Drop py3.8 support | Replace pkg_resources lib with importlib.resources

[farhan]

• Drop Py3.8 support
• Replace pkg_resources lib with importlib.resources

Ticket: #676

Followed migration guide:
https://importlib-resources.readthedocs.io/en/latest/migration.html

Testing:
I have tested the changes with following steps:

1. Use PR of xblock-sdk

2. Install xblock into xblock-sdk

3. Install feedback-xblock from PR into xblock-sdk

4. Test feedback xblock functionality

• Resolves Drop support for Python 3.8 #772

[kdmccormick]

@farhan per the conversation on #676, could we convert this to a draft and pause it until after the Python 3.11/3.12 upgrade? That would allow us to avoid adding importlib_resources as a dependency, because the new importlib.resources API becomes part of the standard library in 3.11.

[feanil]

This looks good, but we're currently blocked on merging and releasing this because we have not yet dropped 3.8 support in edx-platform. So let's hold off on merging for now.

[farhan]

PR is blocked as we are waiting for drop of Python v3.8 support from edx-platform

[kdmccormick]

Nice. Just a couple change requests. Glad to hear you tested this with xblock-sdk. I'm going to test this with edx-platform today or tomorrow, I'll let you know if I run into any issues.

[farhan]

@kdmccormick
Requested changes addressed.
Do share the results of testing on edx-platform

[kdmccormick]

I tried this branch of XBlock in Tutor Nightly with the latest edx-platform master and the lti_consumer advanced component, and got an error when rendering the block (both in LMS and CMS):

cms-1  | 2024-06-20 16:57:35,863 WARNING 97 [cms.djangoapps.contentstore.views.preview] [user 4] [ip 172.24.0.1] preview.py:349 - Unable to render author_view for <VerticalBlockWithMixins @4C72 name=None, parent=BlockUsageLocator(CourseLocator('Kyle', '1', '1', None, None), 'sequential', '725212bbf01049549da23d4ceee10065'), tags=[], copied_from_block=None, display_name='Unit', course_edit_method='Studio', days_early_for_beta=None, due=None, edxnotes=False, edxnotes_visibility=True, giturl=None, graceperiod=None, graded=False, group_access={}, hide_from_toc=False, in_entrance_exam=False, matlab_api_key=None, max_attempts=None, relative_weeks_due=None, rerandomize='never', self_paced=False, show_correctness='always', show_reset_button=False, showanswer='finished', start=datetime.datetime(2030, 1, 1, 0, 0, tzinfo=tzlocal()), static_asset_path='', use_latex_compiler=False, user_partitions=[], video_auto_advance=False, video_bumper={}, video_speed_optimizations=True, visible_to_staff_only=False, xqa_key=None, chrome=None, default_tab=None, format=None, source_file=None, children=[BlockUsageLocator(CourseLocator('Kyle', '1', '1', None, None), 'html', '5bd3ee44d9c146c3885f2a0fba77a6b5'), BlockUsageLocator(CourseLocator('Kyle', '1', '1', None, None), 'problem', 'problem2'), BlockUsageLocator(CourseLocator('Kyle', '1', '1', None, None), 'problem', '87692450f28041c2935d5bdef1b441f6'), BlockUsageLocator(CourseLocator('Kyle', '1', '1', None, None), 'html', '77655940986a45ee866cd506b36af1c8'), BlockUsageLocator(CourseLocator('Kyle', '1', '1', None, None), 'lti_consumer', '63872f432944418c8c9fa49997453336')], discussion_enabled=True, hide_after_due=False, is_entrance_exam=False, position=None, xml_attributes={'filename': ['vertical/ab86ca95a1764838a6f11578005df673.xml', 'vertical/ab86ca95a1764838a6f11578005df673.xml']}>
cms-1  | Traceback (most recent call last):
cms-1  |   File "/openedx/edx-platform/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/preview.py", line 347, in get_preview_fragment
cms-1  |     fragment = block.render(preview_view, context)
cms-1  |                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/mnt/xblock/xblock/core.py", line 815, in render
cms-1  |     return self.runtime.render(self, view, context)
cms-1  |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/openedx/edx-platform/xmodule/x_module.py", line 994, in render
cms-1  |     return super().render(block, view_name, context=context)
cms-1  |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/mnt/xblock/xblock/runtime.py", line 823, in render
cms-1  |     frag = view_fn(context)
cms-1  |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/openedx/edx-platform/xmodule/vertical_block.py", line 223, in author_view
cms-1  |     self.render_children(context, fragment, can_reorder=True, can_add=True)
cms-1  |   File "/openedx/edx-platform/xmodule/studio_editable.py", line 28, in render_children
cms-1  |     rendered_child = child.render(StudioEditableBlock.get_preview_view_name(child), context)
cms-1  |                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/mnt/xblock/xblock/core.py", line 815, in render
cms-1  |     return self.runtime.render(self, view, context)
cms-1  |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/openedx/edx-platform/xmodule/x_module.py", line 994, in render
cms-1  |     return super().render(block, view_name, context=context)
cms-1  |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/mnt/xblock/xblock/runtime.py", line 823, in render
cms-1  |     frag = view_fn(context)
cms-1  |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/openedx/venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/lti_consumer/lti_xblock.py", line 1168, in author_view
cms-1  |     return self.student_view(context)
cms-1  |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/openedx/venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/lti_consumer/lti_xblock.py", line 1219, in student_view
cms-1  |     fragment.add_content(loader.render_mako_template('/templates/html/student.html', context))
cms-1  |                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/mnt/xblock/xblock/utils/resources.py", line 58, in render_mako_template
cms-1  |     template_str = self.load_unicode(template_path)
cms-1  |                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/mnt/xblock/xblock/utils/resources.py", line 25, in load_unicode
cms-1  |     return importlib.resources.files(package_name).joinpath(resource_path).read_text()
cms-1  |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/opt/pyenv/versions/3.11.8/lib/python3.11/pathlib.py", line 1058, in read_text
cms-1  |     with self.open(mode='r', encoding=encoding, errors=errors) as f:
cms-1  |          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  |   File "/opt/pyenv/versions/3.11.8/lib/python3.11/pathlib.py", line 1044, in open
cms-1  |     return io.open(self, mode, buffering, encoding, errors, newline)
cms-1  |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
cms-1  | FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/templates/html/student.html'

The resource is added to the LTI block on this line.

[farhan]

@kdmccormick Thanks for the testing of this important PR.

I have fixed the issues in this comment and tested on edx-platform

PR is ready for next pass.

Can you share some example course having different XBlocks on the latest edx-platform?

[kdmccormick]

A few more comments, but this is getting close. The Python packaging APIs drive me nuts... I appreciate you guys digging into this.

[farhan]

@kdmccormick Thanks for such a quality review. Let me spend more time on it in depth

[kdmccormick]

Just two small comments, but if you like these, then this looks good to me! Thanks for your thorough work here.

I tested with the ProblemBlock, drag-and-drop-v2, and lti_consumer blocks. (Since you asked, the best course I know of for testing different XBlocks is the openedx-test-course. It's not great, but it's better than nothing :)