Can't seem to import modules using init.py

Question

I am going to feel like a complete idiot when someone answers this question because I know that I have done this before.

Using Python 2.7.5

I have the following file structure:

sandbox/
|-- fun
|   |-- __init__.py
|   `-- spock.py
|-- __init__.py
`-- something
    |-- blah.py
    `-- __init__.py

Notice that there is an __init__.py file at each level. Each __init__.py is empty.

spock.py and blah.py are super simple.

spock.py

def helpmespock():
    print "help me spock!"

blah.py

import fun.spock

fun.spock.helpmespock()

Executing blah from sandbox and from sandbox/something results in the same error:

[me@computer sandbox]$ python something/blah.py 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "something/blah.py", line 1, in <module>
    import fun.spock
ImportError: No module named fun.spock

What am I doing wrong? Why can't I import spock.py from blah.py?

Solved

Thanks to everyone that responded. All of it was helpful.

Everything I did was right except for executing blah.py directly. I added test.py at the top-level which imports blah.py.

test.py:

import something.blah

something.blah.blah()

So now the tree looks like this:

sandbox/
|-- fun
|   |-- __init__.py
|   `-- spock.py
|-- something
|   |-- blah.py
|   `-- __init__.py
`-- test.py

Executing the test.py gives me:

[sri@s6000-devel sandbox]$ python test.py
help me spock!

no, [sri@s6000-devel something]$ python blah.py File "blah.py", line 1 import ..fun.spock ^ SyntaxError: invalid syntax — shrewmouse
– shrewmouse, Commented Dec 4, 2015 at 14:41
Still no joy. (Python 2.7.5) [sri@s6000-devel something]$ python blah.py File "blah.py", line 1 from .. import fun.spock ^ SyntaxError: invalid syntax — shrewmouse
– shrewmouse, Commented Dec 4, 2015 at 14:47

Martin Evans · Accepted Answer · 2015-12-04 15:36:25Z

1

Problem is, you are directly running blah.py and import cannot resolve sandbox.fun.spock or fun.spock as parent, because __name__ is evaluated as "__main__".

So, __name__ should be "sandbox.something.blah" AND sandbox must be in path:

Correct sandbox/something/blah.py to import correctly:

from ..fun import spock

spock.helpmespock()

or even better

from ..fun import spock

def do():
    spock.helpmespock()

Create a main to test blah (sandox/../test.py):

import sandbox.something.blah

sandbox.something.blah.do()

edited Dec 4, 2015 at 15:36

Martin Evans

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answered Dec 4, 2015 at 15:32

BadWolf

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1 Comment

BadWolf Over a year ago

For information, reference is available about intra-package references at docs.python.org/2/tutorial/…

Fabio Duran Verdugo · Accepted Answer · 2015-12-04 14:51:06Z

1

You need add the sys.path

import os, sys                                                                  

sys.path.append(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__)), os.pardir))
import fun.spock                                                                

fun.spock.helpmespock()

answered Dec 4, 2015 at 14:51

Fabio Duran Verdugo

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3 Comments

Fabio Duran Verdugo Over a year ago

The python path execution for something/blah.py is sandbox/something. blah.py doesn't know the path to fun, because it is a explicit execution. It would be different if you create a new file (test.py) with only import something.blah in the sandbox directory. Executing this file the path is sandbox (fun and something ar known) (sorry for my bad english)

Fabio Duran Verdugo Over a year ago

you can know the path with sys.path

shrewmouse Over a year ago

Your English is very good. I know that I've done this without manipulating sys.path before. You are correct, importing fun.spock from sandbox works.

pazitos10 · Accepted Answer · 2015-12-04 14:52:13Z

1

try adding ".." to your path:

import sys
sys.path.append("..")
from fun import spock

print spock.helpmespock()

answered Dec 4, 2015 at 14:52

pazitos10

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2 Comments

shrewmouse Over a year ago

That works too but I shouldn't have to manipulate the search path directly. The init.py files are supposed to make the modules available. right?

pazitos10 Over a year ago

You're right, maybe this will be useful to us: pythonic init.py

matjazzz144 · Accepted Answer · 2015-12-04 14:33:52Z

0

try importing in the absolute sense

import sandbox.fun.spock

answered Dec 4, 2015 at 14:33

matjazzz144

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4 Comments

Fabio Duran Verdugo Over a year ago

Traceback (most recent call last): File "some/blah.py", line 1, in <module> import sandbox.fun.spock ImportError: No module named sandbox.fun.spock

matjazzz144 Over a year ago

Is your module inside the python path? Try positioning yourself into the directory that is parent to sandbox, then run the code.

shrewmouse Over a year ago

That doesn't work either. {[sri@s6000-devel ~]$ python sandbox/something/blah.py Traceback (most recent call last): File "sandbox/something/blah.py", line 1, in <module> import sandbox.fun.spock ImportError: No module named sandbox.fun.spock }

shrewmouse Over a year ago

Sounds like I'm not crazy then. What I'm doing should work.

ExoWanderer · Accepted Answer · 2020-09-01 11:20:59Z

0

I cannot know if this is relevant to anyone else; but I encountered this problem because my system (Mac OSX 10.15.6) with Conda 4.8.3, the bashrc was not initializing correctly, and continously defaulted to the system python

# Open terminal:
python --version  # Python 3.7.7
which python  # $HOME/anaconda3/envs/env_name/bin/python

source $HOME/.bashrc
python --version  # Python 2.7.16
which python  # /usr/local/bin/python

As a result, my python interface was using the wrong version of python (2.7 instead of 3.7). In case that helps, check the version immediately before running the code; in my case the version was switched part way through developing.

answered Sep 1, 2020 at 11:20

ExoWanderer

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