Get a Python Package Version

By  on  

Part of maintaining a Django-based application like MDN's kuma is ensuring Python packages are up to date.  I was recently testing an upgrade on a remote system and needed to ensure that a given Python package was at the version number it should be.  Here's how I retrieved the package version:

import nose   # Nose is a test utility.  Replace with your desired package here.
nose.__version__

# Output:  0.3.1

The __version__ property returns the exact version number for a Python package.  Some Python packages use a VERSION property as well, but __version__ should be the most reliable.

Recent Features

Incredible Demos

  • By
    Fullscreen API

    As we move toward more true web applications, our JavaScript APIs are doing their best to keep up.  One very simple but useful new JavaScript API is the Fullscreen API.  The Fullscreen API provides a programmatic way to request fullscreen display from the user, and exit...

  • By
    Create Tiny URLs with TinyURL, MooTools, and PHP

    Since we've already figured out how to create TinyURL URLs remotely using PHP, we may as well create a small AJAX-enabled tiny URL creator. Using MooTools to do so is almost too easy. The XHTML (Form) We need an input box where the user will enter...

Discussion

  1. Every once in a while a package might not define either VERSION or __version__, since they’re conventions, not required. You can always get the installed version with pkg_resources, though:

    >>> import pkg_resources
    >>> pkg_resources.get_distribution("PIL").version
    '1.1.7'
    
  2. Alfred Tarski

    @James, __version__ is recommended by PEP 396

Wrap your code in <pre class="{language}"></pre> tags, link to a GitHub gist, JSFiddle fiddle, or CodePen pen to embed!