running a script from another script without knowing it's name

[noama]

Hi,
I want to make a script that will call the run() func of some other scripts who's name the main script will read from a file.

i.e, the main script will:
1. read the file
2. for each <name> in the file:
3. try to call <name>.run()

i.e, if i have a text file:

one
two

the main script will read the text file and then try to call one.run() and two.run()

I can't use the os module since i need the return value of that function.

[ilikepython]

Hi,
I want to make a script that will call the run() func of some other scripts who's name the main script will read from a file.

i.e, the main script will:
1. read the file
2. for each <name> in the file:
3. try to call <name>.run()

i.e, if i have a text file:

one
two

the main script will read the text file and then try to call one.run() and two.run()

I can't use the os module since i need the return value of that function.

Use the __import__ function:
[code=python]
>>> name = "one"
>>> mod = __import__(name )
<module 'one' from blah blah blah>
>>> mod.run() # call function
[/code]

[bartonc]

Hi,
I want to make a script that will call the run() func of some other scripts who's name the main script will read from a file.

i.e, the main script will:
1. read the file
2. for each <name> in the file:
3. try to call <name>.run()

i.e, if i have a text file:

one
two

the main script will read the text file and then try to call one.run() and two.run()

I can't use the os module since i need the return value of that function.

In the text files, remember to leave off the '.py' extension.
For every .txt file in a given directory, use:[CODE=python]import os.path
import sys
import glob
for fullPath in glob.glob(r"aPa th\*.txt"):
thisDir, fName = os.path.split(f ullPath)
if thisDir not in sys.path:
sys.path.append (thisDir)
f = open(fName)
lineList = f.readlines()
f.close()
for line in lineList:
try:
mod = __import__(line .strip())
mod.run()
except ImportError, AttributeError:
pass # either no module or no run() function[/CODE]
If you are hard-coding the names, use:[CODE=python]fNames = ["one.txt", "two.txt"]
for fName in fNames:
# current working directory; leave out os and sys stuff
# everything else is the same here[/CODE]

[noama]

and what do i do if the module i want to import isn't in the same directory as the main script, but it's not in a package (the directory doesn't contain a __init__.py file) either?

[bartonc]

and what do i do if the module i want to import isn't in the same directory as the main script, but it's not in a package (the directory doesn't contain a __init__.py file) either?

OK. I think that I get the scenario:

For a script that reads a text file from its own (current working) directory, the text file might have:

# module list
C:\rest\of\fully\quallified\path\Module1.py
C:\rest\of\fully\quallified\path\Module2.py

and this would import the modules listed in it:
[CODE=python]import os.path
import sys

modListFile = open("thelistfi le.txt")
moduleList = modListFile.rea dlines()
modListFile .close()

for line in moduleList:
fullPath = os.path.normpat h(line.strip())
thisDir, fName = os.path.split(f ullPath)
modName, ext = os.path.splitex t(fName) # this is new #
if thisDir not in sys.path:
sys.path.append (thisDir)
try:
mod = __import__(modN ame)
mod.run()
except ImportError, AttributeError:
pass # either no module or no run() function[/CODE]
Which you might have been able to figure out from the original (it's not very different).