Loading ilastik as a Python library

[ocramz-mhc]

Description

I think it would make a lot of sense to be able to load ilastik as a Python library in order to script interactions etc.

Scenario

As a user, I would import ilastik as il and then do my work with the il object

Rationale

By having model comparison code (ilastik vs other libraries) in a single Python script, we could use nice language features (e.g. exception handling) as well as advanced deployment options (e.g. Ray clusters)

[k-dominik]

Hello @ocramz-mhc,

we're working on having ilastik available from Python in a nice way. This is currently limited to pre-trained pixel classification projects, but we're planning to add more.

[ocramz-mhc]

Thank you @k-dominik for the quick response!

Indeed, most of the value of ilastik is with its UI and the advanced defaults it offers. I imagine a two-step workflow in which model training is done via the UI and pretrained models can be loaded and executed via Python scripts. I think investing a bit into the packaging story will be very appreciated and even expand the contributor base.