Launchpad Help > API > Examples

This page has a bunch of examples of how to use launchpadlib and the Python APIs. Think of it like a cookbook that you can add your favourite recipe to.

If this duplicates launchpadlib or API/Uses too much, then please merge or edit pages as needed.

Find out if your launchpadlib version is recent enough (>= 1.5.1)

   import launchpadlib
   print launchpadlib.__version__

1.5.1 or above is the answer you're looking for; almost all subsequent examples assume you have at least that recent a launchpadlib.

Hello Launchpad!

Ever wanted to have Launchpad greet you by your own name? Now you can, in the comfort of your own home.

   from launchpadlib.launchpad import Launchpad, EDGE_SERVICE_ROOT
   launchpad = Launchpad.login_with(
       'hello-world', EDGE_SERVICE_ROOT)
   print 'Hello, %s!' % launchpad.me.display_name

The hello-world bit is the name of the application and EDGE_SERVICE_ROOT means connect to the edge server.

Does a bug have a release target?

   from launchpadlib.launchpad import Launchpad, EDGE_SERVICE_ROOT
   
   def has_target(bug, series):
       series_url = str(series)
       for task in bug.bug_tasks:
           if str(task).startswith(series_url):
               return True
       return False
   
   launchpad = Launchpad.login_with(
       'hello-world', EDGE_SERVICE_ROOT)
   b = launchpad.bugs[324614]
   ubuntu = launchpad.distributions["ubuntu"]
   jaunty = ubuntu.getSeries(name_or_version="jaunty")
   has_target(b, jaunty)
   ### ==> should evalute to True

Listing the current package versions in a particular distroseries

   from launchpadlib.launchpad import Launchpad, EDGE_SERVICE_ROOT
   
   launchpad = Launchpad.login_with(
       'hello-world', EDGE_SERVICE_ROOT)
   ubuntu = launchpad.distributions["ubuntu"]
   archive = ubuntu.main_archive
   series = ubuntu.current_series
   archive.getPublishedSources(exact_match=True, source_name="apport", distro_series=series)[0].source_package_version
   ### ==> should return u'0.123'

Get dsc-files for sources in an archive

   import re
   import urlparse
   
   ### See previous examples for how to get an archive.
                   
   def create_webroot_url_from_self_link(self_link):
       scheme, netloc, _, _, _ = urlparse.urlsplit(self_link)
       netloc = netloc.lstrip("api.")
       return u"%s://%s/" %(scheme, netloc)
       
   def get_dsc(archive):
       re_version = re.compile(r"^\d+\:")
       x = archive.getPublishedSources()
       webroot = create_webroot_url_from_self_link(archive.self_link)
       for i in x:
           version = i.source_package_version
           version = re_version.sub("", version, 1)
           yield "%s~%s/+archive/+files/%s_%s.dsc" \
               %(webroot, archive.owner.name, i.source_package_name, version)

Cache Launchpad credentials per application

This one is for older launchpadlibs. If you are using a current version, just replace the code below with Launchpad.login_with.

From <https://launchpad.net/hydrazine> - use your own application name.

   def create_session():
       lplib_cachedir = os.path.expanduser("~/.cache/launchpadlib/")
       hydrazine_cachedir = os.path.expanduser("~/.cache/hydrazine/")
       rrd_dir = os.path.expanduser("~/.cache/hydrazine/rrd")
       for d in [lplib_cachedir, hydrazine_cachedir, rrd_dir]:
           if not os.path.isdir(d):
               os.makedirs(d, mode=0700)
   
   
       hydrazine_credentials_filename = os.path.join(hydrazine_cachedir,
           'credentials')
       if os.path.exists(hydrazine_credentials_filename):
           credentials = Credentials()
           credentials.load(file(
               os.path.expanduser("~/.cache/hydrazine/credentials"),
               "r"))
           trace('loaded existing credentials')
           return Launchpad(credentials, service_root,
               lplib_cachedir)
           # TODO: handle the case of having credentials that have expired etc
       else:
           launchpad = Launchpad.get_token_and_login(
               'Hydrazine',
               service_root,
               lplib_cachedir)
           trace('saving credentials...')
           launchpad.credentials.save(file(
               hydrazine_credentials_filename,
               "w"))
           return launchpad

Get date a user joined a team

This is an example of using team_membership details

def get_join_date(team, user):
    team = launchpad.people[team]
    members = team.members_details
    for member in members:
        if member.member.name == user:
            return member.date_joined
    return None

print get_join_date("zeitgeist", "thekorn")
### ==> should return a datetime.datetime object like  2009-06-14 18:01:10.511369+00:00

Get a useful error message from launchpadlib

Because launchpadlib is just a simple wrapper for an HTTP API, when the Launchpad server raises an error, this appears on the client side as an HTTP error. However, there is useful information to be had!

   1 try:
   2     do_something_errorful()
   3 except HTTPError, e:
   4     # e.content has the actual Launchpad error.
   5     print e.content