Naming and Packaging Strategy for the DataLab Ecosystem #181
Description
Naming and Packaging Strategy for the DataLab Ecosystem
To clarify and future-proof the structure of the DataLab software ecosystem, we are adopting a unified naming strategy based on the datalab prefix. This change ensures consistency, enhances visibility, and avoids legacy references to the former cdl namespace (historically tied to Codra).
✅ New Component Naming Convention
| Component | Role | PyPI Package | Python Import Name | GitHub Repository |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🖥️ GUI Application | Main graphical application | datalab-platform |
datalab |
DataLab |
| ⚙️ Processing Engine | Core computations + I/O + XML-RPC client | sigima |
sigima |
sigima |
| 🧰 GUI Toolkit / Base | Reusable widgets, config, logs, helpers... | sigimax |
sigimax |
sigimax |
These three packages define the foundation of the DataLab ecosystem: one for the GUI (app), one for headless computation and remote control (processing), and one for GUI infrastructure and base functionality (tools).
🔄 Correspondence with Existing Packages
| Old Package Name | New PyPI Package Name | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
cdl |
datalab-platform |
The main GUI application package is renamed |
cdlclient |
(removed) | Replaced by internal client logic in sigima and widgets in sigimax |
| (new) | sigima |
New package extracted from cdl for I/O, computation, and XML-RPC client |
| (new) | sigimax |
New package extracted from cdl for GUI base logic |
🌍 Benefits
- Clear ownership and coherence across the ecosystem
- No reliance on legacy namespaces (
cdl) - Easier to discover and reuse individual components
- Ready for public distribution on PyPI and GitHub
This new structure also prepares the ecosystem for broader adoption, integration in other scientific environments, and simplified maintenance workflows.