From b0f4c04735949f1bb6598e2778554cac11b641bc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2025 11:25:17 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 01/23] replace direct download of nyc_data with hvsampledata

---
 datashader/__init__.py                        | 11 ++-
 examples/datasets.yml                         |  8 --
 examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb | 15 +---
 examples/taxi_preprocessing_example.py        | 75 -------------------
 pixi.toml                                     |  2 +
 scripts/download_data.py                      |  7 +-
 6 files changed, 11 insertions(+), 107 deletions(-)
 delete mode 100644 examples/datasets.yml
 delete mode 100644 examples/taxi_preprocessing_example.py

diff --git a/datashader/__init__.py b/datashader/__init__.py
index c06d5a30c..1c66ab6e7 100644
--- a/datashader/__init__.py
+++ b/datashader/__init__.py
@@ -17,19 +17,18 @@
 if Version(pandas_version) >= Version('0.24.0'):
     from . import datatypes  # noqa (API import)
 
-# make pyct's example/data commands available if possible
+# make pyct's example commands available if possible
 from functools import partial
 try:
-    from pyct.cmd import copy_examples as _copy, fetch_data as _fetch, examples as _examples
+    from pyct.cmd import copy_examples as _copy, examples as _examples
     copy_examples = partial(_copy,'datashader')
-    fetch_data = partial(_fetch,'datashader')
     examples = partial(_examples,'datashader')
 except ImportError:
     def _missing_cmd(*args,**kw):
         return("install pyct to enable this command (e.g. `conda install pyct or "
                "`pip install pyct[cmd]`)")
-    _copy = _fetch = _examples = _missing_cmd
+    _copy = _examples = _missing_cmd
     def err():
         raise ValueError(_missing_cmd())
-    fetch_data = copy_examples = examples = err
-del partial, _examples, _copy, _fetch
+    copy_examples = examples = err
+del partial, _examples, _copy
diff --git a/examples/datasets.yml b/examples/datasets.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 2f7236e0d..000000000
--- a/examples/datasets.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
----
-
-data:
-
-  - url: http://s3.amazonaws.com/datashader-data/nyc_taxi.zip
-    title: 'NYC Taxi Data'
-    files:
-      - nyc_taxi.csv
diff --git a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
index d00c954a5..91751db57 100644
--- a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
+++ b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
@@ -24,22 +24,13 @@
    "metadata": {},
    "outputs": [],
    "source": [
-    "import datashader as ds, pandas as pd, colorcet as cc\n",
+    "import datashader as ds, colorcet as cc\n",
+    "import hvsampledata as hvs\n",
     "\n",
-    "df = pd.read_csv('../data/nyc_taxi.csv', usecols=['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y'])\n",
+    "df = hvs.nyc_taxi(\"pandas\", engine_kwargs={\"columns\": ['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y']})\n",
     "df.head()"
    ]
   },
-  {
-   "cell_type": "markdown",
-   "metadata": {},
-   "source": [
-    ":::{note}\n",
-    "The file `nyc_taxi.csv` used above is located at\n",
-    "[nyc_taxi.csv](https://github.com/holoviz/datashader/blob/main/examples/data/.data_stubs/nyc_taxi.csv) in the Datashader repository. When running this example, make sure the file is available locally and update the path accordingly.\n",
-    ":::\n"
-   ]
-  },
   {
    "cell_type": "markdown",
    "metadata": {},
diff --git a/examples/taxi_preprocessing_example.py b/examples/taxi_preprocessing_example.py
deleted file mode 100644
index f16488f5e..000000000
--- a/examples/taxi_preprocessing_example.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,75 +0,0 @@
-"""Download data needed for the examples"""
-
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-if __name__ == "__main__":
-
-    from os import path, makedirs, remove
-    from download_sample_data import bar as progressbar
-
-    import pandas as pd
-    import numpy as np
-    import sys
-
-    try:
-        import requests
-    except ImportError:
-        print('Download script required requests package: conda install requests')
-        sys.exit(1)
-
-    def _download_dataset(url):
-        r = requests.get(url, stream=True)
-        output_path = path.split(url)[1]
-        with open(output_path, 'wb') as f:
-            total_length = int(r.headers.get('content-length'))
-            for chunk in progressbar(r.iter_content(chunk_size=1024), expected_size=(total_length/1024) + 1):
-                if chunk:
-                    f.write(chunk)
-                    f.flush()
-
-    examples_dir = path.dirname(path.realpath(__file__))
-    data_dir = path.join(examples_dir, 'data')
-    if not path.exists(data_dir):
-        makedirs(data_dir)
-
-    # Taxi data
-    def latlng_to_meters(df, lat_name, lng_name):
-        lat = df[lat_name]
-        lng = df[lng_name]
-        origin_shift = 2 * np.pi * 6378137 / 2.0
-        mx = lng * origin_shift / 180.0
-        my = np.log(np.tan((90 + lat) * np.pi / 360.0)) / (np.pi / 180.0)
-        my = my * origin_shift / 180.0
-        df.loc[:, lng_name] = mx
-        df.loc[:, lat_name] = my
-
-    taxi_path = path.join(data_dir, 'nyc_taxi.csv')
-    if not path.exists(taxi_path):
-        print("Downloading Taxi Data...")
-        url = ('https://storage.googleapis.com/tlc-trip-data/2015/'
-               'yellow_tripdata_2015-01.csv')
-
-        _download_dataset(url)
-        df = pd.read_csv('yellow_tripdata_2015-01.csv')
-
-        print('Filtering Taxi Data')
-        df = df.loc[(df.pickup_longitude < -73.75) &
-                    (df.pickup_longitude > -74.15) &
-                    (df.dropoff_longitude < -73.75) &
-                    (df.dropoff_longitude > -74.15) &
-                    (df.pickup_latitude > 40.68) &
-                    (df.pickup_latitude < 40.84) &
-                    (df.dropoff_latitude > 40.68) &
-                    (df.dropoff_latitude < 40.84)].copy()
-
-        print('Reprojecting Taxi Data')
-        latlng_to_meters(df, 'pickup_latitude', 'pickup_longitude')
-        latlng_to_meters(df, 'dropoff_latitude', 'dropoff_longitude')
-        df.rename(columns={'pickup_longitude': 'pickup_x', 'dropoff_longitude': 'dropoff_x',
-                           'pickup_latitude': 'pickup_y', 'dropoff_latitude': 'dropoff_y'},
-                  inplace=True)
-        df.to_csv(taxi_path, index=False)
-        remove('yellow_tripdata_2015-01.csv')
-
-
-    print("\nAll data downloaded.")
diff --git a/pixi.toml b/pixi.toml
index e7a6ab71a..751b8a21d 100644
--- a/pixi.toml
+++ b/pixi.toml
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ scipy = "*"
 setuptools = "*" # distutils for pyct
 toolz = "*"
 xarray = "*"
+fastparquet = "*"
 
 [feature.py310.dependencies]
 python = "3.10.*"
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ scikit-image = "*"
 shapely = ">=2.0.0"
 spatialpandas = "*"
 streamz = "*"
+hvsampledata = ">=0.1.4"
 
 # =============================================
 # =================== TESTS ===================
diff --git a/scripts/download_data.py b/scripts/download_data.py
index 586548243..57783b96e 100644
--- a/scripts/download_data.py
+++ b/scripts/download_data.py
@@ -1,11 +1,6 @@
 from contextlib import suppress
-
-import pyct.cmd
 from packaging.version import Version
 
-pyct.cmd.fetch_data(name="data", path="examples", datasets="datasets.yml")
-
-
 with suppress(ImportError):
     import bokeh
 
@@ -21,4 +16,4 @@
 
     gds.get_path("geoda.natregimes")
     gds.get_path("nybb")
-    gds.get_path('geoda health')
+    gds.get_path("geoda health")

From 015d39a7aa6f24d2ed6642f9f7379536d98021d5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2025 18:35:55 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 02/23] remove pyct completely

---
 benchmarks/asv.conf.json |  4 +---
 datashader/__init__.py   | 16 ----------------
 datashader/__main__.py   | 12 ------------
 pixi.toml                |  2 --
 pyproject.toml           |  4 ----
 5 files changed, 1 insertion(+), 37 deletions(-)
 delete mode 100644 datashader/__main__.py

diff --git a/benchmarks/asv.conf.json b/benchmarks/asv.conf.json
index ccea8c131..7e6cb4ade 100644
--- a/benchmarks/asv.conf.json
+++ b/benchmarks/asv.conf.json
@@ -83,9 +83,7 @@
     // new environments.  A value of ``null`` means that the variable
     // will not be set for the current combination.
     //
-    "matrix": {
-        "pyct": [],
-     },
+    "matrix": {},
 
     // Combinations of libraries/python versions can be excluded/included
     // from the set to test. Each entry is a dictionary containing additional
diff --git a/datashader/__init__.py b/datashader/__init__.py
index 1c66ab6e7..a86a3325a 100644
--- a/datashader/__init__.py
+++ b/datashader/__init__.py
@@ -16,19 +16,3 @@
 from pandas import __version__ as pandas_version
 if Version(pandas_version) >= Version('0.24.0'):
     from . import datatypes  # noqa (API import)
-
-# make pyct's example commands available if possible
-from functools import partial
-try:
-    from pyct.cmd import copy_examples as _copy, examples as _examples
-    copy_examples = partial(_copy,'datashader')
-    examples = partial(_examples,'datashader')
-except ImportError:
-    def _missing_cmd(*args,**kw):
-        return("install pyct to enable this command (e.g. `conda install pyct or "
-               "`pip install pyct[cmd]`)")
-    _copy = _examples = _missing_cmd
-    def err():
-        raise ValueError(_missing_cmd())
-    copy_examples = examples = err
-del partial, _examples, _copy
diff --git a/datashader/__main__.py b/datashader/__main__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 9c685d604..000000000
--- a/datashader/__main__.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-def main(args=None):
-    try:
-        import pyct.cmd
-    except ImportError:
-        import sys
-        from . import _missing_cmd
-        print(_missing_cmd())
-        sys.exit(1)
-    return pyct.cmd.substitute_main('datashader',args=args)
-
-if __name__ == "__main__":
-    main()
diff --git a/pixi.toml b/pixi.toml
index 751b8a21d..e4de133b6 100644
--- a/pixi.toml
+++ b/pixi.toml
@@ -32,10 +32,8 @@ multipledispatch = "*"
 numpy = "*"
 pandas = "*"
 param = "*"
-pyct = "*"
 requests = "*"
 scipy = "*"
-setuptools = "*" # distutils for pyct
 toolz = "*"
 xarray = "*"
 fastparquet = "*"
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index a61cff7a0..6ec17c3c5 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ dependencies = [
     'numpy',
     'pandas',
     'param',
-    'pyct',
     'requests',
     'scipy',
     'toolz',
@@ -50,9 +49,6 @@ HoloViz = "https://holoviz.org/"
 [project.optional-dependencies]
 tests = ["pytest", "hypothesis"]
 
-[project.scripts]
-datashader = "datashader.__main:main"
-
 [tool.hatch.version]
 source = "vcs"
 raw-options = { version_scheme = "no-guess-dev" }

From 39ec30e9ea6c60ba902901f702e6670b8465708c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2025 18:36:34 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 03/23] use pyarrow instead

---
 pixi.toml | 3 +--
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/pixi.toml b/pixi.toml
index e4de133b6..8ae95d219 100644
--- a/pixi.toml
+++ b/pixi.toml
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ requests = "*"
 scipy = "*"
 toolz = "*"
 xarray = "*"
-fastparquet = "*"
+pyarrow = "*"
 
 [feature.py310.dependencies]
 python = "3.10.*"
@@ -105,7 +105,6 @@ dask-geopandas = "*"
 geodatasets = "*"
 geopandas-base = "*"
 netcdf4 = "*"
-pyarrow = "*"
 pillow = "*"
 pyogrio = "*"
 rasterio = "*"

From c54c98d23b4f8de26bdba00ea78f81486beadf80 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2025 18:37:14 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 04/23] download data in script and update example notebook

---
 examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb | 11 ++++++++++-
 scripts/download_data.py                      |  6 ++++++
 2 files changed, 16 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
index 91751db57..1f03157bb 100644
--- a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
+++ b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
@@ -27,10 +27,19 @@
     "import datashader as ds, colorcet as cc\n",
     "import hvsampledata as hvs\n",
     "\n",
-    "df = hvs.nyc_taxi(\"pandas\", engine_kwargs={\"columns\": ['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y']})\n",
+    "df = hvs.nyc_taxi_remote(\"pandas\", engine_kwargs={\"columns\": ['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y']})\n",
     "df.head()"
    ]
   },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    ":::{note}\n",
+    "The first time this cell is run, it may take some time for the NYC taxi dataset to be downloaded remotely (about 260MB).\n",
+    ":::"
+   ]
+  },
   {
    "cell_type": "markdown",
    "metadata": {},
diff --git a/scripts/download_data.py b/scripts/download_data.py
index 57783b96e..8a464464b 100644
--- a/scripts/download_data.py
+++ b/scripts/download_data.py
@@ -17,3 +17,9 @@
     gds.get_path("geoda.natregimes")
     gds.get_path("nybb")
     gds.get_path("geoda health")
+
+
+with suppress(ImportError):
+    import hvsampledata as hvs
+
+    hvs.nyc_taxi_remote("pandas")

From 17d6402b41d559cb93885afeff8209808012c601 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2025 10:05:40 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 05/23] Revert "remove pyct completely"

---
 benchmarks/asv.conf.json |  4 +++-
 datashader/__init__.py   | 16 ++++++++++++++++
 datashader/__main__.py   | 12 ++++++++++++
 pixi.toml                |  2 ++
 pyproject.toml           |  4 ++++
 5 files changed, 37 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
 create mode 100644 datashader/__main__.py

diff --git a/benchmarks/asv.conf.json b/benchmarks/asv.conf.json
index 7e6cb4ade..ccea8c131 100644
--- a/benchmarks/asv.conf.json
+++ b/benchmarks/asv.conf.json
@@ -83,7 +83,9 @@
     // new environments.  A value of ``null`` means that the variable
     // will not be set for the current combination.
     //
-    "matrix": {},
+    "matrix": {
+        "pyct": [],
+     },
 
     // Combinations of libraries/python versions can be excluded/included
     // from the set to test. Each entry is a dictionary containing additional
diff --git a/datashader/__init__.py b/datashader/__init__.py
index a86a3325a..1c66ab6e7 100644
--- a/datashader/__init__.py
+++ b/datashader/__init__.py
@@ -16,3 +16,19 @@
 from pandas import __version__ as pandas_version
 if Version(pandas_version) >= Version('0.24.0'):
     from . import datatypes  # noqa (API import)
+
+# make pyct's example commands available if possible
+from functools import partial
+try:
+    from pyct.cmd import copy_examples as _copy, examples as _examples
+    copy_examples = partial(_copy,'datashader')
+    examples = partial(_examples,'datashader')
+except ImportError:
+    def _missing_cmd(*args,**kw):
+        return("install pyct to enable this command (e.g. `conda install pyct or "
+               "`pip install pyct[cmd]`)")
+    _copy = _examples = _missing_cmd
+    def err():
+        raise ValueError(_missing_cmd())
+    copy_examples = examples = err
+del partial, _examples, _copy
diff --git a/datashader/__main__.py b/datashader/__main__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9c685d604
--- /dev/null
+++ b/datashader/__main__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+def main(args=None):
+    try:
+        import pyct.cmd
+    except ImportError:
+        import sys
+        from . import _missing_cmd
+        print(_missing_cmd())
+        sys.exit(1)
+    return pyct.cmd.substitute_main('datashader',args=args)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/pixi.toml b/pixi.toml
index d1eb7d373..0b72a9063 100644
--- a/pixi.toml
+++ b/pixi.toml
@@ -32,8 +32,10 @@ multipledispatch = "*"
 numpy = "*"
 pandas = "*"
 param = "*"
+pyct = "*"
 requests = "*"
 scipy = "*"
+setuptools = "*" # distutils for pyct
 toolz = "*"
 xarray = "*"
 pyarrow = "*"
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 6ec17c3c5..a61cff7a0 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ dependencies = [
     'numpy',
     'pandas',
     'param',
+    'pyct',
     'requests',
     'scipy',
     'toolz',
@@ -49,6 +50,9 @@ HoloViz = "https://holoviz.org/"
 [project.optional-dependencies]
 tests = ["pytest", "hypothesis"]
 
+[project.scripts]
+datashader = "datashader.__main:main"
+
 [tool.hatch.version]
 source = "vcs"
 raw-options = { version_scheme = "no-guess-dev" }

From 83e277e0fd3c6bf980e9ab88b7f6cdcc738e775c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2025 10:52:44 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 06/23] add deprecation warning for pyct

---
 datashader/__init__.py | 14 ++++++++++++++
 pyproject.toml         |  4 +++-
 2 files changed, 17 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/datashader/__init__.py b/datashader/__init__.py
index 1c66ab6e7..b5a3c9b23 100644
--- a/datashader/__init__.py
+++ b/datashader/__init__.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import warnings
+from contextlib import suppress
 from packaging.version import Version
 
 from .__version import __version__  # noqa: F401
@@ -11,6 +13,18 @@
 from . import transfer_functions as tf                   # noqa (API import)
 from . import data_libraries                             # noqa (API import)
 
+with suppress(ImportError):
+    import pyct  # noqa: F401
+
+    warnings.warn(
+        "The 'pyct' package bundled as a datashader dependency is deprecated since version 0.19 "
+        "and will be removed in version 0.20. For downloading sample datasets, "
+        "prefer using 'hvsampledata' (for example: "
+        "`hvsampledata.nyc_taxi_remote('pandas')`).",
+        category=FutureWarning,
+        stacklevel=2,
+    )
+
 # Make RaggedArray pandas extension array available for
 # pandas >= 0.24.0 is installed
 from pandas import __version__ as pandas_version
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index a61cff7a0..034b8403c 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ dependencies = [
     'numpy',
     'pandas',
     'param',
-    'pyct',
     'requests',
     'scipy',
     'toolz',
@@ -49,6 +48,7 @@ HoloViz = "https://holoviz.org/"
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
 tests = ["pytest", "hypothesis"]
+pyct = ["pyct"]
 
 [project.scripts]
 datashader = "datashader.__main:main"
@@ -119,4 +119,6 @@ filterwarnings = [
     "ignore:The 'shapely.geos' module is deprecated, and will be removed in a future version:DeprecationWarning",
     # 2025-09
     "ignore:Signature .* for <class 'numpy.longdouble'>.*:UserWarning",
+    # 2025-10
+    "ignore:The 'pyct' package bundled as a datashader dependency is deprecated since version 0.19 and will be removed in version 0.20.*" # https://github.com/holoviz/datashader/pull/1462
 ]

From ecfbfabd1fefe0704c707a2eb71a3a33723eda2d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:04:38 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 07/23] temp workaround for CI

---
 scripts/download_data.py | 24 +++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/scripts/download_data.py b/scripts/download_data.py
index 8a464464b..04eaae861 100644
--- a/scripts/download_data.py
+++ b/scripts/download_data.py
@@ -22,4 +22,26 @@
 with suppress(ImportError):
     import hvsampledata as hvs
 
-    hvs.nyc_taxi_remote("pandas")
+    # Temp workaround for CI until a new hvsampledata release is available.
+    import logging
+    import sys
+
+    log = logging.getLogger("datashader.download_data")
+    if not log.handlers:
+        # Ensure at least one handler so warnings are visible in CI logs
+        handler = logging.StreamHandler(stream=sys.stderr)
+        formatter = logging.Formatter("%(levelname)s: %(message)s")
+        handler.setFormatter(formatter)
+        log.addHandler(handler)
+
+    nyc_taxi = getattr(hvs, "nyc_taxi_remote", None)
+    if nyc_taxi is None:
+        log.warning(
+            "Skipping nyc_taxi download: installed hvsampledata version has no 'nyc_taxi_remote'. "
+            "Please upgrade hvsampledata when a new release is available."
+        )
+    else:
+        try:
+            nyc_taxi("pandas")
+        except Exception as e:
+            log.warning(f"hvsampledata.nyc_taxi_remote() failed: {e}")

From c48447c4d95e28362336287f6ee8d90cb51b84a7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:02:21 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 08/23] move deprecation warning to main.py

---
 datashader/__init__.py | 14 --------------
 datashader/__main__.py | 15 +++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-)

diff --git a/datashader/__init__.py b/datashader/__init__.py
index b5a3c9b23..1c66ab6e7 100644
--- a/datashader/__init__.py
+++ b/datashader/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-import warnings
-from contextlib import suppress
 from packaging.version import Version
 
 from .__version import __version__  # noqa: F401
@@ -13,18 +11,6 @@
 from . import transfer_functions as tf                   # noqa (API import)
 from . import data_libraries                             # noqa (API import)
 
-with suppress(ImportError):
-    import pyct  # noqa: F401
-
-    warnings.warn(
-        "The 'pyct' package bundled as a datashader dependency is deprecated since version 0.19 "
-        "and will be removed in version 0.20. For downloading sample datasets, "
-        "prefer using 'hvsampledata' (for example: "
-        "`hvsampledata.nyc_taxi_remote('pandas')`).",
-        category=FutureWarning,
-        stacklevel=2,
-    )
-
 # Make RaggedArray pandas extension array available for
 # pandas >= 0.24.0 is installed
 from pandas import __version__ as pandas_version
diff --git a/datashader/__main__.py b/datashader/__main__.py
index 9c685d604..a697aa104 100644
--- a/datashader/__main__.py
+++ b/datashader/__main__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,19 @@
+import warnings
+from contextlib import suppress
+
+
 def main(args=None):
+    with suppress(ImportError):
+        import pyct  # noqa: F401
+
+        warnings.warn(
+            "The 'pyct' package is deprecated since version 0.19 "
+            "and will be removed in version 0.20. For downloading sample datasets, "
+            "prefer using 'hvsampledata' (for example: "
+            "`hvsampledata.nyc_taxi_remote('pandas')`).",
+            category=FutureWarning,
+            stacklevel=2,
+        )
     try:
         import pyct.cmd
     except ImportError:

From 0f657bdccd53700881f14ecd3008bf1154b57736 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:03:19 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 09/23] second try

---
 scripts/download_data.py | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++----
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/scripts/download_data.py b/scripts/download_data.py
index 04eaae861..f596219d3 100644
--- a/scripts/download_data.py
+++ b/scripts/download_data.py
@@ -36,10 +36,29 @@
 
     nyc_taxi = getattr(hvs, "nyc_taxi_remote", None)
     if nyc_taxi is None:
-        log.warning(
-            "Skipping nyc_taxi download: installed hvsampledata version has no 'nyc_taxi_remote'. "
-            "Please upgrade hvsampledata when a new release is available."
-        )
+        # Try a direct download of the parquet file as a temporary fallback.
+        URL = "https://datasets.holoviz.org/nyc_taxi/v2/nyc_taxi_wide.parq"
+
+        from pathlib import Path
+        dest = Path(hvs._DATAPATH) / "nyc_taxi_wide.parq"
+        dest.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        try:
+            import requests
+
+            tmp = dest.with_suffix(".part")
+            with requests.get(URL, stream=True, timeout=120) as r:
+                r.raise_for_status()
+                with open(tmp, "wb") as f:
+                    for chunk in r.iter_content(chunk_size=10_485_760):
+                        if chunk:
+                            f.write(chunk)
+            tmp.replace(dest)
+        except Exception:
+            # Fallback if requests not available or streaming fails
+            import urllib.request
+
+            urllib.request.urlretrieve(URL, dest)
+        log.info("nyc_taxi parquet downloaded to %s", dest)
     else:
         try:
             nyc_taxi("pandas")

From 8ba61dafa2feb8fb05d910d27da66c9f23cd0b49 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2025 17:10:00 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 10/23] third try for example notebook

---
 examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb | 13 ++++++++++++-
 pyproject.toml                                |  2 +-
 2 files changed, 13 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
index 1f03157bb..e4a56443f 100644
--- a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
+++ b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
@@ -27,7 +27,18 @@
     "import datashader as ds, colorcet as cc\n",
     "import hvsampledata as hvs\n",
     "\n",
-    "df = hvs.nyc_taxi_remote(\"pandas\", engine_kwargs={\"columns\": ['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y']})\n",
+    "# Temp workaround for CI until a new hvsampledata release is available.\n",
+    "try:\n",
+    "    df = hvs.nyc_taxi_remote(\"pandas\", engine_kwargs={\"columns\": ['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y']})\n",
+    "except AttributeError:\n",
+    "    import pandas as pd\n",
+    "    from pathlib import Path\n",
+    "    file = Path(hvs._DATAPATH) / \"nyc_taxi_wide.parq\"\n",
+    "    if file.exists():\n",
+    "        df = pd.read_parquet(file, columns=['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y'])\n",
+    "    else:\n",
+    "        file = \"https://datasets.holoviz.org/nyc_taxi/v2/nyc_taxi_wide.parq\"\n",
+    "        df = pd.read_parquet(file, columns=['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y'])\n",
     "df.head()"
    ]
   },
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 034b8403c..1d108de1e 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ dependencies = [
     'numpy',
     'pandas',
     'param',
+    'pyct',
     'requests',
     'scipy',
     'toolz',
@@ -48,7 +49,6 @@ HoloViz = "https://holoviz.org/"
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
 tests = ["pytest", "hypothesis"]
-pyct = ["pyct"]
 
 [project.scripts]
 datashader = "datashader.__main:main"

From 192dd6273a5b3d3c13adcc2a02a857991023814a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2025 18:03:30 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 11/23] Try GH install of hvsampledata for CI instead

---
 .github/workflows/test.yaml                   |  3 +++
 examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb | 13 +------------
 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index 0a74b3ceb..8181d94e0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -121,6 +121,9 @@ jobs:
       - uses: holoviz-dev/holoviz_tasks/pixi_install@v0
         with:
           environments: ${{ matrix.environment }}
+      - name: PATCH # Temp hack: Don't merge into main
+        run: |
+          pixi run -e ${{ matrix.environment }} pip install 'git+https://github.com/holoviz/hvsampledata.git@1bac391'
       - name: Restore cached hypothesis directory
         uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
         with:
diff --git a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
index e4a56443f..1f03157bb 100644
--- a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
+++ b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
@@ -27,18 +27,7 @@
     "import datashader as ds, colorcet as cc\n",
     "import hvsampledata as hvs\n",
     "\n",
-    "# Temp workaround for CI until a new hvsampledata release is available.\n",
-    "try:\n",
-    "    df = hvs.nyc_taxi_remote(\"pandas\", engine_kwargs={\"columns\": ['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y']})\n",
-    "except AttributeError:\n",
-    "    import pandas as pd\n",
-    "    from pathlib import Path\n",
-    "    file = Path(hvs._DATAPATH) / \"nyc_taxi_wide.parq\"\n",
-    "    if file.exists():\n",
-    "        df = pd.read_parquet(file, columns=['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y'])\n",
-    "    else:\n",
-    "        file = \"https://datasets.holoviz.org/nyc_taxi/v2/nyc_taxi_wide.parq\"\n",
-    "        df = pd.read_parquet(file, columns=['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y'])\n",
+    "df = hvs.nyc_taxi_remote(\"pandas\", engine_kwargs={\"columns\": ['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y']})\n",
     "df.head()"
    ]
   },

From a916499adc9cb5dcaa3f77a3063bce5e6a5cf07b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:53:03 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 12/23] remove filtering

---
 pyproject.toml | 2 --
 1 file changed, 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 1d108de1e..a61cff7a0 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -119,6 +119,4 @@ filterwarnings = [
     "ignore:The 'shapely.geos' module is deprecated, and will be removed in a future version:DeprecationWarning",
     # 2025-09
     "ignore:Signature .* for <class 'numpy.longdouble'>.*:UserWarning",
-    # 2025-10
-    "ignore:The 'pyct' package bundled as a datashader dependency is deprecated since version 0.19 and will be removed in version 0.20.*" # https://github.com/holoviz/datashader/pull/1462
 ]

From b94cb8623682487b9a84f300c2acafbb1f91e450 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2025 17:58:22 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 13/23] replace ugly boilerplate code

---
 scripts/download_data.py | 43 +---------------------------------------
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 42 deletions(-)

diff --git a/scripts/download_data.py b/scripts/download_data.py
index f596219d3..1940ab20d 100644
--- a/scripts/download_data.py
+++ b/scripts/download_data.py
@@ -22,45 +22,4 @@
 with suppress(ImportError):
     import hvsampledata as hvs
 
-    # Temp workaround for CI until a new hvsampledata release is available.
-    import logging
-    import sys
-
-    log = logging.getLogger("datashader.download_data")
-    if not log.handlers:
-        # Ensure at least one handler so warnings are visible in CI logs
-        handler = logging.StreamHandler(stream=sys.stderr)
-        formatter = logging.Formatter("%(levelname)s: %(message)s")
-        handler.setFormatter(formatter)
-        log.addHandler(handler)
-
-    nyc_taxi = getattr(hvs, "nyc_taxi_remote", None)
-    if nyc_taxi is None:
-        # Try a direct download of the parquet file as a temporary fallback.
-        URL = "https://datasets.holoviz.org/nyc_taxi/v2/nyc_taxi_wide.parq"
-
-        from pathlib import Path
-        dest = Path(hvs._DATAPATH) / "nyc_taxi_wide.parq"
-        dest.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-        try:
-            import requests
-
-            tmp = dest.with_suffix(".part")
-            with requests.get(URL, stream=True, timeout=120) as r:
-                r.raise_for_status()
-                with open(tmp, "wb") as f:
-                    for chunk in r.iter_content(chunk_size=10_485_760):
-                        if chunk:
-                            f.write(chunk)
-            tmp.replace(dest)
-        except Exception:
-            # Fallback if requests not available or streaming fails
-            import urllib.request
-
-            urllib.request.urlretrieve(URL, dest)
-        log.info("nyc_taxi parquet downloaded to %s", dest)
-    else:
-        try:
-            nyc_taxi("pandas")
-        except Exception as e:
-            log.warning(f"hvsampledata.nyc_taxi_remote() failed: {e}")
+    path = hvs.download("nyc_taxi_remote")

From 49c3e2251b7443a8c42fa47e5e24c65a91b4a541 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:03:17 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 14/23] update hvsampledata version

---
 .github/workflows/test.yaml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index 8181d94e0..9e8a4bc21 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ jobs:
           environments: ${{ matrix.environment }}
       - name: PATCH # Temp hack: Don't merge into main
         run: |
-          pixi run -e ${{ matrix.environment }} pip install 'git+https://github.com/holoviz/hvsampledata.git@1bac391'
+          pixi run -e ${{ matrix.environment }} pip install 'git+https://github.com/holoviz/hvsampledata.git@7baf0f1'
       - name: Restore cached hypothesis directory
         uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
         with:

From 70ff1e835cbb839391998e079e87b98b311c749e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:06:23 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 15/23] update notebook

---
 examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb | 5 +++--
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
index 1f03157bb..9959b2c41 100644
--- a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
+++ b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
@@ -25,9 +25,10 @@
    "outputs": [],
    "source": [
     "import datashader as ds, colorcet as cc\n",
-    "import hvsampledata as hvs\n",
+    "import hvsampledata as hvs, pandas as pd\n",
     "\n",
-    "df = hvs.nyc_taxi_remote(\"pandas\", engine_kwargs={\"columns\": ['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y']})\n",
+    "file_path = hvs.download(\"nyc_taxi_remote\")\n",
+    "df = pd.read_parquet(file_path, columns=['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y'])\n",
     "df.head()"
    ]
   },

From 1a8b640af69f194cc0adfe40370b1fffe33d5b81 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:30:05 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 16/23] point to main

---
 .github/workflows/test.yaml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index 9e8a4bc21..6bc287b44 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ jobs:
           environments: ${{ matrix.environment }}
       - name: PATCH # Temp hack: Don't merge into main
         run: |
-          pixi run -e ${{ matrix.environment }} pip install 'git+https://github.com/holoviz/hvsampledata.git@7baf0f1'
+          pixi run -e ${{ matrix.environment }} pip install 'git+https://github.com/holoviz/hvsampledata.git@main'
       - name: Restore cached hypothesis directory
         uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
         with:

From f16f4dd9c3d4a6a34688b97913ca3a20919438dd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:31:59 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 17/23] Revert "update notebook"

This reverts commit 70ff1e835cbb839391998e079e87b98b311c749e.
---
 examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb | 5 ++---
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
index 9959b2c41..1f03157bb 100644
--- a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
+++ b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
@@ -25,10 +25,9 @@
    "outputs": [],
    "source": [
     "import datashader as ds, colorcet as cc\n",
-    "import hvsampledata as hvs, pandas as pd\n",
+    "import hvsampledata as hvs\n",
     "\n",
-    "file_path = hvs.download(\"nyc_taxi_remote\")\n",
-    "df = pd.read_parquet(file_path, columns=['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y'])\n",
+    "df = hvs.nyc_taxi_remote(\"pandas\", engine_kwargs={\"columns\": ['dropoff_x', 'dropoff_y']})\n",
     "df.head()"
    ]
   },

From 3089271e40a402706f27adece2d0bd6377c95d69 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: =?UTF-8?q?Simon=20H=C3=B8xbro=20Hansen?= <hoxbro@protonmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2025 09:30:38 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 18/23] update test.yaml

---
 .github/workflows/test.yaml | 3 ---
 1 file changed, 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index 6bc287b44..0a74b3ceb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -121,9 +121,6 @@ jobs:
       - uses: holoviz-dev/holoviz_tasks/pixi_install@v0
         with:
           environments: ${{ matrix.environment }}
-      - name: PATCH # Temp hack: Don't merge into main
-        run: |
-          pixi run -e ${{ matrix.environment }} pip install 'git+https://github.com/holoviz/hvsampledata.git@main'
       - name: Restore cached hypothesis directory
         uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
         with:

From 7b4586ecd4f8de7972b7e1946dee5573b38e49b1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:34:26 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 19/23] revert deletion of pyct usage

---
 datashader/__init__.py | 11 ++++++-----
 examples/datasets.yml  |  8 ++++++++
 2 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 examples/datasets.yml

diff --git a/datashader/__init__.py b/datashader/__init__.py
index 1c66ab6e7..c06d5a30c 100644
--- a/datashader/__init__.py
+++ b/datashader/__init__.py
@@ -17,18 +17,19 @@
 if Version(pandas_version) >= Version('0.24.0'):
     from . import datatypes  # noqa (API import)
 
-# make pyct's example commands available if possible
+# make pyct's example/data commands available if possible
 from functools import partial
 try:
-    from pyct.cmd import copy_examples as _copy, examples as _examples
+    from pyct.cmd import copy_examples as _copy, fetch_data as _fetch, examples as _examples
     copy_examples = partial(_copy,'datashader')
+    fetch_data = partial(_fetch,'datashader')
     examples = partial(_examples,'datashader')
 except ImportError:
     def _missing_cmd(*args,**kw):
         return("install pyct to enable this command (e.g. `conda install pyct or "
                "`pip install pyct[cmd]`)")
-    _copy = _examples = _missing_cmd
+    _copy = _fetch = _examples = _missing_cmd
     def err():
         raise ValueError(_missing_cmd())
-    copy_examples = examples = err
-del partial, _examples, _copy
+    fetch_data = copy_examples = examples = err
+del partial, _examples, _copy, _fetch
diff --git a/examples/datasets.yml b/examples/datasets.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2f7236e0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/datasets.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+
+data:
+
+  - url: http://s3.amazonaws.com/datashader-data/nyc_taxi.zip
+    title: 'NYC Taxi Data'
+    files:
+      - nyc_taxi.csv

From db073d82e255dd834286ef8e7fd7a5616f263061 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:11:15 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 20/23] add deprecation warning for all usage of pyct

---
 datashader/__init__.py | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++----
 datashader/__main__.py | 11 ++---------
 2 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/datashader/__init__.py b/datashader/__init__.py
index c06d5a30c..7c274d2e1 100644
--- a/datashader/__init__.py
+++ b/datashader/__init__.py
@@ -18,12 +18,35 @@
     from . import datatypes  # noqa (API import)
 
 # make pyct's example/data commands available if possible
-from functools import partial
+import warnings
+from functools import partial, wraps
+
+
+def _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=2):
+    warnings.warn(
+        "The 'pyct' package is deprecated since version 0.19 "
+        "and will be removed in version 0.20. For downloading sample datasets, "
+        "prefer using 'hvsampledata' (for example: "
+        "`hvsampledata.nyc_taxi_remote('pandas')`).",
+        category=FutureWarning,
+        stacklevel=stacklevel,
+    )
+
+
+def _deprecated_pyct_wrapper(func):
+    """Wrapper to add deprecation warning to pyct functions."""
+    @wraps(func)
+    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
+        _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=2)
+        return func(*args, **kwargs)
+    return wrapper
+
+
 try:
     from pyct.cmd import copy_examples as _copy, fetch_data as _fetch, examples as _examples
-    copy_examples = partial(_copy,'datashader')
-    fetch_data = partial(_fetch,'datashader')
-    examples = partial(_examples,'datashader')
+    copy_examples = _deprecated_pyct_wrapper(partial(_copy, 'datashader'))
+    fetch_data = _deprecated_pyct_wrapper(partial(_fetch, 'datashader'))
+    examples = _deprecated_pyct_wrapper(partial(_examples, 'datashader'))
 except ImportError:
     def _missing_cmd(*args,**kw):
         return("install pyct to enable this command (e.g. `conda install pyct or "
diff --git a/datashader/__main__.py b/datashader/__main__.py
index a697aa104..badc2389b 100644
--- a/datashader/__main__.py
+++ b/datashader/__main__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import warnings
 from contextlib import suppress
 
 
@@ -6,14 +5,8 @@ def main(args=None):
     with suppress(ImportError):
         import pyct  # noqa: F401
 
-        warnings.warn(
-            "The 'pyct' package is deprecated since version 0.19 "
-            "and will be removed in version 0.20. For downloading sample datasets, "
-            "prefer using 'hvsampledata' (for example: "
-            "`hvsampledata.nyc_taxi_remote('pandas')`).",
-            category=FutureWarning,
-            stacklevel=2,
-        )
+        from . import _warn_pyct_deprecated
+        _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=2)
     try:
         import pyct.cmd
     except ImportError:

From 0e7d3b533ecdf478a4e985cd61caad39c69ac31e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:33:29 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 21/23] add warning for old pyct download pattern

---
 scripts/download_data.py | 8 ++++++++
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+)

diff --git a/scripts/download_data.py b/scripts/download_data.py
index 1940ab20d..04c4a53b2 100644
--- a/scripts/download_data.py
+++ b/scripts/download_data.py
@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
 from contextlib import suppress
 from packaging.version import Version
 
+with suppress(ImportError):
+    import pyct.cmd
+    from datashader import _warn_pyct_deprecated
+
+    _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=1)
+    pyct.cmd.fetch_data(name="data", path="examples", datasets="datasets.yml")
+
+
 with suppress(ImportError):
     import bokeh
 

From 78ac90fb80e83237f73f642be8a9511c1f1e6c3d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 27 Nov 2025 17:28:52 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 22/23] post review

---
 datashader/__init__.py   | 13 +++++++------
 datashader/__main__.py   |  2 +-
 pixi.toml                |  2 +-
 scripts/download_data.py |  2 --
 4 files changed, 9 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/datashader/__init__.py b/datashader/__init__.py
index 7c274d2e1..7ff4dba2b 100644
--- a/datashader/__init__.py
+++ b/datashader/__init__.py
@@ -18,16 +18,17 @@
     from . import datatypes  # noqa (API import)
 
 # make pyct's example/data commands available if possible
-import warnings
 from functools import partial, wraps
 
 
 def _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=2):
+    import warnings
+
     warnings.warn(
-        "The 'pyct' package is deprecated since version 0.19 "
-        "and will be removed in version 0.20. For downloading sample datasets, "
-        "prefer using 'hvsampledata' (for example: "
-        "`hvsampledata.nyc_taxi_remote('pandas')`).",
+        "The 'fetch_data()', 'copy_examples()', and 'examples()' functions are "
+        "deprecated since version 0.19 and will be removed in version 0.20. "
+        "For downloading sample datasets, use 'hvsampledata' instead. "
+        "For example: `hvsampledata.nyc_taxi_remote('pandas')`.",
         category=FutureWarning,
         stacklevel=stacklevel,
     )
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ def _deprecated_pyct_wrapper(func):
     """Wrapper to add deprecation warning to pyct functions."""
     @wraps(func)
     def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
-        _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=2)
+        _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=3)
         return func(*args, **kwargs)
     return wrapper
 
diff --git a/datashader/__main__.py b/datashader/__main__.py
index badc2389b..b7668cd3c 100644
--- a/datashader/__main__.py
+++ b/datashader/__main__.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ def main(args=None):
         import pyct  # noqa: F401
 
         from . import _warn_pyct_deprecated
-        _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=2)
+        _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=3)
     try:
         import pyct.cmd
     except ImportError:
diff --git a/pixi.toml b/pixi.toml
index 0b72a9063..51d50b2c8 100644
--- a/pixi.toml
+++ b/pixi.toml
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ scipy = "*"
 setuptools = "*" # distutils for pyct
 toolz = "*"
 xarray = "*"
-pyarrow = "*"
 
 [feature.py310.dependencies]
 python = "3.10.*"
@@ -107,6 +106,7 @@ dask-geopandas = "*"
 geodatasets = "*"
 geopandas-base = "*"
 netcdf4 = "*"
+pyarrow = "*"
 pillow = "*"
 pyogrio = "*"
 rasterio = "*"
diff --git a/scripts/download_data.py b/scripts/download_data.py
index 04c4a53b2..dfa47b93b 100644
--- a/scripts/download_data.py
+++ b/scripts/download_data.py
@@ -3,9 +3,7 @@
 
 with suppress(ImportError):
     import pyct.cmd
-    from datashader import _warn_pyct_deprecated
 
-    _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=1)
     pyct.cmd.fetch_data(name="data", path="examples", datasets="datasets.yml")
 
 

From 22e7fc1dd705dd6704552dfede61081fd8978d85 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Isaiah Akorita <akoritaisaiah@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:06:54 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 23/23] review again

---
 datashader/__init__.py                        | 4 ++--
 datashader/__main__.py                        | 8 ++------
 examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb | 2 +-
 pixi.toml                                     | 2 +-
 4 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/datashader/__init__.py b/datashader/__init__.py
index 7ff4dba2b..067be40a5 100644
--- a/datashader/__init__.py
+++ b/datashader/__init__.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ def _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=2):
 
 def _deprecated_pyct_wrapper(func):
     """Wrapper to add deprecation warning to pyct functions."""
-    @wraps(func)
+    @wraps(func)  # noqa: F821
     def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
         _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=3)
         return func(*args, **kwargs)
@@ -56,4 +56,4 @@ def _missing_cmd(*args,**kw):
     def err():
         raise ValueError(_missing_cmd())
     fetch_data = copy_examples = examples = err
-del partial, _examples, _copy, _fetch
+del partial, wraps, _examples, _copy, _fetch
diff --git a/datashader/__main__.py b/datashader/__main__.py
index b7668cd3c..49050c59e 100644
--- a/datashader/__main__.py
+++ b/datashader/__main__.py
@@ -1,14 +1,10 @@
-from contextlib import suppress
 
 
 def main(args=None):
-    with suppress(ImportError):
-        import pyct  # noqa: F401
-
-        from . import _warn_pyct_deprecated
-        _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=3)
     try:
         import pyct.cmd
+        from . import _warn_pyct_deprecated
+        _warn_pyct_deprecated(stacklevel=3)
     except ImportError:
         import sys
         from . import _missing_cmd
diff --git a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
index 1f03157bb..203e21089 100644
--- a/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
+++ b/examples/getting_started/1_Introduction.ipynb
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
    "metadata": {},
    "source": [
     ":::{note}\n",
-    "The first time this cell is run, it may take some time for the NYC taxi dataset to be downloaded remotely (about 260MB).\n",
+    "The first time this cell is run, it will download the NYC taxi dataset (about 260MB).\n",
     ":::"
    ]
   },
diff --git a/pixi.toml b/pixi.toml
index 51d50b2c8..9cf6a69fc 100644
--- a/pixi.toml
+++ b/pixi.toml
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ scikit-image = "*"
 shapely = ">=2.0.0"
 spatialpandas = "*"
 streamz = "*"
-hvsampledata = ">=0.1.4"
+hvsampledata = ">=0.1.5a3"
 
 # =============================================
 # =================== TESTS ===================