demo-venv
+source demo-venv/bin/activate
+python -m pip install sqliteimport[cli]
+
+# Install flake8 and bundle it into a database.
+python -m pip install flake8 --target flake8/
+sqliteimport bundle flake8/ flake8.sqlite3
+rm -rf flake8/
+
+# Create a `sitecustomize.py` file.
+site_packages_directory="$(python -c 'import site; print(site.getsitepackages()[0])')"
+echo "Creating a sitecustomize.py file in ${site_packages_directory}"
+echo 'import sqliteimport' > "${site_packages_directory}/sitecustomize.py"
+
+# Point PYTHONPATH at the database.
+export PYTHONPATH="flake8.sqlite3"
+
+# Run flake8, and show where it's imported from.
+python -m flake8 --version
+python -c 'import flake8; print(f"Imported flake8 from {flake8.__file__!r}")'

docs/load/assets/automatic.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+..
+    This file is a part of sqliteimport <https://github.com/kurtmckee/sqliteimport>
+    Copyright 2024-2025 Kurt McKee <[email protected]>
+    SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+
+Loading sqliteimport
+####################
+
+sqliteimport must be imported and configured
+before packages stored in sqlite can be imported.
+There are two considerations:
+
+#.  When and where sqliteimport is *imported*
+#.  How the path to the sqlite database is *configured*
+
+Table of contents
+=================
+
+*   :ref:`automatic`
+*   :ref:`manual-import`
+*   :ref:`manual-load`
+
+
+..  _automatic:
+
+Automatic everything
+====================
+
+The simplest way to import sqliteimport and configure a database of packages
+is to create a custom ``sitecustomize`` module
+and set the ``PYTHONPATH`` environment variable.
+
+This technique allows a database of packages to be used
+*without modifying any application code*.
+
+..  code-block:: python
+    :caption: ``sitecustomize.py``
+
+    import sqliteimport
+
+..  code-block:: bash
+    :caption: Linux/macOS
+
+    export PYTHONPATH='path/to/packages.sqlite3'
+
+..  code-block:: powershell
+    :caption: Windows Powershell
+
+    $env:PYTHONPATH='path/to/packages.sqlite3'
+
+..  note::
+
+    ``sitecustomize.py`` must be in a directory that Python's ``site`` module
+    automatically searches.
+    Please read the `Python site module`_ documentation for full details.
+
+..  warning::
+
+    This technique may fail under some circumstances.
+
+    For example, Python interpreters installed by Homebrew
+    include a custom ``sitecustomize`` that will be found and used
+    before any that are created in a virtual environment.
+
+
+Examples
+--------
+
+The examples below demonstrate how to use a ``sitecustomize.py`` file
+with a ``PYTHONPATH`` environment variable.
+
+..  literalinclude:: assets/automatic.sh
+    :caption: Linux/macOS
+    :language: bash
+    :lines: 2-
+
+..  literalinclude:: assets/automatic.ps1
+    :caption: Windows Powershell
+    :language: powershell
+
+
+
+..  _manual-import:
+
+Manual imports
+==============
+
+In some circumstances it may be helpful, or even necessary,
+to import sqliteimport in your application code.
+The obvious requirement is that sqliteimport must be imported
+before any packages that are bundled in a sqlite database.
+
+Linters that sort Python imports may move ``import sqliteimport``
+and prevent your code from executing.
+See the :doc:`../isort/index` and :doc:`../ruff/index` pages
+for suggestions how to configure those linters.
+
+
+..  _manual-load:
+
+Manual database loading
+=======================
+
+If you cannot configure or control the ``PYTHONPATH`` environment variable
+to point to a sqlite database, you'll need to load a database manually.
+
+This is accomplished by calling ``sqliteimport.load()`` with a path
+to the database, represented as either a string or ``pathlib.Path`` instance.
+
+..  code-block:: python
+
+    import sqliteimport
+
+    sqliteimport.load("path/to/packages.sqlite3")
+
+    import example_package_from_database
+
+
+..  Links
+..  -----
+..
+..  _Python site module: https://docs.python.org/3/library/site.html