formic2
An implementation of Apache Ant FileSet and Globs
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. While formic2 has no runtime dependencies and low install friction, it has been abandoned since 2018-05-25 with no maintenance. The GPLv3+ copyleft license also restricts use in proprietary code. For modern Python projects, consider using standard library alternatives or actively maintained packages.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies.
- However, the project has been abandoned since 2018-06-01 with no releases since 2018-05-25, so maintenance and bug fixes are not forthcoming.
License · maintenance · safety
GPLv3+ (copyleft) — Licensed under GPLv3+, a copyleft license. Any code that imports and uses formic2 must be compatible with GPLv3+ terms, including potential source code disclosure obligations.
last release 2018-05-25 (3003 days) · last repo commit 2018-06-01 · 3 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 890,716 downloads/mo, #4,803 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install formic2
import formic
fileset = formic.FileSet(include="**.py",
exclude=["**/*test*/**", "test_*"],
directory="./")
for file_name in fileset:
print(file_name)- Whether the package works reliably on Python versions released after 2018-05-25
- Current status of reported issues on GitHub given the abandoned maintenance status
- Whether default excludes still match modern Python directory structures
What it is and what it does
Formic is a Python port of Apache Ant's FileSet and glob pattern system, letting you specify sets of files using include and exclude patterns rather than enumerating them individually. It adds support for the ** wildcard (matching any number of directory levels) and can recursively scan directory trees, which Python's built-in glob and fnmatch modules do not handle as flexibly.
You can use formic2 from the command line to find files matching complex patterns, or import it into Python code to iterate over matching file paths. It automatically excludes common VCS directories and Python cache directories by default. The package has no external runtime dependencies and supports Python 2.6+ and 3.4+, but has not been maintained since 2018-05-25.
Use it for
- Build scripts that need to find all Python source files while excluding test directories and __init__.py files
- Command-line file discovery with complex patterns to pipe into other tools
- Batch operations on files matching Ant-style glob patterns in a large directory tree
- Migrating build logic from Apache Ant or Maven projects to Python while preserving glob semantics
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
While formic2 has no runtime dependencies and low install friction, it has been abandoned since 2018-05-25 with no maintenance. The GPLv3+ copyleft license also restricts use in proprietary code. For modern Python projects, consider using standard library alternatives or actively maintained packages.
Install
formic2 on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. However, the project has been abandoned since 2018-06-01 with no releases since 2018-05-25, so maintenance and bug fixes are not forthcoming.
License in practice
Licensed under GPLv3+, a copyleft license. Any code that imports and uses formic2 must be compatible with GPLv3+ terms, including potential source code disclosure obligations.
Quickstart
pip install formic2
import formic
fileset = formic.FileSet(include="**.py",
exclude=["**/*test*/**", "test_*"],
directory="./")
for file_name in fileset:
print(file_name)Verify before relying
- Whether the package works reliably on Python versions released after 2018-05-25
- Current status of reported issues on GitHub given the abandoned maintenance status
- Whether default excludes still match modern Python directory structures
Package facts
| License | GPLv3+ copyleft |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=2.6, <4 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 3,003 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 890,716 / month, #4,803 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: GNU General Public License v3 or later (GPLv3+)Programming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Software Development :: LibrariesTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: formic2-1.0.3-py2-none-any.whl; formic2-1.0.3-py3-none-any.whl
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See also globmatch · wcmatch · glob2 · mkdocs-exclude · ignore-python · colcon-recursive-crawl · gitmatch · gitignorefile · mkdocs-auto-tag-plugin · py-walk