I am trying to install the (seemingly abandoned) stringcase python package with a python3.13.2 build on ubuntu in a venv like so::

  python3.13 -m venv venv
  source venv/bin/activate
  pip install -U pip
  pip install stringcase

However, I get the following error::

Collecting stringcase
  Using cached stringcase-1.2.0.tar.gz (3.0 kB)
  Installing build dependencies ... done
  Getting requirements to build wheel ... error
  error: subprocess-exited-with-error
  
  × Getting requirements to build wheel did not run successfully.
  │ exit code: 1
  ╰─> [35 lines of output]
      Traceback (most recent call last):
        File "/home/fgoudreault/venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pyproject_hooks/_in_process/_in_process.py", line 389, in <module>
          main()
          ~~~~^^
        File "/home/fgoudreault/venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pyproject_hooks/_in_process/_in_process.py", line 373, in main
          json_out["return_val"] = hook(**hook_input["kwargs"])
                                   ~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "/home/fgoudreault/venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pyproject_hooks/_in_process/_in_process.py", line 143, in get_requires_for_build_wheel
          return hook(config_settings)
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 334, in get_requires_for_build_wheel
          return self._get_build_requires(config_settings, requirements=[])
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 304, in _get_build_requires
          self.run_setup()
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 522, in run_setup
          super().run_setup(setup_script=setup_script)
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 320, in run_setup
          exec(code, locals())
          ~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "<string>", line 3, in <module>
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/core.py", line 160, in setup
          dist.parse_config_files()
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/dist.py", line 730, in parse_config_files
          self._parse_config_files(filenames=inifiles)
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/dist.py", line 599, in _parse_config_files
          opt = self._enforce_underscore(opt, section)
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/dist.py", line 629, in _enforce_underscore
          raise InvalidConfigError(
          ...<3 lines>...
          )
      setuptools.errors.InvalidConfigError: Invalid dash-separated key 'description-file' in 'metadata' (setup.cfg), please use the underscore name 'description_file' instead.
      [end of output]
  
  note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
error: subprocess-exited-with-error

× Getting requirements to build wheel did not run successfully.
│ exit code: 1
╰─> See above for output.

note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.

Meanwhile, if I use a python 3.12.3 build, the install proceeds successfully. Therefore, I am tempted to conclude that the error comes from an installing library. I tried downgrading setuptools but to no avail. The error message seems strange since the setup.cfg file on the package github repo does not contain the problematic line mentioned in the error.

My question is: what is the source of the problem and why is this happening?

I am trying to install the (seemingly abandoned) stringcase python package with a python3.13.2 build on ubuntu in a venv like so::

  python3.13 -m venv venv
  source venv/bin/activate
  pip install -U pip
  pip install stringcase

However, I get the following error::

Collecting stringcase
  Using cached stringcase-1.2.0.tar.gz (3.0 kB)
  Installing build dependencies ... done
  Getting requirements to build wheel ... error
  error: subprocess-exited-with-error
  
  × Getting requirements to build wheel did not run successfully.
  │ exit code: 1
  ╰─> [35 lines of output]
      Traceback (most recent call last):
        File "/home/fgoudreault/venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pyproject_hooks/_in_process/_in_process.py", line 389, in <module>
          main()
          ~~~~^^
        File "/home/fgoudreault/venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pyproject_hooks/_in_process/_in_process.py", line 373, in main
          json_out["return_val"] = hook(**hook_input["kwargs"])
                                   ~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "/home/fgoudreault/venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pyproject_hooks/_in_process/_in_process.py", line 143, in get_requires_for_build_wheel
          return hook(config_settings)
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 334, in get_requires_for_build_wheel
          return self._get_build_requires(config_settings, requirements=[])
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 304, in _get_build_requires
          self.run_setup()
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 522, in run_setup
          super().run_setup(setup_script=setup_script)
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 320, in run_setup
          exec(code, locals())
          ~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "<string>", line 3, in <module>
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/core.py", line 160, in setup
          dist.parse_config_files()
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/dist.py", line 730, in parse_config_files
          self._parse_config_files(filenames=inifiles)
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/dist.py", line 599, in _parse_config_files
          opt = self._enforce_underscore(opt, section)
        File "/tmp/pip-build-env-9bqsrgl1/overlay/lib/python3.13/site-packages/setuptools/dist.py", line 629, in _enforce_underscore
          raise InvalidConfigError(
          ...<3 lines>...
          )
      setuptools.errors.InvalidConfigError: Invalid dash-separated key 'description-file' in 'metadata' (setup.cfg), please use the underscore name 'description_file' instead.
      [end of output]
  
  note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
error: subprocess-exited-with-error

× Getting requirements to build wheel did not run successfully.
│ exit code: 1
╰─> See above for output.

note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.

Meanwhile, if I use a python 3.12.3 build, the install proceeds successfully. Therefore, I am tempted to conclude that the error comes from an installing library. I tried downgrading setuptools but to no avail. The error message seems strange since the setup.cfg file on the package github repo does not contain the problematic line mentioned in the error.

My question is: what is the source of the problem and why is this happening?

• python
• pip

Share Improve this question Follow asked Mar 24 at 15:43 fgoudrafgoudra 91111 gold badge1111 silver badges2828 bronze badges 11

• 4 You're looking at the master branch. This thing hasn't had a release since August 5th, 2017, and the version from back then does have the problematic line. – user2357112 Commented Mar 24 at 15:47
• 2 You might try installing directly from the github repo. – JonSG Commented Mar 24 at 16:19
• 1 Ok found the culprit, this is indeed a new deprecating change from setuptools github/pypa/setuptools/pull/4870 – fgoudra Commented Mar 24 at 16:23
• 2 Alternatively case_converter is a recent module with very similar functionality. Available on pypi. – user19077881 Commented Mar 24 at 16:25
• 2 Not that it answers your question, but integrating abandonware into your project is generally a bad idea. Please consider that carefully! In any case, there are 41 forks on GitHub alone, maybe one of those is actually maintained as a proper project. If not, consider just copying just the code that you actually need from that project (of course keeping things like the licence and copyright intact!) into yours. – Ulrich Eckhardt Commented Mar 24 at 17:55

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1 Answer 1

Sorted by: Reset to default 1

As pointed out in the comments, the issue stems from a breaking change introduced by setuptools>=78. A workaround is to use the PIP_CONSTRAINT environment variable to tell pip to use a lower version of setuptools. For instance, in a file named pip-constraint.txt:

setuptools<78

and then:

PIP_CONSTRAINT=pip-constraint.txt pip install stringcase

works for any python version.