---
id: formic2
version: "1.0.3"
license: GPLv3+
license_treatment: copyleft
maintenance: abandoned
---

# formic2 — An implementation of Apache Ant FileSet and Globs

License: copyleft · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 890.7K/mo

## 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 above — verify before relying.

Formic implements Apache Ant FileSet and glob patterns to find files recursively using include/exclude rules, including the ** wildcard for matching arbitrary directory levels.

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

pip install formic2
uv add formic2
poetry add formic2

## Installing formic2

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_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 890.7K/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

ant glob patterns python, recursive file matching, apache fileset implementation, python file discovery, glob with exclude patterns, directory tree search, wildcard file finding, file-discovery, build-automation, ant-compatible

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/formic2) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/formic2/)