http://docs.python.org/2/tutorial/modules.html should be rewritten.
AS IS
6.1.2. The Module Search Path
When a module named spam is imported, the interpreter first searches for a built-in module with that name. If not found, it then searches for a file named spam.py in a list of directories given by the variable sys.path. sys.path is initialized from these locations:
TO BE
6.1.2. The Module Search Path
When a module named spam is imported, the interpreter first searches for a built-in module with that name. If not found, it looks in the containing package (the package of which the current module is a submodule). If not found, it then searches for a file named spam.py in a list of directories given by the variable sys.path. sys.path is initialized from these locations:
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Note that now "6.1.2. The Module Search Path" and "6.4.2. Intra-package References" are contradictary since in 6.4.2 it is said: "In fact, such references are so common that the import statement first looks in the containing package before looking in the standard module search path.", but this is not reflected in 6.1.2.
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EXAMPLE (for more information see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14183541/why-python-finds-module-instead-of-package-if-they-have-the-same-name#comment19687166_14183541 ):
/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz
__init__.py
a.py
b.py
t.py
xyz.py
Files init.py, b.py and xyz.py are empty
File a.py:
import os, sys
ROOT_DIRECTORY = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '..'))
if not sys.path or ROOT_DIRECTORY not in sys.path:
print 'sys.path is modified in a.py'
sys.path.insert(0, ROOT_DIRECTORY)
else:
print 'sys.path is NOT modified in a.py'
print 'sys.path:', sys.path
print 'BEFORE import xyz.b'
import xyz.b
print 'AFTER import xyz.b'
File t.py:
import os, sys
ROOT_DIRECTORY = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '..'))
if not sys.path or ROOT_DIRECTORY not in sys.path:
print 'sys.path is modified in t.py'
sys.path.insert(0, ROOT_DIRECTORY)
else:
print 'sys.path is NOT modified in t.py'
import xyz.a
Run:
python a.py
Output:
sys.path is modified in a.py
sys.path: ['/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3', '/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz',
'/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/tornado-2.3-py2.7.egg',
'/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz', '/usr/lib/python2.7',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/plat-linux2', '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-tk',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-old', '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-dynload',
'/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages',
'/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg-info',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/PIL',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gst-0.10',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gtk-2.0',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/ubuntu-sso-client']
BEFORE import xyz.b
AFTER import xyz.b
Run:
python -vv a.py
Output:
import xyz # directory /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__module.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.py
# /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.pyc matches /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.py
import xyz # precompiled from /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.pyc
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/bmodule.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.py
# /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.pyc matches /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.py
import xyz.b # precompiled from /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.pyc
Run:
python t.py
Output:
sys.path is modified in t.py
sys.path is NOT modified in a.py
sys.path: ['/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3', '/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz',
'/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/tornado-2.3-py2.7.egg',
'/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz', '/usr/lib/python2.7',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/plat-linux2', '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-tk',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-old', '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-dynload',
'/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages',
'/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg-info',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/PIL',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gst-0.10',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gtk-2.0',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/ubuntu-sso-client']
BEFORE import xyz.b
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "t.py", line 9, in <module>
import xyz.a
File "/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/a.py", line 11, in <module>
import xyz.b
ImportError: No module named b
Run:
python -vv t.py
Output:
import xyz # directory /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__module.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.py
# /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.pyc matches /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.py
import xyz # precompiled from /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.pyc
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/a.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/amodule.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/a.py
# /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/a.pyc matches /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/a.py
import xyz.a # precompiled from /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/a.pyc
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/os.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/osmodule.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/os.py
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/os.pyc
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/sys.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/sysmodule.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/sys.py
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/sys.pyc
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyzmodule.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.py
# /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.pyc matches /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.py
import xyz.xyz # precompiled from /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.pyc
# clear[2] __file__
# clear[2] __package__
# clear[2] sys
# clear[2] ROOT_DIRECTORY
# clear[2] __name__
# clear[2] os
sys.path is modified in t.py
sys.path is NOT modified in a.py
sys.path: ['/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3', '/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz',
'/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/tornado-2.3-py2.7.egg',
'/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz', '/usr/lib/python2.7',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/plat-linux2', '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-tk',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-old', '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-dynload',
'/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages',
'/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg-info',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/PIL',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gst-0.10',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gtk-2.0',
'/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/ubuntu-sso-client']
BEFORE import xyz.b
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "t.py", line 9, in <module>
import xyz.a
File "/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/a.py", line 11, in <module>
import xyz.b
ImportError: No module named b
As you see sys.path is the same for both cases:
sys.path: ['/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3', '/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz', '/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/tornado-2.3-py2.7.egg', '/home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz', '/usr/lib/python2.7', '/usr/lib/python2.7/plat-linux2', '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-tk', '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-old', '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-dynload', '/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages', '/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg-info', '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages', '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/PIL', '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gst-0.10', '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gtk-2.0', '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/ubuntu-sso-client']
But the behaviour is different. For a.py python searches for package xyz first, and them for module b in it:
import xyz # directory /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__module.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.py
# /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.pyc matches /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.py
import xyz # precompiled from /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/__init__.pyc
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/bmodule.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.py
# /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.pyc matches /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.py
import xyz.b # precompiled from /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/b.pyc
In other words:
Search PACKAGE xyz in directory sys.path[0] -> FOUND
Search module b in PACKAGE xyz -> FOUND
Continue execution
For t.py it searches for moduel xyz in the same directory as a.py itself and then fails to find module b in module xyz:
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyzmodule.so
# trying /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.py
# /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.pyc matches /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.py
import xyz.xyz # precompiled from /home/dmugtasimov/tmp/name-res3/xyz/xyz.pyc
In other words:
Search MODULE xyz in directory in the same directory as a.py (or sys.path[1] ?) -> FOUND
Search MODULE b in MODULE xyz -> NOT FOUND
ImportError
So it looks like if "import xyz.b" bahaves different depending on how a.py was initially loaded as a script or imported from another module. |
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