Pre-Building Test Workflow

Test package installation before deployment.

Overview

This workflow validates that the built Python package can be installed and imported correctly before publishing to PyPI, preventing broken package deployments.

When to Use

• ✅ You want to validate package installation
• ✅ You need to test package imports
• ✅ You're preparing for PyPI deployment
• ✅ You want to catch packaging errors early

Inputs

Input	Type	Default	Description
package_path	string	'dist/'	Path to built packages
python_version	string	'3.11'	Python version for testing
test_import	boolean	true	Test package import
package_name	string	''	Package name to import

Outputs

Output	Description
installation_success	Whether installation succeeded
import_success	Whether import test succeeded

Usage Examples

Basic Usage

jobs:
  build:
    uses: Chisanan232/GitHub-Action_Reusable_Workflows-Python/.github/workflows/rw_python_package.yaml@master

  test-install:
    needs: build
    uses: Chisanan232/GitHub-Action_Reusable_Workflows-Python/.github/workflows/rw_pre-building_test.yaml@master
    with:
      package_name: my_package

Multi-Version Testing

jobs:
  build:
    uses: Chisanan232/GitHub-Action_Reusable_Workflows-Python/.github/workflows/rw_python_package.yaml@master

  test-install-py311:
    needs: build
    uses: Chisanan232/GitHub-Action_Reusable_Workflows-Python/.github/workflows/rw_pre-building_test.yaml@master
    with:
      python_version: '3.11'
      package_name: my_package

  test-install-py312:
    needs: build
    uses: Chisanan232/GitHub-Action_Reusable_Workflows-Python/.github/workflows/rw_pre-building_test.yaml@master
    with:
      python_version: '3.12'
      package_name: my_package

Complete Build and Deploy Pipeline

jobs:
  build:
    uses: Chisanan232/GitHub-Action_Reusable_Workflows-Python/.github/workflows/rw_python_package.yaml@master

  test-install:
    needs: build
    uses: Chisanan232/GitHub-Action_Reusable_Workflows-Python/.github/workflows/rw_pre-building_test.yaml@master
    with:
      package_name: my_package

  publish:
    needs: test-install
    if: needs.test-install.outputs.installation_success == 'true'
    uses: Chisanan232/GitHub-Action_Reusable_Workflows-Python/.github/workflows/rw_push_pypi.yaml@master
    secrets:
      pypi_token: ${{ secrets.PYPI_API_TOKEN }}

How It Works

Step 1: Download Package

Downloads built package from artifacts:

- uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
  with:
    name: python-package-distributions
    path: dist/

Step 2: Install Package

Installs the wheel package:

pip install dist/*.whl

Step 3: Test Import

Tests that package can be imported:

import sys
try:
    import my_package
    print(f"Successfully imported {my_package.__name__}")
    print(f"Version: {my_package.__version__}")
    sys.exit(0)
except ImportError as e:
    print(f"Failed to import: {e}")
    sys.exit(1)

Step 4: Validate Metadata

Checks package metadata:

pip show my-package

Best Practices

1. Test All Supported Python Versions

strategy:
  matrix:
    python-version: ['3.9', '3.10', '3.11', '3.12']

2. Test Both Wheel and Source Distribution

- name: Test wheel installation
  run: pip install dist/*.whl

- name: Test sdist installation
  run: pip install dist/*.tar.gz

3. Validate Package Entry Points

# Test CLI entry points
import subprocess
result = subprocess.run(['my-command', '--version'], capture_output=True)
assert result.returncode == 0

4. Check Dependencies

pip check  # Verify no dependency conflicts

Troubleshooting

Installation Fails

Symptoms:

• Package installation errors
• Dependency conflicts

Solutions:

1. Check package dependencies:

   [project]
   dependencies = [
       "requests>=2.28.0",
   ]

2. Verify package structure

3. Test locally:

   pip install dist/*.whl

Import Fails

Symptoms:

• ImportError after installation
• Module not found

Solutions:

1. Verify package name matches:

   import my_package  # Must match package name

2. Check package structure:

   src/
   └── my_package/
       └── __init__.py

3. Ensure __init__.py exists

Related Workflows

• rw_python_package - Build packages
• rw_push_pypi - Publish to PyPI
• rw_checking_deployment_state - Check deployment