# micropython-lib This is a repository of packages designed to be useful for writing MicroPython applications. The packages here fall into categories corresponding to the four top-level directories: * **python-stdlib**: Compatible versions of modules from [The Python Standard Library](https://docs.python.org/3/library/). These should be drop-in replacements for the corresponding Python modules, although many have reduced functionality or missing methods or classes (which may not be an issue for most cases). * **python-ecosys**: Compatible, but reduced-functionality versions of packages from the wider Python ecosystem. For example, a package that might be found in the [Python Package Index](https://pypi.org/). * **micropython**: MicroPython-specific packages that do not have equivalents in other Python environments. This includes drivers for hardware (e.g. sensors, peripherals, or displays), libraries to work with embedded functionality (e.g. bluetooth), or MicroPython-specific packages that do not have equivalents in CPython. * **unix-ffi**: These packages are specifically for the MicroPython Unix port and provide access to operating-system and third-party libraries via FFI, or functionality that is not useful for non-Unix ports. ## Usage To install a micropython-lib package, there are four main options. For more information see the [Package management documentation](https://docs.micropython.org/en/latest/reference/packages.html) documentation. ### On a network-enabled device As of MicroPython v1.20 (and nightly builds since October 2022), boards with WiFi and Ethernet support include the `mip` package manager. ```py >>> import mip >>> mip.install("package-name") ``` ### Using `mpremote` from your PC `mpremote` is the officially-supported tool for interacting with a MicroPython device and, since v0.4.0, support for installing micropython-lib packages is provided by using the `mip` command. ```bash $ mpremote connect /dev/ttyUSB0 mip install package-name ``` See the [mpremote documentation](https://docs.micropython.org/en/latest/reference/mpremote.html). ### Freeze into your firmware If you are building your own firmware, all packages in this repository include a `manifest.py` that can be included into your board manifest via the `require()` command. See [Manifest files](https://docs.micropython.org/en/latest/reference/manifest.html#require) for more information. ### Copy the files manually Many micropython-lib packages are just single-file modules, and you can quickly get started by copying the relevant Python file to your device. For example, to add the `base64` library, you can directly copy `python-stdlib/base64/base64.py` to the `lib` directory on your device. This can be done using `mpremote`, for example: ```bash $ mpremote connect /dev/ttyUSB0 cp python-stdlib/base64/base64.py :/lib ``` For packages that are implemented as a package directory, you'll need to copy the directory instead. For example, to add `collections.defaultdict`, copy `collections/collections/__init__.py` and `collections-defaultdict/collections/defaultdict.py` to a directory named `lib/collections` on your device. Note that unlike the other three approaches based on `mip` or `manifest.py`, you will need to manually resolve dependencies. You can inspect the relevant `manifest.py` file to view the list of dependencies for a given package. ## Installing packages from forks It is possible to use the `mpremote mip install` or `mip.install()` methods to install packages built from a [fork](https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/working-with-forks/about-forks) of micropython-lib, if the fork's owner has opted in. This can be useful to install packages from a pending Pull Request, for example. First, the owner of the fork must opt-in as described under [Publishing packages from forks](CONTRIBUTING.md#publishing-packages-from-forks). After this has happened, each time someone pushes to a branch in that fork then GitHub Actions will automatically publish the packages to a GitHub Pages site. To install these packages, use commands such as: ```bash $ mpremote connect /dev/ttyUSB0 mip install --index https://USERNAME.github.io/micropython-lib/mip/BRANCH_NAME PACKAGE_NAME ``` Or from a networked device: ```py import mip mip.install(PACKAGE_NAME, index="https://USERNAME.github.io/micropython-lib/mip/BRANCH_NAME") ``` (Where `USERNAME`, `BRANCH_NAME` and `PACKAGE_NAME` are replaced with the owner of the fork, the branch the packages were built from, and the package name.) ## Contributing We use [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/micropython/micropython/discussions) as our forum, and [Discord](https://micropython.org/discord) for chat. These are great places to ask questions and advice from the community or to discuss your MicroPython-based projects. The [MicroPython Wiki](https://github.com/micropython/micropython/wiki) is also used for micropython-lib. For bugs and feature requests, please [raise an issue](https://github.com/micropython/micropython-lib/issues/new). We welcome pull requests to add new packages, fix bugs, or add features. Please be sure to follow the [Contributor's Guidelines & Code Conventions](CONTRIBUTING.md). Note that MicroPython is licensed under the [MIT license](LICENSE) and all contributions should follow this license. ### Future plans (and new contributor ideas) * Develop a set of example programs using these packages. * Develop more MicroPython packages for common tasks. * Expand unit testing coverage. * Add support for referencing remote/third-party repositories. ## Notes on terminology The terms *library*, *package*, and *module* are overloaded and lead to some confusion. The interpretation used in by the MicroPython project is that: A *library* is a collection of installable packages, e.g. [The Python Standard Library](https://docs.python.org/3/library/), or micropython-lib. A *package* can refer to two things. The first meaning, "library package", is something that can be installed from a library, e.g. via `mip` (or `pip` in CPython/PyPI). Packages provide *modules* that can be imported. The ambiguity here is that the module provided by the package does not necessarily have to have the same name, e.g. the `pyjwt` package provides the `jwt` module. In CPython, the `pyserial` package providing the `serial` module is another common example. A *module* is something that can be imported. For example, "the *os* module". A module can be implemented either as a single file, typically also called a *module* or "single-file module", or as a *package* (the second meaning), which in this context means a directory containing multiple `.py` files (usually at least an `__init__.py`). In micropython-lib, we also have the concept of an *extension package* which is a library package that extends the functionality of another package, by adding additional files to the same package directory. These packages have hyphenated names. For example, the `collections-defaultdict` package extends the `collections` package to add the `defaultdict` class to the `collections` module.