Import miio in Alexa Skill causes "No package metadata was found for importlib_metadata"

[pascalliedtke]

Hello there,

I am trying to implement an Alexa Skill in Python using the Amazon developer console.
Requirements.txt looks like this:

micloud==0.5
python-miio==0.5.12

The following line causes the error below:

from miio import RoborockVacuum

Error:

[ERROR] PackageNotFoundError: No package metadata was found for importlib_metadata
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/var/lang/lib/python3.7/imp.py", line 234, in load_module
return load_source(name, filename, file)
File "/var/lang/lib/python3.7/imp.py", line 171, in load_source
module = _load(spec)
File "", line 696, in _load
File "", line 677, in _load_unlocked
File "", line 728, in exec_module
File "", line 219, in _call_with_frames_removed
File "/var/task/lambda_function.py", line 9, in
from miio import RoborockVacuum
File "/var/task/miio/init.py", line 4, in
from importlib_metadata import version # type: ignore
File "/var/task/importlib_metadata/init.py", line 623, in
version = version(name)
File "/var/task/importlib_metadata/init.py", line 585, in version
return distribution(distribution_name).version
File "/var/task/importlib_metadata/init.py", line 558, in distribution
return Distribution.from_name(distribution_name)
File "/var/task/importlib_metadata/init.py", line 215, in from_name
raise PackageNotFoundError(name)

It works fine when I use the same import on any py file on my local machine with python-miio installed.

Any ideas?

Thanks a lot!

[pascalliedtke]

After further inspection it seems like python-miio is not the issue, instead just importing importlib_metadata in an Alexa-hosted Skill is the issue.
Most likely this is just my lack of knowledge about importlib_metadata and python in general.

Anyway, if someone has an idea off hand, please let me know. Otherwise feel free to delete this thread.

Thanks

[pascalliedtke]

I think the full spelled out exception text is just "[ERROR] PackageNotFoundError: No package metadata was found for importlib_metadata".
To me it seems like importlib_metadata itself is missing something and it might not be related to miio at all. But I could be wrong.
In fact the problem already occurs when I just use "import importlib_metadata" in the Alexa python script. miio just does the same implicitly when importing it.
So, I am not sure if the fallback you mentioned for miio would help here, since the origin of the issue according to the exception message and my tests is directly in importlib_metadata.

I have checked the code at https://github.com/python/importlib_metadata/blob/main/importlib_metadata/__init__.py
for "def from_name(cls, name: str)" where the exception comes from. But it does not give me more clues. It just does not find the name "importlib_metadata" in a list/dictionary it should have created before.

I also tried to add importlib-metadata or importlib_metadata to the requirements.txt which is used to pip install packages in the Alexa environment. However, that also does not help.

[rytilahti]

It is already installed as you are getting the exception from that library. I'll create an issue to guard that version() call inside kasa/__init__.py not to crash if the information is not available, if you wish, you could report the "importlib_metadata not finding its own metadata" issue to the issue tracker of that project, they probably have an idea what could be a potential fix (if any) for that :-)

[pascalliedtke]

It is already installed as you are getting the exception from that library

Oh right - my bad. It is even in the callstack of course ;)

if you wish, you could report the "importlib_metadata not finding its own metadata" issue to the issue tracker of that project, they probably have an idea what could be a potential fix (if any) for that :-)

I will do that. Thanks a lot! Just to make sure - do you mean reporting it to https://github.com/python/importlib_metadata and not kasa?

[rytilahti]

Ohhh, indeed, importlib_metadata that is! I thought I was reading an issue on the kasa library, as python-miio does not use that library anymore in the current git :-) So if you can install the git version, it should work directly. The library is undergoing some larger changes and because of that it may take a while until I manage to release a new version on pypi.

[pascalliedtke]

Now I see! I got a bit confused why kasa suddenly came up ;)

I just tested something: If I don't use python-miio in requirements.txt and only use the latest importlib_metadata, it works fine. However, forcing the latest importlib_metadata version in requirements.txt AND python-miio does not work. It causes a conflict, because the python-miio package expects an older version of importlib_metadata.
Anyway, whatever is causing the issue seems to be fixed in a later importlib_metadata version.

Yes, in fact using the git version python-miio that does not use importlib_metadata anymore could work. But then again the simple Alexa-hosted coding interface only allows getting packages from pypi by defining them in requirements.txt.
There is still a different way of manually creating the python environment and package for the Alexa skill - this way I could use the latest git version of python-miio. However, I currently don't have much time to look into that and I think I will just wait for your next pypi push.

Are there any timelines for that?

Btw thanks a lot to you and all other contributors for the great work :)
Using python-miio on my local machine works like a charm and allows me to control my vacuum cleaner to clean specific rooms (this is actually what the disappointing Mi Home Alexa integration lacks - you can only start (= clean all) or stop (without going to the dock) with that integration - so it is somehow pointless).
The only thing missing on my side now, is to integrate the python-miio vacuum cleaner control to an Alexa skill.