IMAS-core is no longer an optional dependency

[AreWeDreaming]

There is a conda release for this library where imas-core is an optional dependency. However, this release is stuck at 2.0.1 which is now 11 months old.
Because of the forced import of imas_core in

IMAS-Python/imas/backends/imas_core/imas_interface.py

Line 17 in 16958f6

from imas_core import _al_lowlevel as lowlevel

the imas-python feedstock is currently unable to be updated.
For the DIII-D mappings we need MDSplus, which cannot be released on PyPi easily. Please keep imas-core as an optional dependency until it is also available through conda-forge.
This issue blocks #108 from proceeding currently.

[munechika-koyo]

@AreWeDreaming, I am a main maintainer of the imas-python feedstock.
I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Actually, I've been waiting for iterorganization/IMAS-Core#10 to be addressed because I would like to use meson for imas-core at the conda-forge build stage conda-forge/staged-recipes#31554.

Currently, the imas-core package is hosted in a different repository: https://prefix.dev/channels/imas-forge/packages/imas-core, which does not include Windows build artifacts.
Please try to use it as a workaround if any.

[AreWeDreaming]

Thanks for commenting. I specifically don't need the imas-core features so it might be as easy as putting a try: except: block around the imports.