No package metadata was found for typing_extensions on plotly import

[davetapley]

Describe the bug

plotly crashes on import

• Does the error get raised while building or when running?

To Reproduce

A minimal example file:

import plotly.express 

PyInstaller command:

pyinstall test.py

Error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "__main__.py", line 3, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "main.py", line 8, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "admin.py", line 9, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "common.py", line 24, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "jefdaq/runner/environment.py", line 18, in <module>
    from jefdaq.runner.runners.admin import AdminGuiRunner
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "jefdaq/runner/runners/admin.py", line 8, in <module>
    import jefdaq.gui.main  # noqa: F401 # type: ignore
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "jefdaq/gui/main.py", line 9, in <module>
    import plotly.express as px
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "plotly/express/__init__.py", line 25, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "plotly/express/_imshow.py", line 2, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "_plotly_utils/basevalidators.py", line 11, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "narwhals/__init__.py", line 7, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "narwhals/stable/__init__.py", line 3, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "narwhals/stable/v1/__init__.py", line 24, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "narwhals/functions.py", line 32, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "narwhals/series.py", line [22](https://github.com/JEFuller/ng/actions/runs/14497242202/job/40667964593#step:6:23), in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "narwhals/typing.py", line 10, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "narwhals/_compliant/__init__.py", line 3, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "narwhals/_compliant/dataframe.py", line 21, in <module>
  File "PyInstaller/loader/pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
  File "narwhals/_translate.py", line 37, in <module>
  File "narwhals/_translate.py", line 20, in _typing_extensions_has_pep_696
  File "importlib/metadata/__init__.py", line 888, in version
  File "importlib/metadata/__init__.py", line 861, in distribution
  File "importlib/metadata/__init__.py", line 399, in from_name
importlib.metadata.PackageNotFoundError: No package metadata was found for typing_extensions
[6770] Failed to execute script '__main__' due to unhandled exception!

Expected behavior
Since there is already a plotly hook in contrib, it should Just Work.

Screenshots
N/A

Desktop (please complete the following information):

• OS: Ubuntu
• Python Version: 3.12.2
• Version of pyinstaller-hooks-contrib: 2024.9
• Version of PyInstaller 6.9.0

Additional context

I was able to work around with:

datas += copy_metadata('typing_extensions')

[rokm]

Should be fixed by 18caba0. Guess we should trigger a new release of pyinstaller-hooks-contrib...

[rokm]

But if you have typing_extensions provided by setuptools, you will also need up-to-date PyInstaller with pyinstaller/pyinstaller#9102; i.e., v6.13 that was released yesterday...

[MarcoGorelli]

@dangotbanned looks like importing from typing_extensions (even if under find_spec) may be causing issues

tbh i think we should just remove the import, it's not necessary

[rokm]

@dangotbanned looks like importing from typing_extensions (even if under find_spec) may be causing issues

tbh i think we should just remove the import, it's not necessary

The issue is that find_spec finds the module (which is collected), but subsequent metadata query does not find the metatada (which is not collected by default).

[MarcoGorelli]

Sure, thanks - would it help if we just removed the runtime import from Narwhals anyway?

[rokm]

Sure, thanks - would it help if we just removed the runtime import from Narwhals anyway?

Sure, if you don't need it. (But dynamic import with find_spec is not really the problematic part - it is the metadata query. Because while our analysis will miss the reference to typing_extensions made via find_spec, there are plenty of direct import typing_extensions later on, which allow us to pick up the module - mostly because we do not handle TYPE_CHECKING as no-op codepath...).

You could also catch the importlib.metadata.PackageNotFoundError when calling importlib.metadata.version(_TYPING_EXTENSIONS) in https://github.com/narwhals-dev/narwhals/blame/7059f5b77a0e57b5ec95c688f2072d4134bd4858/narwhals/_translate.py#L20.

[MarcoGorelli]

thanks - I don't think we need that metadata.version part either, we can just remove the whole thing narwhals-dev/narwhals#2391

the other typing_extensions imports should all happen being TYPE_CHECKING

[dangotbanned]

@dangotbanned looks like importing from typing_extensions (even if under find_spec) may be causing issues
tbh i think we should just remove the import, it's not necessary

The issue is that find_spec finds the module (which is collected), but subsequent metadata query does not find the metatada (which is not collected by default).

Thanks for explaining @rokm!
What would you suggest as a safer way to check the version of typing_extensions?

It sounds like the issue is metadata not being collected.

• Is that because of the order I wrote the things in?
• Would importing typing_extensions after find_spec but before importlib.metadata.version change anything?

I'm not firmly opposed to dropping the runtime import - but as I mentioned in (narwhals-dev/narwhals#2361 (comment)) - I'd want to try to be faithful in representing TypeVar.__default__ if at all possible

[rokm]

What would you suggest as a safer way to check the version of typing_extensions?

Try to query metadata as you do, but catch the importlib.metadata.PackageNotFoundError and make some assumption about the version in the fallback.

It sounds like the issue is metadata not being collected.

Indeed.

• Is that because of the order I wrote the things in?
• Would importing typing_extensions after find_spec but before importlib.metadata.version change anything?

No, it wouldn't change anything. At the core, the issue is that PyInstaller does not collect dist's metadata by default. So either user needs to instruct PyInstaller to collect metadata (the --copy-metadata typing_extensions option from the OP), or we set up a hook for package that does this. Which is what I did in 18caba0 to get our weekly CI to pass.

So after users update their pyinstaller-hooks-contrib package to v2025.03 that was released a bit earlier, things should work out-of-the-box for them (unless they have typing_extensions provided by setuptools, in which case they will also need PyInstaller v.6.13 that was released yesterday).

As far as I'm concerned, there's no need to change anything on your side.

[dangotbanned]

@rokm perfect, thanks again for explaining