The construct.yaml specification#

The construct.yaml file is the primary mechanism for controlling the output of the Constructor package. The file contains a list of key/value pairs in the standard YAML format. Each configuration option is listed in its own subsection below.

Constructor employs the Selector enhancement of the YAML format first employed in the conda-build project. Selectors are specially formatted YAML comments that Constructor uses to customize the specification for different platforms. The precise syntax for selectors is described in this section of the conda-build documentation. The list of selectors available for use in Constructor specs is given in the section Available selectors below.

Finally, construct.yaml is parsed as a jinja2 template and so any valid jinja2 templating directives may be used. The current shell environment is available as the jinja2 variable environ. As an example, setting the version key from an environment variable called VERSION would look like: version: {{ environ["VERSION"] }}. Note that the special environment variables available in meta.yaml when running conda-build are not available here.

Note: This content is also available in the CLI as constructor --help-construct

Available keys#

This is only a name and description render of the constructor JSON Schema. For more details, consider using an online viewer like json-schema.app

$schema#

JSON Schema URL or path used to validate this input file.

name#

Name of the installer. Names may be composed of letters, numbers, underscores, dashes, and periods, but must not begin or end with a dash or period.

version#

Version of the installer. Versions may be composed of letters, numbers, underscores, dashes, and periods, but must not begin or end with a dash or period.

channels#

The conda channels from which packages are retrieved. At least one channel must be supplied, either in channels or channels_remap.

See notes in channels_remap for details about local channels.

channels_remap#

A list of src/dest channel URL pairs. When building the installer, conda will use the src channels to solve and fetch the packages. However, the resulting installation will see the packages as coming from the dest equivalent. This allows an installer to be built against a different set of channels than will be present when the installer is actually used. Example use:

channels_remap:
  - src: file:///tmp/a3/conda-bld              # [unix]
    dest: https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main  # [unix]
  - src: file:///D:/tmp/a3/conda-bld           # [win]
    dest: https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main  # [win]

At least one channel must be supplied, either in channels or channels_remap.

specs#

A list of package specifications; e.g. python 2.7*, pyzmq or numpy >=1.8. The specifications are identical in form and purpose to those that would be included in a conda create --file command. Packages may also be specified by an exact URL, e.g., https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main/osx-64/openssl-1.0.2o-h26aff7b_0.tar.bz2. This key can also take a str pointing to a requirements file with the same syntax.

Note: constructor relies on conda’s Python API to solve the passed specifications. You can still set the CONDA_SOLVER environment variable to override system-wide settings for constructor. If you are using constructor from a non-base environment, make sure the configured solver plugin is also installed in that environment.

user_requested_specs#

A list of package specifications to be recorded as “user-requested” for the initial environment in conda’s history file. This information is used by newer versions of conda to better filter its package choices on subsequent installs; for example, if python=3.6 is included, then conda will always seek versions of packages compatible with Python 3.6. If this option is not provided, it will be set equal to the value of specs.

virtual_specs#

A list of virtual packages that must be satisfied at install time. Virtual packages must start with __. For example, __osx>=11 or __glibc>=2.24. These specs are dry-run solved offline by the bundled --conda-exe binary. In SH installers, __glibc>=x.y and __osx>=x.y specs can be checked with Bash only. The detected version can be overriden with environment variables CONDA_OVERRIDE_GLIBC and CONDA_OVERRIDE_OSX, respectively. In PKG installers, __osx specs can be checked natively without the solver being involved as long as only >=, < or , are used.

exclude#

A list of package names to be excluded after the specs have been resolved. For example, you can say that readline should be excluded, even though it is contained as a result of resolving the specs for python 2.7.

ignore_duplicate_files#

By default, constructor will warn you when adding packages with duplicate files in them. Setting this option to false will raise an error instead.

~~install_in_dependency_order~~#

Obsolete. The current version of constructor relies on the standalone conda executable for its installation behavior. This option is now ignored with a warning.

environment#

Name of the environment to construct from. If this option is present, the specs argument will be ignored. Using this option allows the user to curate the enviromment interactively using standard conda commands, and run constructor with full confidence that the exact environment will be reproduced.

environment_file#

Path to an environment file (TXT or YAML) to construct from. If this option is present, the specs argument will be ignored. Instead, constructor will call conda to create a temporary environment, constructor will build an installer from that, and the temporary environment will be removed. This ensures that constructor is using the precise local conda configuration to discover and install the packages. The created environment MUST include python.

See notes about the solver in the specs field for more information.

transmute_file_type#

File type extension for the files to be transmuted into. If left empty, no transmuting is done.

conda_default_channels#

If this value is provided as well as write_condarc, then the channels in this list will be included as the value of the default_channels: option in the environment’s .condarc file. This will have an impact only if conda is included in the environmnent.

conda_channel_alias#

The channel alias that would be assumed for the created installer (only useful if it includes conda).

extra_envs#

Create more environments in addition to the default base provided by specs, environment or environment_file.

Notes:

  • ignore_duplicate_files will always be considered True if extra_envs is in use.

  • conda needs to be present in the base environment (via specs)

  • If a global exclude option is used, it will have an effect on the environments created by extra_envs too. For example, if the global environment excludes tk, none of the extra environments will have it either. Unlike the global option, an error will not be thrown if the excluded package is not found in the packages required by the extra environment. To override the global exclude value, use an empty list [].

register_envs#

Whether to register the environments created by the installer (both base and extra_envs) in ~/.conda/environments.txt. Only compatible with conda-standalone >=23.9.

installer_filename#

The filename of the installer being created. If not supplied, a reasonable default will be determined by the name, version, platform, and installer_type.

installer_type#

The type of the installer being created. Possible values are:

  • sh: shell-based installer for Linux or macOS

  • pkg: macOS GUI installer built with Apple’s pkgbuild

  • exe: Windows GUI installer built with NSIS

The default type is sh on Linux and macOS, and exe on Windows. A special value of all builds both sh and pkg installers on macOS, as well as sh on Linux and exe on Windows.

license_file#

Path to the license file being displayed by the installer during the install process. It must be plain text (.txt) for shell-based installers. For PKG, .txt, .rtf and .html are supported. On Windows, .txt and .rtf are supported.

keep_pkgs#

If False, the package cache in the pkgs subdirectory is removed when the installation process is complete. If True, this subdirectory and its contents are preserved. If keep_pkgs is False, Unix .sh and Windows .exe installers offer a command-line option (-k and /KeepPkgCache, respectively) to preserve the package cache.

batch_mode#

Only affects .sh installers. If False, the installer launches an interactive wizard guiding the user through the available options. If True, the installer runs automatically as if -b was passed.

signing_identity_name#

By default, the MacOS pkg installer isn’t signed. If an identity name is specified using this option, it will be used to sign the installer with Apple’s productsign. Note that you will need to have a certificate (usually an “Installer certificate”) and the corresponding private key, together called an ‘identity’, in one of your accessible keychains. Common values for this option follow this format Developer ID Installer: Name of the owner (XXXXXX).

notarization_identity_name#

If the pkg installer is going to be signed with signing_identity_name, you can also prepare the bundle for notarization. This will use Apple’s codesign to sign conda.exe. For this, you need an “Application certificate” (different from the “Installer certificate” mentioned above). Common values for this option follow the format Developer ID Application: Name of the owner (XXXXXX).

windows_signing_tool#

The tool used to sign Windows installers. Must be one of: azuresigntool, signtool. Some tools require signing_certificate to be set. Defaults to signtool if signing_certificate is set. Additional environment variables may need to be used to configure signing. See the documentation for details: https://conda.github.io/constructor/howto/#signing-exe-installers

signing_certificate#

On Windows only, set this key to the path of the certificate file to be used with the windows_signing_tool.

write_condarc#

By default, no .condarc file is written. If set, a .condarc file is written to the installation directory if there are any channels or conda_default_channels is set.

condarc#

If set, a .condarc file is written to the base environment containing the contents of this value. The value can either be a string (likely a multi-line string) or a dictionary, which will be converted to a YAML string for writing. Note: if this option is used, then all other options related to the construction of a .condarc file (write_condarc, conda_default_channels, etc.) are ignored.

company#

Name of the company/entity responsible for the installer.

reverse_domain_identifier#

Unique identifier for this package, formatted with reverse domain notation. This is used internally in the PKG installers to handle future updates and others. If not provided, it will default to io.continuum. (MacOS only)

uninstall_name#

Application name in the Windows “Programs and Features” control panel. Defaults to ${NAME} ${VERSION} (Python ${PYVERSION} ${ARCH}).

script_env_variables#

Dictionary of additional environment variables to be made available to the pre_install and post_install scripts, in the form of VAR:VALUE pairs. These environment variables are in addition to those in the post_install section above and take precedence in the case of name collisions.

On Unix the variable values are automatically single quoted, allowing you to supply strings with spaces, without needing to worry about escaping. As a consequence, string interpolation is disabled: if you need string interpolation, you can apply it in the pre_install/post_install script(s). If you need to include single quotes in your value, you can escape them by replacing each single quote with '''.

On Windows, single quotes and double quotes are not supported.

Note that the # (hash) character cannot be used as it denotes yaml comments for all platforms.

pre_install#

Path to a pre-install script, run after the package cache has been set, but before the files are linked to their final locations. As a result, you should only rely on tools known to be available on most systems (e.g. bash, cmd, etc). See post_install for information about available environment variables.

pre_install_desc#

A description of the purpose of the supplied pre_install script. If this string is supplied and non-empty, then the Windows and macOS GUI installers will display it along with a checkbox to enable or disable the execution of the script. If this string is not supplied, it is assumed that the script is compulsory and the option to disable it will not be offered.

This option has no effect on SH installers.

post_install#

Path to a post-install script. Some notes:

  • For Unix .sh installers, the shebang line is respected if present; otherwise, the script is run by the POSIX shell sh. Note that the use of a shebang can reduce the portability of the installer. The installation path is available as ${PREFIX}. Installer metadata is available in the ${INSTALLER_NAME}, ${INSTALLER_VER}, ${INSTALLER_PLAT} environment variables. ${INSTALLER_TYPE} is set to SH. ${INSTALLER_UNATTENDED} will be "1" in batch mode (-b), "0" otherwise.

  • For PKG installers, the shebang line is respected if present; otherwise, bash is used. The same variables mentioned for sh installers are available here. ${INSTALLER_TYPE} is set to PKG. ${INSTALLER_UNATTENDED} will be "1" for command line installs, "0" otherwise.

  • For Windows .exe installers, the script must be a .bat file. Installation path is available as %PREFIX%. Metadata about the installer can be found in the %INSTALLER_NAME%, %INSTALLER_VER%, %INSTALLER_PLAT% environment variables. %INSTALLER_TYPE% is set to EXE. %INSTALLER_UNATTENDED% will be "1" in silent mode (/S), "0" otherwise.

If necessary, you can activate the installed base environment like this:

  • Unix: . "$PREFIX/etc/profile.d/conda.sh" && conda activate "$PREFIX"

  • Windows: call "%PREFIX%\Scripts\activate.bat"

post_install_desc#

A description of the purpose of the supplied post_install script. If this string is supplied and non-empty, then the Windows and macOS GUI installers will display it along with a checkbox to enable or disable the execution of the script. If this string is not supplied, it is assumed that the script is compulsory and the option to disable it will not be offered.

This option has no effect on SH installers.

pre_uninstall#

Path to a pre uninstall script. This is only supported on Windows, and must be a .bat file. Installation path is available as %PREFIX%. Metadata about the installer can be found in the %INSTALLER_NAME%, %INSTALLER_VER%, %INSTALLER_PLAT% environment variables. %INSTALLER_TYPE% is set to EXE.

default_prefix#

Set default install prefix. On Linux, if not provided, the default prefix is ${HOME}/<NAME> (or, if HOME is not set, /opt/<NAME>). On Windows, this is used only for “Just Me” installations; for “All Users” installations, use the default_prefix_all_users key. If not provided, the default prefix is %USERPROFILE%\<NAME>. Environment variables will be expanded at install time.

default_prefix_domain_user#

Set default installation prefix for domain users. If not provided, the installation prefix for domain users will be %LOCALAPPDATA%\<NAME>. By default, it is different from the default_prefix value to avoid installing the distribution into the roaming profile. Environment variables will be expanded at install time. Windows only.

default_prefix_all_users#

Set default installation prefix for All Users installations. If not provided, the installation prefix will be %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\<NAME>. Environment variables will be expanded at install time. Windows only.

default_location_pkg#

Default installation subdirectory in the chosen volume. In PKG installers, default installation locations are configured differently. The user can choose between a “Just me” installation (which would result in ~/<PKG_NAME>) or another volume (which defaults to <VOLUME>/<PKG_NAME>). If you want a different default, you can add a middle component with this option, let’s call it location. It would result in these default values: ~/<LOCATION>/<PKG_NAME> for “Just me”, <VOLUME>/<LOCATION>/<PKG_NAME> for custom volumes. For example, setting this option to /Library in a “Just me” installation will give you ~/Library/<PKG_NAME>. Internally, this is passed to pkgbuild --install-location. macOS only.

pkg_domains#

The domains the package can be installed into. For a detailed explanation, see: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/DeveloperTools/Reference/DistributionDefinitionRef/Chapters/Distribution_XML_Ref.html constructor defaults to enable_anywhere=true and enable_currentUserHome=true. enable_localSystem should not be set to true unless default_location_pkg is set as well. macOS only.

pkg_name#

Internal identifier for the installer. This is used in the build prefix and will determine part of the default location path. Combine with default_location_pkg for more flexibility. If not provided, the value of name will be used. (macOS only)

install_path_exists_error_text#

Error message that will be shown if the installation path already exists. You cannot use double quotes or newlines. The placeholder {CHOSEN_PATH} is available and set to the destination causing the error. Defaults to:

‘{CHOSEN_PATH}’ already exists. Please, relaunch the installer and choose another location in the Destination Select step.

(PKG only)

progress_notifications#

Whether to show UI notifications on PKG installers. On large installations, the progress bar reaches ~90% very quickly and stays there for a long time. This might look like the installer froze. This option enables UI notifications so the user receives updates after each command executed by the installer. (macOS only)

welcome_image#

Path to an image in any common image format (.png, .jpg, .tif, etc.) to be used as the welcome image for the Windows and PKG installers. The image is re-sized to 164 x 314 pixels on Windows and 1227 x 600 on macOS. By default, an image is automatically generated on Windows. On macOS, Anaconda’s logo is shown if this key is not provided. If you don’t want a background on PKG installers, set this key to "" (empty string).

header_image#

Like welcome_image for Windows, re-sized to 150 x 57 pixels.

icon_image#

Like welcome_image for Windows, re-sized to 256 x 256 pixels.

default_image_color#

The color of the default images (when not providing explicit image files) used on Windows.

welcome_image_text#

If welcome_image is not provided, use this text when generating the image (Windows and PKG only). Defaults to name on Windows.

header_image_text#

If header_image is not provided, use this text when generating the image (Windows only). Defaults to name.

initialize_conda#

Add an option to the installer so the user can choose whether to run conda init after the installation (Unix), or to add certain subdirectories of the installation to PATH (Windows). See also initialize_by_default.

initialize_by_default#

Default value for the option added by initialize_conda. The default is true for GUI installers (EXE, PKG) and false for shell installers. The user is able to change the default during interactive installation. NOTE: For Windows, AddToPath is disabled when InstallationType=AllUsers.

Only applies if initialize_conda is true.

register_python#

Whether to offer the user an option to register the installed Python instance as the system’s default Python. (Windows only)

register_python_default#

Default choice for whether to register the installed Python instance as the system’s default Python. The user is still able to change this during interactive installation. (Windows only).

Only applies if register_python is true.

check_path_length#

Check the length of the path where the distribution is installed to ensure nodejs can be installed. Raise a message to request shorter paths (less than 46 character) or enable long paths on windows > 10 (require admin right). Default is True. (Windows only).

check_path_spaces#

Check if the path where the distribution is installed contains spaces. To allow installations with spaces, change to False. Note that:

  • A recent conda-standalone (>=22.11.1) or equivalent is needed for full support.

  • conda cannot be present in the base environment

nsis_template#

Path to an NSIS template file to use instead of the default template. (Windows only)

welcome_file#

If installer_type is pkg on macOS, this message will be shown before the license information, right after the introduction. File can be plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf) or HTML (.html). If both welcome_file and welcome_text are provided, welcome_file takes precedence.

If the installer is for Windows and the welcome file type is nsi, it will use the nsi script to add in extra pages before the installer begins the installation process.

welcome_text#

If installer_type is pkg on macOS, this message will be shown before the license information, right after the introduction. If this key is missing, it defaults to a message about Anaconda Cloud. You can disable it altogether so it defaults to the system message if you set this key to "" (empty string).

readme_file#

If installer_type is pkg on macOS, this message will be shown before the license information, right after the welcome screen. File can be plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf) or HTML (.html). If both readme_file and readme_text are provided, readme_file takes precedence.

readme_text#

If installer_type is pkg on macOS, this message will be shown before the license information, right after the welcome screen. If this key is missing, it defaults to a message about Anaconda Cloud. You can disable it altogether if you set this key to "" (empty string).

post_install_pages#

Adds extra pages to the installers to be shown after installation.

For PKG installers, these can be compiled installer plug-ins or directories containing an Xcode project. In the latter case, constructor will try and compile the project file using xcodebuild.

For Windows, the extra pages must be .nsi files. They will be inserted as-is before the conclusion page.

conclusion_file#

If installer_type is pkg on macOS, this message will be shown at the end of the installer upon success. File can be plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf) or HTML (.html). If both conclusion_file and conclusion_text are provided, conclusion_file takes precedence.

If the installer is for Windows, the file type must be nsi.

conclusion_text#

A message that will be shown at the end of the installer upon success. The behaviour is slightly different across installer types:

  • PKG: If this key is missing, it defaults to a message about Anaconda Cloud. You can disable it altogether so it defaults to the system message if you set this key to "" (empty string).

  • EXE: The first line will be used as a title. The following lines will be used as text.

extra_files#

Extra, non-packaged files that should be added to the installer. If provided as relative paths, they will be considered relative to the directory where construct.yaml is. This setting can be passed as a list of:

  • str: each found file will be copied to the root prefix

  • Mapping[str, str]: map of path in disk to path in prefix.

temp_extra_files#

Temporary files that could be referenced in the installation process (i.e. customized welcome_file and conclusion_file). Should be a list of file paths, relative to the directory where construct.yaml is. In Windows, these files will be copied into a temporary folder, the NSIS $PLUGINSDIR, during the install process (Windows only).

Supports the same values as extra_files.

build_outputs#

Additional artifacts to be produced after building the installer. It expects either a list of strings or single-key dictionaries.

Allowed strings / keys: hash, info.json, licenses, lockfile, pkgs_list.

uninstall_with_conda_exe#

Use the standalone binary to perform the uninstallation on Windows. Requires conda-standalone 24.11.0 or newer.

Available selectors#

  • aarch64

  • arm64

  • armv7l

  • linux

  • linux32

  • linux64

  • osx

  • ppc64le

  • s390x

  • unix

  • win

  • win32

  • win64

  • x86

  • x86_64

Available Platforms#

Specify which platform (CONDA_SUBDIR) to build for via the --platform argument. If provided, this argument must be formated as <platform>-<architecture>, e.g.:

  • linux-64

  • linux-aarch64

  • linux-ppc64le

  • linux-s390x

  • win-64

  • osx-64

  • osx-arm64