Python Invoke Automation Task Library

What is Invoke?

Invoke is a Python library for writing automated scripts. It provides a concise API to define and execute tasks, which is ideal for building, deploying, testing and more scenarios. Invoke supports executing commands on local or remote servers and can be easily integrated with Python's standard library and other third-party libraries.

How to install Invoke?

To get started with Invoke, you need to install it first. You can install it through pip:

pip install invoke‍

Invoke Basics

Invoke uses decorators to define tasks. Here is a simple Invoke script example that defines a task called hello:

from invoke import task
@task
def hello(c):
    """
    Say hello.
    """
    ("echo Hello, world!")

In this example, the @task decorator tags a function that becomes an Invoke task. Methods are used to execute commands. To run this task, you can enter:

invoke hello

1. Run the test

Running tests is an essential step in software development. We can use Invoke to automate this process:

from invoke import task
@task
def test(c):
    """
    Run tests.
    """
    ("pytest")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("test")

Use scenarios

Test automation: Automatically run tests whenever code is submitted to ensure code quality.

Continuous integration: Combined with CI/CD tools to achieve an automated test process. ‍

2. Build the document

For document-driven projects, automated document construction can save a lot of time and effort:

from invoke import task
@task
def docs(c):
    """
    Build documentation.
    """
    ("cd docs && make html")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("docs")

Use scenarios

Document automation: Automatically build HTML version after each update of the document, making it easy to view online.

3. Installation dependencies

Installing a project's dependency is a common task, and Invoke can help us do this quickly:

from invoke import task
@task
def install(c):
    """
    Install dependencies.
    """
    ("pip install -r ")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("install")

Use scenarios

Environment construction: Quickly install the project dependency and simplify the preparation of new members when joining the team.

4. Clean old files

Cleaning up old files in your project helps keep your project tidy:

from invoke import task
@task
def clean(c):
    """
    Clean up old files.
    """
    ("rm -rf build dist *.egg-info")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("clean")

Use scenarios

Project maintenance: Clean old files regularly to avoid taking up unnecessary disk space.

5. Packaging the project

When publishing a project, we need to package it into a distributable format:

from invoke import task
@task
def package(c):
    """
    Package the project.
    """
    ("python  sdist bdist_wheel")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("package")

Use scenarios

Release preparation: Package the project in wheel or format, which is easy to publish to PyPI or private repository.

6. Deploy to the server

Deploying projects to production environments is an important part of the development cycle:

from invoke import task
@task
def deploy(c):
    """
    Deploy to production server.
    """
    ("scp -r dist/* user@server:/path/to/deployment")
    ("ssh user@server 'sudo systemctl restart myapp'")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("deploy")

Use scenarios

Deployment automation: Deploy the project to the production environment with one click and restart the service.

7. Remote command execution

Sometimes we need to execute some commands on a remote server, and Invoke can help us do this easily:

from invoke import task
@task
def remote_exec(c):
    """
    Execute a command on a remote server.
    """
    ("ssh user@server 'ls -la /path/to/directory'")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("remote_exec")

Use scenarios

Remote Management: Execute commands on a remote server without manually logging in.

8. Database migration

Database migration is a common requirement during development, and Invoke can help us automate these operations:

from invoke import task
@task
def migrate(c):
    """
    Apply database migrations.
    """
    ("alembic upgrade head")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("migrate")

Use scenarios

Database management: Automatically apply database migration to ensure that the database structure and code are synchronized.

9. Log Analysis

Analyzing the application's log files helps diagnose problems:

from invoke import task
@task
def analyze_logs(c):
    """
    Analyze log files.
    """
    ("grep 'error' /var/log/ > error_report.txt")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("analyze_logs")

Use scenarios

Error troubleshooting: Quickly find error information in the log to facilitate problem location.

10. Create a virtual environment

Creating and managing virtual environments is essential to isolating project dependencies:

from invoke import task
@task
def venv(c):
    """
    Create a virtual environment.
    """
    ("python -m venv myenv")
    ("source myenv/bin/activate")
if __name__ == "__main__":
    from invoke import run
    run("venv")

Use scenarios

Environment Isolation: Create independent virtual environments for each project to avoid dependency conflicts.

Conclusion

Invoke is a very useful tool that can help us reduce repetitive labor and improve development efficiency. This is the end of this article about the use of Python Invoke automation task library. For more related contents of Python Invoke automation task library, please search for my previous articles or continue browsing the related articles below. I hope everyone will support me in the future!