IMAS-core is no longer an optional dependency

[AreWeDreaming]

There is a conda release for this library where imas-core is an optional dependency. However, this release is stuck at 2.0.1 which is now 11 months old.
Because of the forced import of imas_core in

IMAS-Python/imas/backends/imas_core/imas_interface.py

Line 17 in 16958f6

from imas_core import _al_lowlevel as lowlevel

the imas-python feedstock is currently unable to be updated.
For the DIII-D mappings we need MDSplus, which cannot be released on PyPi easily. Please keep imas-core as an optional dependency until it is also available through conda-forge.
This issue blocks #108 from proceeding currently.

[munechika-koyo]

@AreWeDreaming, I am a main maintainer of the imas-python feedstock.
I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Actually, I've been waiting for iterorganization/IMAS-Core#10 to be addressed because I would like to use meson for imas-core at the conda-forge build stage conda-forge/staged-recipes#31554.

Currently, the imas-core package is hosted in a different repository: https://prefix.dev/channels/imas-forge/packages/imas-core, which does not include Windows build artifacts.
Please try to use it as a workaround if any.

[AreWeDreaming]

Thanks for commenting. I specifically don't need the imas-core features so it might be as easy as putting a try: except: block around the imports.

[AreWeDreaming]

This has sat for a week with no progress and #108 is blocked by this.

[olivhoenen]

Sorry for the delay in answering this issue. Indeed we decided to make imas_core a dependency since it is now available openly and in PyPI (and because a substantial part of IMAS-Python's functionalities won't be available without it). I understand that what's missing in your case is having imas_core in conda-forge.
@munechika-koyo do you think your current attempt could then be finalized with the help of iterorganization/IMAS-Core#62?

[SimonPinches]

Sorry for the delay in answering this issue. Indeed we decided to make imas_core a dependency since it is now available openly and in PyPI (and because a substantial part of IMAS-Python's functionalities won't be available without it). I understand that what's missing in your case is having imas_core in conda-forge. @munechika-koyo do you think your current attempt could then be finalized with the help of iterorganization/IMAS-Core#62?

Wouldn't it be better to wait for the next release of IMAS-Core which contains iterorganization/IMAS-Core#62? (Then no patching would be necessary in conda-forge.)

[AreWeDreaming]

The reason why I want to avoid imas-core is because I need IMAS-python to work on ARM-based systems. If that is no problem for imas_core then a conda-forge release will address my needs.

[SimonPinches]

IMAS-Core already runs on ARM based Macs, so shouldn't be a problem.

[AreWeDreaming]

Ok that is good news but the conda-forge feedstock will need to make releases for linux-aarch64 and linux-64. This is not too hard, we have recently done this for MDSplus.

[munechika-koyo]

The imas-python, depending on imas-core, is available in the conda-forge channel.
https://anaconda.org/channels/conda-forge/packages/imas-core/overview
https://anaconda.org/channels/conda-forge/packages/imas-python/overview
Note that the MDS backend is not supported because I excluded the mdsplus dependency from imas-core.
If needed, I will try to modify the build script and include it later.

P.S. The mdsplus conda package is 4.8MiB. I think it is a bit too large to bundle with libimas-core...

[AreWeDreaming]

I don't have the need for the MDSplus package yet, myself. I am closing this because we managed to release imas-core on conda forge thanks to @munechika-koyo.