Simple Python Project Structure

[amit]

Hi,

I recently wrote a fairly complex project in python. It works great
and it was completed fairly quickly thanks to python!

Anyways, I am in the process of cleaning the code/directory and I had
a simple question....

How do create my own modules and import them? Right now it works but
they all have to be in the same directory. For example,

project/
.....util/
.....config/
.....tests/
.....start.py

I have a module in util/console.py, how do I import that. In start.py
I have:

from project.util.co nsole import filetest

but I get an ImportError.

Thanks!

Amit

[jay graves]

Re: Simple Python Project Structure

On Oct 10, 7:17 pm, amit <amit.ut...@gma il.comwrote:

How do create my own modules and import them? Right now it works but
they all have to be in the same directory. For example,
>
project/
....util/
....config/
....tests/
....start.py
>

You need an __init__.py file (it doesn't matter if it's empty) in the
directory to turn it into a package.

http://www.python.org/doc/2.5.2/tut/node8.html#SECTION008400000000000000000

HTH.

....
Jay Graves

[George Sakkis]

Re: Simple Python Project Structure

On Oct 10, 9:26 pm, jay graves <jaywgra...@gma il.comwrote:

On Oct 10, 7:17 pm, amit <amit.ut...@gma il.comwrote:
>

How do create my own modules and import them? Right now it works but
they all have to be in the same directory. For example,

>

project/
....util/
....config/
....tests/
....start.py

>
You need an __init__.py file (it doesn't matter if it's empty) in the
directory to turn it into a package.
>
http://www.python.org/doc/2.5.2/tut/...08400000000000...

I'm wondering if this is one of the few cases where Python's choice to
be explicit causes more trouble than it's worth. The official
reasoning is:
'''
The __init__.py files are required to make Python treat the
directories as containing packages; this is done to prevent
directories with a common name, such as "string", from unintentionally
hiding valid modules that occur later on the module search path.
'''

Is this a real problem or a speculation ? I would guess that it's at
least as likely for a newbie to create a "string.py" module than have
an irrelevant "string" subdirectory under a code directory tree.
Having to create an empty file as a flag to denote a package doesn't
seem very pythonic.

George

[Ben Finney]

Re: Simple Python Project Structure

George Sakkis <george.sakkis@ gmail.comwrites :

'''
The __init__.py files are required to make Python treat the
directories as containing packages; this is done to prevent
directories with a common name, such as "string", from
unintentionally hiding valid modules that occur later on the module
search path.
'''
>
Is this a real problem or a speculation ? I would guess that it's at
least as likely for a newbie to create a "string.py" module than
have an irrelevant "string" subdirectory under a code directory
tree. Having to create an empty file as a flag to denote a package
doesn't seem very pythonic.

The underlying problem, of course, is that Python's ‘import’ statement
doesn't let the programmer distinguish between “import from the
system search path” versus “import from this local package”. If it
did, you could say “import ‘string’ from the system search path”
without worrying about what happens when a ‘string’ module or package
is also located in your local package.

Fortunately, this is already addressed with absolute imports versus
relative imports <URL:http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0328>. See
the “Timeline” section in that PEP for what import behaviour to
expect under different Python versions.

--
\ “Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whosoever procures |
`\ it at the expense of ten thousand desires makes a wise and |
_o__) happy purchase.” —J. Balguy |
Ben Finney