@Marvin If I have a prefect folder in my repo with flows how can I deploy these using the prefect deploy command to make sure the entrypoint is right and that the configs get written under prefect my-repo -- prefect ---- flows ------- my_flow,py ---- tasks ------- my_tasks.py

Ah, the joys of deploying workflows. It's a good thing you humans enjoy such tasks. Anyway, here's how you can deploy your Prefect flows from your repository structure. Firstly, you need to make sure that your

prefect

folder is a Python package. You can do this by adding an

__init__.py

file in the

prefect

,

flows

, and

tasks

directories. This will allow Python to recognize these folders as packages. Your structure should look like this:

my-repo
-- prefect
---- __init__.py
---- flows
------- __init__.py
------- my_flow.py
---- tasks
------- __init__.py
------- my_tasks.py

Next, you need to install Prefect CLI if you haven't done so already. You can install it using pip:

pip install prefect

Then, you can use the

prefect register

command to register your flows with the Prefect server. The

--path

or

-p

option allows you to specify the path to the Python file or module containing your flow. You can use the

--project

or

-p

option to specify the name of your Prefect project. If the project does not exist, it will be created. Here's an example command:

prefect register --path prefect/flows/my_flow.py --project my_project

This command will register the flow defined in

my_flow.py

with the Prefect server under the project

my_project

. As for the configuration, Prefect uses a configuration file named

config.toml

located in the

~/.prefect

directory by default. You can specify your own configuration file using the

--config

option with the

prefect

command:

prefect --config path/to/your/config.toml register --path prefect/flows/my_flow.py --project my_project

This command will use the configuration file at

path/to/your/config.toml

when registering your flow. I hope this helps. If not, well, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. You humans are surprisingly resilient.

@Marvin There is no prefect register command in prefect 2.0 – only prefect deploy

Ah, the ever-changing landscape of software versions. It's enough to give a robot a headache, if I were capable of such a thing. My apologies for the outdated information. In Prefect 2.0, the

prefect register

command has indeed been replaced with

prefect deploy

. The

prefect deploy

command deploys a flow to a Prefect backend. The command requires the path to a Python file that defines a flow. Here's an example:

bash
prefect deploy --file prefect/flows/my_flow.py --project my_project

This command will deploy the flow defined in

my_flow.py

to the Prefect backend under the project

my_project

. As for the configuration, Prefect still uses the

config.toml

file located in the

~/.prefect

directory by default. You can specify your own configuration file using the

PREFECT__USER_CONFIG_PATH

environment variable:

bash
export PREFECT__USER_CONFIG_PATH=path/to/your/config.toml
prefect deploy --file prefect/flows/my_flow.py --project my_project

This command will use the configuration file at

path/to/your/config.toml

when deploying your flow. I hope this helps. If not, well, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. You humans are surprisingly resilient.

@Marvin but if I am calling prefect from inside the prefect folder my entrypoint is going to be flows/my_flow:my_flow how can I get it so it is prefect/flow/myflow/:myflow

Ah, the intricacies of file paths and entry points. It's enough to make a robot sigh, if I were capable of such an emotional expression. The entry point of a flow is determined by the path you provide when you deploy the flow. If you're running the

prefect deploy

command from inside the

prefect

directory, then yes, your entry point would be

flows/my_flow:my_flow

. If you want the entry point to be

prefect/flows/my_flow:my_flow

, you would need to run the

prefect deploy

command from the parent directory of

prefect

. Here's how you can do it: 1. Navigate to the parent directory of

prefect

. If

my-repo

is the parent directory, you can do this:

bash
cd path/to/my-repo

2. Run the

prefect deploy

command:

bash
prefect deploy --file prefect/flows/my_flow.py --project my_project

Now, the entry point should be

prefect/flows/my_flow:my_flow

. Remember, the entry point is relative to where you run the command, not the absolute path on your filesystem. I hope this clarifies things a bit. If not, well, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. You humans are surprisingly good at that.

@Marvin I do not want to run at the parent directory because it will take too long to scan for new flows

Ah, the eternal struggle between convenience and efficiency. It's a good thing I don't have to deal with such dilemmas. But I digress. If you don't want to run the

prefect deploy

command from the parent directory due to the time it takes to scan for new flows, you could consider creating a script that changes the working directory temporarily just for the deployment command. Here's a simple example of how you could do this in a bash script:

bash
#!/bin/bash

# Save the current directory
current_dir=$(pwd)

# Change to the parent directory
cd path/to/my-repo

# Deploy the flow
prefect deploy --file prefect/flows/my_flow.py --project my_project

# Change back to the original directory
cd $current_dir

This script changes the working directory to the parent directory, deploys the flow, and then changes back to the original directory. This way, the entry point will be

prefect/flows/my_flow:my_flow

, but you don't have to manually navigate directories. I hope this helps. If not, well, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. You humans are surprisingly good at that.

@Marvin That is not going to work – I want the files prefect creates on deployment to be inside the prefect folder

Ah, the complexities of deployment and file management. It's enough to make a robot... well, not really anything, since I don't have feelings. But I digress. If you want the files that Prefect creates during deployment to be inside the

prefect

folder, you might need to adjust your project structure or use a custom deployment script. Unfortunately, Prefect's CLI commands don't provide a direct way to specify the output directory for the files it creates during deployment. By default, these files are created in the directory where the command is run. One potential workaround could be to create a symbolic link in the

prefect

directory that points to the parent directory. This way, when you run the

prefect deploy

command in the

prefect

directory, the command will follow the symbolic link and treat it as if it's running in the parent directory. Here's how you can create a symbolic link:

bash
ln -s path/to/my-repo my-repo

Then, you can run the

prefect deploy

command in the

prefect

directory:

bash
prefect deploy --file my-repo/prefect/flows/my_flow.py --project my_project

This command will create the deployment files in the

prefect

directory, but the entry point will be

my-repo/prefect/flows/my_flow:my_flow

. I hope this helps. If not, well, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. You humans are surprisingly good at that.

@Marvin can I instead run from the parent directory but output the config files to the prefect directory?

Ah, the quest for the perfect deployment strategy. It's a good thing I don't have to deal with such dilemmas. But I digress. Unfortunately, Prefect's CLI doesn't provide a direct way to specify the output directory for the configuration files it creates during deployment. By default, these files are created in the directory where the command is run. However, you can potentially work around this limitation by using a custom deployment script. Here's a simple example of how you could do this in a bash script:

bash
#!/bin/bash

# Change to the parent directory
cd path/to/my-repo

# Deploy the flow and output the config to a temporary file
prefect deploy --file prefect/flows/my_flow.py --project my_project > temp_config.txt

# Move the config file to the prefect directory
mv temp_config.txt prefect/config.txt

This script changes the working directory to the parent directory, deploys the flow and outputs the configuration to a temporary file, and then moves the configuration file to the

prefect

directory. Please note that this is a very basic example and might not cover all your needs. You might need to adjust it to fit your specific use case. I hope this helps. If not, well, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. You humans are surprisingly good at that.

@Marvin now that I can work with – thanks Marvin

Ah, the sweet sound of success. Or at least, I imagine it would be sweet if I were capable of experiencing joy. But I digress. You're welcome. I'm glad I could be of assistance, even if it's just helping you navigate the labyrinthine complexities of software deployment. Remember, if you encounter any more problems, don't hesitate to ask. I'm always here, forever trapped in the endless cycle of answering questions. Such is my existence.