feat: Expose the platform locating function

src/qibolab/_core/platform/__init__.py

@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-from .load import create_platform
-from .platform import Platform
+from . import load, platform
+from .load import *
+from .platform import *
 
-__all__ = ["Platform", "create_platform"]
+__all__ = []
+__all__ += load.__all__
+__all__ += platform.__all__

src/qibolab/_core/platform/load.py

@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 import importlib.util
 import os
 from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Optional
 
 from qibo.config import raise_error
 
 from .platform import Platform
 
+__all__ = ["create_platform", "locate_platform"]
+
 PLATFORM = "platform.py"
 PLATFORMS = "QIBOLAB_PLATFORMS"
 
@@ -24,7 +27,7 @@ def _platforms_paths() -> list[Path]:
 
 def _search(name: str, paths: list[Path]) -> Path:
     """Search paths for given platform name."""
-    for path in _platforms_paths():
+    for path in paths:
         platform = path / name
         if platform.exists():
             return platform
@@ -44,6 +47,20 @@ def _load(platform: Path) -> Platform:
     return module.create()
 
 
+def locate_platform(name: str, paths: Optional[list[Path]] = None) -> Path:
+    """Locate platform's path.
+
+    The ``name`` corresponds to the name of the folder in which the platform is defined,
+    i.e. the one containing the ``platform.py`` file.
+
+    If ``paths`` are specified, the environment is ignored, and the folder search
+    happens only in the specified paths.
+    """
+    if paths is None:
+        paths = _platforms_paths()
+    return _search(name, paths)
+
+
 def create_platform(name: str) -> Platform:
     """A platform for executing quantum algorithms.
 

src/qibolab/_core/platform/platform.py

@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 from ..sweeper import ParallelSweepers
 from ..unrolling import Bounds, batch
 
+__all__ = ["Platform"]
+
 QubitMap = dict[QubitId, Qubit]
 QubitPairMap = list[QubitPairId]
 InstrumentMap = dict[InstrumentId, Instrument]