`python-jsonpath` namespace collides with `jsonpath` PyPI package

[gil-ch-palo]

python-jsonpath installs into the jsonpath/ namespace in site-packages, which conflicts with the existing jsonpath package (by Phil Budne, published since 2008).

When both are installed in the same environment (e.g., as transitive dependencies), python-jsonpath's jsonpath/ directory shadows the original jsonpath.py module. Code that does from jsonpath import jsonpath (the original package's API) breaks with:
ImportError: cannot import name 'jsonpath' from 'jsonpath'

This is happening in practice: kr8s depends on python-jsonpath, and projects that also depend on the original jsonpath encounter this collision.

Reproduction:
pip install jsonpath==0.82.2 python-jsonpath
python -c "from jsonpath import jsonpath"
# ImportError: cannot import name 'jsonpath' from 'jsonpath'

Suggestion:
Would you consider using a non-colliding import namespace, such as python_jsonpath or pyjsonpath? This would allow python-jsonpath to coexist with the original jsonpath package. The current situation makes it impossible to have both in the same environment, even indirectly via transitive dependencies.

I understand this would be a breaking change for existing users. A migration path could include a major version bump and a compatibility shim that re-exports the new namespace from the old one for a deprecation period.

[jg-rp]

Hi @gil-ch-palo,

Sure, we can do that for version 3.

In the meantime - considering the original jsonpath package is implemented as a single file - one possible solution might be to use importlib to load jsonpath.py under an alias. This assumes python-jsonpath is a transitive dependency and jsonpath is not.

import importlib.util
import os
import sys

import jsonpath  # python-jsonpath

def find_original_jsonpath():
    for path in sys.path:
        candidate = os.path.join(path, "jsonpath.py")
        if os.path.isfile(candidate):
            return candidate

if path := find_original_jsonpath():
    spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("original_jsonpath", path)
    assert spec is not None
    original_jsonpath = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
    assert spec.loader is not None
    spec.loader.exec_module(original_jsonpath)
else:
    raise ImportError("can't load jsonpath.py")

original_jsonpath = original_jsonpath.jsonpath

print(original_jsonpath({"a": {"b": 42}}, "$.a.b"))
print(jsonpath.findall("$.a.b", {"a": {"b": 42}}))

[gil-ch-palo]

Thank you for the quick response and mitigation offer!

Unfortunately the situation is that we cannot edit neither of the packages that cause the conflict 😔.