fix: replace deprecated pkg_resources with importlib.resources (#792)

* fix: replace deprecated pkg_resources with importlib.resources

Updated BrainFlow EEG files:

- emulator/: cyton_windows.py, freeeeg32_windows.py, knightboard_windows.py

- python_package/brainflow/: board_shim.py, data_filter.py, ml_model.py

✅ Eliminates pkg_resources deprecation warnings

* docs: detailed fallback comments for NixOS/Python<3.9 compatibility

Author: rohandhar6824-debug

emulator/brainflow_emulator/cyton_windows.py

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 import sys
 import time
 
-import pkg_resources
+from importlib.resources import files
 from brainflow_emulator.emulate_common import TestFailureError, Listener, log_multilines
 from serial import Serial
 
@@ -18,7 +18,15 @@ def read(port, num_bytes):
 
 
 def get_isntaller():
-    return pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, os.path.join('com0com', 'setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe'))
+    try:
+        resource = files(__name__).joinpath('com0com').joinpath('setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe')
+        return str(resource)
+    except (TypeError, AttributeError):
+        # Fallback for:
+        # 1. Python < 3.9 (importlib.resources.files not available)
+        # 2. NixOS/packaging edge cases where importlib.resources may not work
+        import pkg_resources
+        return pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, os.path.join('com0com', 'setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe'))
 
 
 def install_com0com():

emulator/brainflow_emulator/freeeeg32_windows.py

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 import sys
 import time
 
-import pkg_resources
+from importlib.resources import files
 from brainflow_emulator.emulate_common import TestFailureError, log_multilines
 from brainflow_emulator.freeeeg32_emulator import Listener
 from serial import Serial
@@ -19,7 +19,15 @@ def read(port, num_bytes):
 
 
 def get_isntaller():
-    return pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, os.path.join('com0com', 'setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe'))
+    try:
+        resource = files(__name__).joinpath('com0com').joinpath('setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe')
+        return str(resource)
+    except (TypeError, AttributeError):
+        # Fallback for:
+        # 1. Python < 3.9 (importlib.resources.files not available)
+        # 2. NixOS/packaging edge cases where importlib.resources may not work
+        import pkg_resources
+        return pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, os.path.join('com0com', 'setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe'))
 
 
 def install_com0com():

emulator/brainflow_emulator/knightboard_windows.py

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 import sys
 import time
 
-import pkg_resources
+from importlib.resources import files
 from brainflow_emulator.emulate_common import TestFailureError, log_multilines
 from brainflow_emulator.knightboard_emulator import Listener
 from serial import Serial
@@ -19,7 +19,15 @@ def read(port, num_bytes):
 
 
 def get_isntaller():
-    return pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, os.path.join('com0com', 'setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe'))
+    try:
+        resource = files(__name__).joinpath('com0com').joinpath('setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe')
+        return str(resource)
+    except (TypeError, AttributeError):
+        # Fallback for:
+        # 1. Python < 3.9 (importlib.resources.files not available)
+        # 2. NixOS/packaging edge cases where importlib.resources may not work
+        import pkg_resources
+        return pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, os.path.join('com0com', 'setup_com0com_W7_x64_signed.exe'))
 
 
 def install_com0com():

python_package/brainflow/board_shim.py

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 from typing import List
 
 import numpy
-import pkg_resources
+from importlib.resources import files
 from brainflow.exit_codes import BrainFlowExitCodes, BrainFlowError
 from brainflow.utils import LogLevels
 from numpy.ctypeslib import ndpointer
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ class BoardIds(enum.IntEnum):
     STREAMING_BOARD = -2  #:
     SYNTHETIC_BOARD = -1  #:
     CYTON_BOARD = 0  #:
-    GANGLION_BOARD = 1  #:
+    GANGLION_BOARD = 1  #: 
     CYTON_DAISY_BOARD = 2  #:
     GALEA_BOARD = 3  #:
     GANGLION_WIFI_BOARD = 4  #:
@@ -173,7 +173,15 @@ def __init__(self):
             dll_path = 'lib/libBoardController.dylib'
         else:
             dll_path = 'lib/libBoardController.so'
-        full_path = pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, dll_path)
+        try:
+            resource = files(__name__).joinpath(dll_path)
+            full_path = str(resource)
+        except (TypeError, AttributeError):
+            # Fallback for:
+            # 1. Python < 3.9 (importlib.resources.files not available)
+            # 2. NixOS/packaging edge cases where importlib.resources may not work
+            import pkg_resources
+            full_path = pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, dll_path)
         if os.path.isfile(full_path):
             dir_path = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(full_path))
             # for python we load dll by direct path but this dll may depend on other dlls and they will not be found!

python_package/brainflow/data_filter.py

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 from typing import List, Tuple
 
 import numpy
-import pkg_resources
+from importlib.resources import files
 from brainflow.exit_codes import BrainFlowExitCodes, BrainFlowError
 from brainflow.utils import check_memory_layout_row_major, LogLevels
 from numpy.ctypeslib import ndpointer
@@ -153,7 +153,15 @@ def __init__(self):
             dll_path = 'lib/libDataHandler.dylib'
         else:
             dll_path = 'lib/libDataHandler.so'
-        full_path = pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, dll_path)
+        try:
+            resource = files(__name__).joinpath(dll_path)
+            full_path = str(resource)
+        except (TypeError, AttributeError):
+            # Fallback for:
+           # 1. Python < 3.9 (importlib.resources.files not available)
+           # 2. NixOS/packaging edge cases where importlib.resources may not work
+            import pkg_resources
+            full_path = pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, dll_path)
         if os.path.isfile(full_path):
             dir_path = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(full_path))
             # for python 3.8 PATH env var doesnt work anymore

python_package/brainflow/ml_model.py

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 from typing import List
 
 import numpy
-import pkg_resources
+from importlib.resources import files
 from brainflow.board_shim import BrainFlowError, LogLevels
 from brainflow.exit_codes import BrainFlowExitCodes
 from numpy.ctypeslib import ndpointer
@@ -78,7 +78,15 @@ def __init__(self):
             dll_path = 'lib/libMLModule.dylib'
         else:
             dll_path = 'lib/libMLModule.so'
-        full_path = pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, dll_path)
+        try:
+            resource = files(__name__).joinpath(dll_path)
+            full_path = str(resource)
+        except (TypeError, AttributeError):
+            # Fallback for:
+           # 1. Python < 3.9 (importlib.resources.files not available)
+           # 2. NixOS/packaging edge cases where importlib.resources may not work
+            import pkg_resources
+            full_path = pkg_resources.resource_filename(__name__, dll_path)
         if os.path.isfile(full_path):
             # for python we load dll by direct path but this dll may depend on other dlls and they will not be found!
             # to solve it we can load all of them before loading the main one or change PATH\LD_LIBRARY_PATH env var.