Setuptools will install licenses if included in setup.cfg

changelog.d/1536.change.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+``setuptools`` will now automatically include licenses if ``setup.cfg``
+contains a ``license_file`` attribute, unless this file is manually excluded
+inside ``MANIFEST.in``.

docs/setuptools.txt

@@ -2448,6 +2448,7 @@ maintainer                                         str
 maintainer_email                maintainer-email   str
 classifiers                     classifier         file:, list-comma
 license                                            file:, str
+license_file                                       str
 description                     summary            file:, str
 long_description                long-description   file:, str
 long_description_content_type                      str

setuptools/command/egg_info.py

@@ -568,6 +568,7 @@ def _should_suppress_warning(msg):
 
     def add_defaults(self):
         sdist.add_defaults(self)
+        self.check_license()
         self.filelist.append(self.template)
         self.filelist.append(self.manifest)
         rcfiles = list(walk_revctrl())

setuptools/command/sdist.py

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import contextlib
 
 from setuptools.extern import six
+from setuptools.extern.six.moves import configparser
 
 from .py36compat import sdist_add_defaults
 
@@ -198,3 +199,23 @@ def read_manifest(self):
                 continue
             self.filelist.append(line)
         manifest.close()
+
+    def check_license(self):
+        """Checks if license_file' is configured and adds it to
+        'self.filelist' if the value contains a valid path.
+        """
+
+        opts = self.distribution.get_option_dict('metadata')
+        try:
+            # ignore the source of the value
+            _, license_file = opts.get('license_file')
+        except TypeError:
+            log.debug("'license_file' attribute is not defined")
+            return
+
+        if not os.path.exists(license_file):
+            log.warn("warning: Failed to find the configured license file '%s'",
+                    license_file)
+            return
+
+        self.filelist.append(license_file)

setuptools/tests/test_egg_info.py

@@ -486,6 +486,57 @@ def test_doesnt_provides_extra(self, tmpdir_cwd, env):
             pkg_info_text = pkginfo_file.read()
         assert 'Provides-Extra:' not in pkg_info_text
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("files, license_in_sources", [
+        ({
+            'setup.cfg': DALS("""
+                              [metadata]
+                              license_file = LICENSE
+                              """),
+            'LICENSE': DALS("Test license")
+        }, True), # with license
+        ({
+            'setup.cfg': DALS("""
+                              [metadata]
+                              license_file = INVALID_LICENSE
+                              """),
+            'LICENSE': DALS("Test license")
+        }, False), # with an invalid license
+        ({
+            'setup.cfg': DALS("""
+                              """),
+            'LICENSE': DALS("Test license")
+        }, False), # no license_file attribute
+        ({
+            'setup.cfg': DALS("""
+                              [metadata]
+                              license_file = LICENSE
+                              """),
+            'MANIFEST.in': DALS("exclude LICENSE"),
+            'LICENSE': DALS("Test license")
+        }, False) # license file is manually excluded
+    ])
+    def test_setup_cfg_license_file(
+            self, tmpdir_cwd, env, files, license_in_sources):
+        self._create_project()
+        build_files(files)
+        environ = os.environ.copy().update(
+            HOME=env.paths['home'],
+        )
+        environment.run_setup_py(
+            cmd=['egg_info'],
+            pypath=os.pathsep.join([env.paths['lib'], str(tmpdir_cwd)]),
+            data_stream=1,
+            env=environ,
+        )
+        egg_info_dir = os.path.join('.', 'foo.egg-info')
+        with open(os.path.join(egg_info_dir, 'SOURCES.txt')) as sources_file:
+            sources_text = sources_file.read()
+        if license_in_sources:
+            assert 'LICENSE' in sources_text
+        else:
+            assert 'LICENSE' not in sources_text
+            assert 'INVALID_LICENSE' not in sources_text # for invalid license test
+
     def test_long_description_content_type(self, tmpdir_cwd, env):
         # Test that specifying a `long_description_content_type` keyword arg to
         # the `setup` function results in writing a `Description-Content-Type`