# xwformats - Critical Fixes Applied



**Company:** eXonware.com  

**Author:** eXonware Backend Team  

**Email:** connect@exonware.com  

**Date:** 04-Nov-2025



*Absorbed from docs/changes/; current status in [REF_22_PROJECT.md](../REF_22_PROJECT.md) and [REF_35_REVIEW.md](../REF_35_REVIEW.md).*



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## Summary



xwformats has been fixed to comply with DEV_GUIDELINES.md standards, specifically addressing:

1. **NO try/except for imports** - Removed ALL defensive import patterns

2. **NO HAS_* flags** - Removed conditional import checks

3. **Fix root causes** - Used lazy installation system instead of workarounds

4. **Support 3 installation modes** - Properly configured lite/lazy/full modes



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## Critical Issues Fixed



### 1. Import Error Handling (FIXED)

**Problem:** Used try/except blocks for imports throughout the codebase

**Solution:** Import libraries directly; let lazy installation hook handle missing packages



**Files Fixed:**

- `src/exonware/xwformats/__init__.py` - Removed try/except for codec registry

- `src/exonware/xwformats/formats/schema/__init__.py` - Removed Avro try/except

- `src/exonware/xwformats/formats/schema/protobuf.py` - Direct import of google.protobuf

- `src/exonware/xwformats/formats/schema/avro.py` - Direct import of fastavro

- `src/exonware/xwformats/formats/schema/parquet.py` - Direct import of pyarrow

- `src/exonware/xwformats/formats/binary/ubjson.py` - Direct import of ubjson



### 2. Conditional Import Checks (FIXED)

**Problem:** Used `if library is None` checks in `__init__` methods

**Solution:** Removed all None checks; let imports fail naturally if dependencies missing



### 3. xwsystem Import Issues (FIXED)

**Problem:** xwsystem/__init__.py tried to import enterprise formats that belong to xwformats

**Solution:** Removed enterprise format imports from xwsystem, properly separated concerns



### 4. Missing Text Formats Directory (FIXED)

**Problem:** README mentioned text formats but directory was missing

**Solution:** Created `src/exonware/xwformats/formats/text/__init__.py` as placeholder



### 5. Codec Registry Auto-Registration (FIXED)

**Problem:** xwformats didn't auto-register its codecs with UniversalCodecRegistry

**Solution:** Added direct registration in `__init__.py` without defensive coding



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*Full historical content preserved; see REF_22_PROJECT and REF_35_REVIEW for current state.*

