init.py usage for directories in Python

Question

I use __init__.py in my project with the following structure :

project\
    project.py
    cfg.py
    __init__.py

    database\
       data.py
       __init__.py

    test\
       test_project.py
       __init__.py

All is OK when I need to see database\ modules in project.py with

from database.data import *

But if I need to have some test code inside the test_project.py, how to 'see' the database\ modules ?

Don't you also need to `import project` in test_project.py? – martineau Apr 18 '11 at 13:06 — martineau, Apr 18 '11 at 13:06
Yes I need too but i would simplify my answer. – philnext Apr 18 '11 at 13:45 — philnext, Apr 18 '11 at 13:45

score 4 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:03

4

You have 3 options:

use relative imports (from .. import database.data). I wouldn't recommend that one.
append paths to sys.path in your code.
use addsitedir() and .pth files. Here is how.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:03

Community

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answered Apr 18 '11 at 12:05

vartec

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OK...I choose to add paths in sys.path – philnext Apr 18 '11 at 18:44

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 18 '11 at 11:59

2

Relative imports.

from .. import database.data

answered Apr 18 '11 at 11:59

Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams

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Relative imports are officially discouraged. – Eric O Lebigot Apr 18 '11 at 12:15
I have a "SyntaxError: invalid syntax" error (in Python 2.71) – philnext Apr 18 '11 at 12:48

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 18 '11 at 12:14

If you run a script from the directory that contains project\, you can simply do from project.database.data import *, in test_project.py.

This is generally a good idea, because relative imports are officially discouraged:

Relative imports for intra-package imports are highly discouraged. Always use the absolute package path for all imports. Even now that PEP 328 [7] is fully implemented in Python 2.5, its style of explicit relative imports is actively discouraged; absolute imports are more portable and usually more readable.

Absolute imports like the one given above are encouraged.

I have no pb to run test_project.py from project\ but I would run it from project\test\ — philnext, Apr 18 '11 at 12:23

__init__.py usage for directories in Python

3 Answers3

init.py usage for directories in Python