read-version
Extract your project's __version__ variable
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. The package is abandoned (last release July 2021, repository archived) and explicitly superseded by setuptools' native attr: directive. New projects should use setuptools 46.4.0+ instead. Only consider read_version if maintaining legacy code that already depends on it and you cannot upgrade setuptools.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.6 or higher.
- The declarative approach also requires setuptools 42.0.0 or later.
- The package is no longer maintained; modern projects should use setuptools' native attr: directive instead.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — Licensed under MIT (permissive), so there are no licensing restrictions on use or redistribution.
last release 2021-07-25 (1846 days) · last repo commit 2022-02-05 · 7 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 185,030 downloads/mo, #10,019 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
# In setup.py:
from read_version import read_version
setup(
version=read_version('packagename', '__init__.py'),
...
)
# Or declaratively in pyproject.toml:
# [tool.read_version]
# version = "packagename:__version__"- Whether the package's static analysis correctly handles all edge cases in real-world __version__ assignments (e.g., complex expressions, conditional assignments).
- Performance characteristics when parsing large or complex source files.
What it is and what it does
read_version is a small utility that parses Python source files to extract the value of a variable (typically __version__) for use during package setup. It was designed to eliminate the repetitive boilerplate code that developers write in setup.py to read version strings from their package's __init__.py or other source files.
The package offers two approaches: a functional API (import and call read_version() in setup.py) and a declarative approach (configure metadata extraction via pyproject.toml). However, the package is abandoned and explicitly marked obsolete—setuptools has supported the attr: directive natively since version 46.4.0, which provides the same functionality without an external dependency. New projects should use setuptools' built-in mechanism instead.
Use it for
- Migrating older projects that use read_version to avoid rewriting setup.py when upgrading setuptools.
- Extracting multiple metadata fields (author, license, keywords) from source variables via pyproject.toml configuration.
- Reading version from non-standard variable names or file locations using the variable and path parameters.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
The package is abandoned (last release July 2021, repository archived) and explicitly superseded by setuptools' native attr: directive. New projects should use setuptools 46.4.0+ instead. Only consider read_version if maintaining legacy code that already depends on it and you cannot upgrade setuptools.
Install
read-version on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is straightforward with low friction—a pure Python wheel with only setuptools as a runtime dependency. However, the package is abandoned as of 2021 and explicitly superseded by setuptools' native attr: directive (available since setuptools 46.4.0), making it obsolete for new projects.
Requires Python 3.6 or higher. The declarative approach also requires setuptools 42.0.0 or later. The package is no longer maintained; modern projects should use setuptools' native attr: directive instead.
License in practice
Licensed under MIT (permissive), so there are no licensing restrictions on use or redistribution.
Quickstart
# In setup.py:
from read_version import read_version
setup(
version=read_version('packagename', '__init__.py'),
...
)
# Or declaratively in pyproject.toml:
# [tool.read_version]
# version = "packagename:__version__"Verify before relying
- Whether the package's static analysis correctly handles all edge cases in real-world __version__ assignments (e.g., complex expressions, conditional assignments).
- Performance characteristics when parsing large or complex source files.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release ~=3.6 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagesetuptools |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,846 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 185,030 / month, #10,019 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 7 - InactiveFramework :: Setuptools PluginIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: System :: Software Distribution |
Evidence: read_version-0.3.2-py3-none-any.whl
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