If I do a magic command, %run file, does that run the script as main? If so how do I get around this?

Question

I have a .ipynb file and want to only import certain functions from it to another .ipynb file.

if I use:

if __name__ == "__main__":

would the script run what is under that if statement when I call:

%run file

For instance I have:

def someFuncToUseInOtherFile(df):
    x = do some process
    return x
def someFuncToUseInDifferentFile():
    y = do some process
    return y

#code not to run when script called from other file
if __name__ == "__main__":
    df = load dataframe
    x = ....

#other file
%run file

currently this runs the whole script but I just want to import the one function not both.

I have tried importing directly like a .py file, including using sys.path.append:

from file import someFuncToUseInOtherFile --> module not found error

import sys
sys.path.append(folder path)
from file import someFuncToUseInOtherFile --> module not found error

is there a way to get around this?

Yes. %run doesn’t import a module. It runs a script.

Konrad Rudolph
– Konrad Rudolph

2025-11-25 11:45:09 +00:00
Commented Nov 25 at 11:45 — Konrad Rudolph
– Konrad Rudolph, Commented Nov 25 at 11:45

ti7 · Accepted Answer · 2025-11-25 23:45:38Z

1

Yes, as noted in comments, %run (and !) will run scripts as-is in a shell

At-face, you can either use a dedicated importer https://github.com/axil/import-ipynb or add additional guarding, like presence/absence of some flag beyond if __name__ == "__main__": .. more at Importing an ipynb file from another ipynb file?

However, if you're going to the trouble of creating dedicated functions at all, you're probably better served by simply putting them into a new simple .py library, which may greatly ease versioning them, and importing from that library in both notebooks!

answered Nov 25 at 23:45

ti7

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