thonny-upypi-manager 0.1.0

Thonny plugin for searching and installing uPyPi packages

thonny-upypi-manager

thonny-upypi-manager is a Thonny IDE plugin for searching packages on uPyPi, inspecting package metadata, downloading package files, and installing them onto a connected MicroPython board with mpremote.

The plugin adds a visible uPyPi entry point in Thonny and is intended for Thonny 4.1.7.

Current scope

• Search uPyPi packages from inside Thonny
• Show metadata from each package's package.json
• Download realistic multi-file packages to a local cache
• Install package files to /lib on a connected device through mpremote
• Automatic dependency installation: reads the deps field in package.json and installs all declared dependencies before the main package
• Surface recoverable errors such as missing network access, missing mpremote, or no connected board

Project layout

The plugin is implemented under the thonnycontrib.upypi_manager package so that Thonny can discover it as a third-party plugin.

Key files:

• thonnycontrib/upypi_manager/plugin.py: Thonny UI, panel registration, and user actions
• thonnycontrib/upypi_manager/client.py: uPyPi API and package metadata client
• thonnycontrib/upypi_manager/installer.py: download, cache, and mpremote install flow
• pyproject.toml: packaging metadata

Installation

There are two practical ways to install the plugin:

• install a built wheel
• copy the plugin package into Thonny's user plugin directory

For sharing with a client, the wheel is the cleaner option. It is easier to hand over, easier to install consistently, and closer to how a packaged release should behave. Manual copy is still useful for quick testing.

Option 1: Install from a wheel

Build the wheel on a development machine:

python -m build

This creates a file under dist/, for example:

dist/thonny_upypi_manager-0.1.0-py3-none-any.whl

In Thonny, open Tools -> Manage plug-ins..., choose Install from local file, and select the wheel file.

This is the recommended installation method for client handoff.

Option 2: Install by copying the package

Copy the thonnycontrib/upypi_manager directory into Thonny's user plugin site-packages directory so the final structure contains:

.../site-packages/thonnycontrib/upypi_manager/__init__.py
.../site-packages/thonnycontrib/upypi_manager/plugin.py
.../site-packages/thonnycontrib/upypi_manager/client.py
.../site-packages/thonnycontrib/upypi_manager/installer.py
.../site-packages/thonnycontrib/upypi_manager/icon.png

Typical Thonny user plugin locations:

• Linux: ~/.config/Thonny/plugins/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages/
• macOS: ~/Library/Thonny/plugins/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Thonny\plugins\lib\pythonX.Y\site-packages\

The exact pythonX.Y version depends on the Python runtime bundled with or used by the local Thonny installation.

After copying the files, restart Thonny.

Platform notes

• Windows: make sure mpremote is installed and available on PATH if install-to-device support is required. Device discovery supports Windows COM ports (e.g. COM3) as well as /dev/ paths on Linux and macOS.
• macOS: if mpremote is installed with Homebrew or user-local Python tools, launch Thonny from an environment where that executable is on PATH.
• Linux: distro-managed Python environments may block system-wide pip install usage. If mpremote is needed, install it in a virtual environment or other user-managed environment and launch Thonny with that PATH.

Development

Thonny discovers third-party plugins under the thonnycontrib namespace package. During local development, add this repository to PYTHONPATH and launch Thonny from the same environment:

PYTHONPATH=/path/to/thonny-upypi-plugin python -m thonny

If you are testing install-to-device flows, make sure mpremote is available on PATH for the process that launches Thonny.

Packaging

Build distribution artifacts with:

python -m build

This produces a wheel and source distribution under dist/.

You do not need a wheel for local development, but you should build one before sharing the plugin with a client or validating the packaged install flow.

Notes

• Windows, macOS, and Linux are intended targets.
• Uninstall, upgrade, and overwrite behavior are out of scope for v1.
• This repository currently contains the plugin source. Build outputs should not be committed.