README.rst
1bazel-runfiles library
2======================
3
4This is a Bazel Runfiles lookup library for Bazel-built Python binaries and tests.
5
6Learn about runfiles: read `Runfiles guide <https://bazel.build/extending/rules#runfiles>`_
7or watch `Fabian's BazelCon talk <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NbgUMH1OGo>`_.
8
9Typical Usage
10-------------
11
121. Add the 'bazel-runfiles' dependency along with other third-party dependencies, for example in your
13 ``requirements.txt`` file.
14
152. Depend on this runfiles library from your build rule, like you would other third-party libraries::
16
17 py_binary(
18 name = "my_binary",
19 ...
20 deps = [requirement("bazel-runfiles")],
21 )
22
233. Import the runfiles library::
24
25 import runfiles # not "from runfiles import runfiles"
26
274. Create a Runfiles object and use rlocation to look up runfile paths::
28
29 r = runfiles.Create()
30 ...
31 with open(r.Rlocation("my_workspace/path/to/my/data.txt"), "r") as f:
32 contents = f.readlines()
33 ...
34
35 The code above creates a manifest- or directory-based implementations based
36 on the environment variables in os.environ. See `Create()` for more info.
37
38 If you want to explicitly create a manifest- or directory-based
39 implementations, you can do so as follows::
40
41 r1 = runfiles.CreateManifestBased("path/to/foo.runfiles_manifest")
42
43 r2 = runfiles.CreateDirectoryBased("path/to/foo.runfiles/")
44
45 If you want to start subprocesses, and the subprocess can't automatically
46 find the correct runfiles directory, you can explicitly set the right
47 environment variables for them::
48
49 import subprocess
50 import runfiles
51
52 r = runfiles.Create()
53 env = {}
54 ...
55 env.update(r.EnvVars())
56 p = subprocess.Popen([r.Rlocation("path/to/binary")], env, ...)