How can I get the version defined in setup.py (setuptools) in my package?

Question

How could I get the version defined in `setup.py` from my package (for `--version`, or other purposes)?

Accepted Answer

Interrogate version string of already-installed distribution

To retrieve the version from inside your package at runtime (what your question appears to actually be asking), you can use:

```
import pkg_resources  # part of setuptools
version = pkg_resources.require("MyProject")[0].version
```

Store version string for use during install

If you want to go the other way 'round (which appears to be what other answer authors here appear to have thought you were asking), put the version string in a separate file and read that file's contents in `setup.py`.

You could make a version.py in your package with a `__version__` line, then read it from setup.py using `execfile('mypackage/version.py')`, so that it sets `__version__` in the setup.py namespace.

Warning about race condition during install

By the way, DO NOT import your package from your setup.py as suggested in another answer here: it will seem to work for you (because you already have your package's dependencies installed), but it will wreak havoc upon new users of your package, as they will not be able to install your package without manually installing the dependencies first.

How can I get the version defined in setup.py (setuptools) in my package?

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