Modernize packaging to PEP 621 standards with pyproject.toml

[dmort27]

Summary

This PR modernizes the epitran package's packaging configuration to follow current Python packaging standards (PEP 621) by migrating from the legacy setup.py-based configuration to a modern pyproject.toml approach.

Changes Made

✅ New Files Created:

• pyproject.toml - Modern PEP 621 compliant configuration with:

  • Build system specification using setuptools>=64
  • Complete project metadata in [project] section
  • SPDX license format (license = "MIT")
  • Comprehensive project URLs (homepage, repository, bug tracker, documentation)
  • Script configuration for command-line tools
  • Package discovery and data file specifications
  • Support for Python 3.10-3.13

• MANIFEST.in - Explicit file inclusion rules for distributions

🔄 Files Modified:

• setup.py - Reduced to minimal backward compatibility stub
• Removed setup.cfg and epitran/setup.cfg - No longer needed

🧪 Testing:

• ✅ Successfully builds wheel distributions (python -m build --wheel)
• ✅ Successfully builds source distributions (python -m build --sdist)
• ✅ All package metadata correctly generated
• ✅ All scripts and data files properly included

Benefits

1. Modern Standards: Follows PEP 621 for project metadata specification
2. Better Organization: Clean separation between build configuration and project metadata
3. Enhanced Metadata: Comprehensive project information and URLs
4. Future-Proof: Ready for modern Python packaging ecosystem
5. Backward Compatible: Maintains existing functionality with minimal setup.py
6. Improved Maintainability: Declarative configuration is easier to maintain

Migration Details

• All existing functionality is preserved
• Command-line scripts continue to work as before
• Package data and dependencies remain unchanged
• Installation process remains the same for end users
• Maintains compatibility with older pip versions via minimal setup.py

Verification

The packaging changes have been thoroughly tested:

• Both wheel and source distributions build successfully
• All package metadata is correctly generated
• Scripts and data files are properly included
• No functionality is lost in the migration

This modernization brings the epitran package up to current Python packaging standards while maintaining full backward compatibility.