[Python-Dev] Re: [Import-sig] Re: Proposal for a modified import mechanism.

Prabhu Ramachandran Prabhu Ramachandran <prabhu@cyberwaveindia.com>
Tue, 13 Nov 2001 10:50:03 +0530


>>>>> "BAW" == Barry A Warsaw <barry@zope.com> writes:

    JH> I'd rather see the imports be explicit "import root.a.b.c"
    JH> than "import b.c".  Then re-nesting requires all the import
    JH> statements to be edited.  It's more typing and might even
    JH> require a simple script to do search-and-replace, but it
    JH> doesn't sound like a prohibitive burden.

    BAW> Note that applications can achieve the same thing without
    BAW> editing code by doing sys.path manipulations.

Its not the application that I'm concerned about - an application is
typically a single/few file(s) and editing them to suit things is
certainly not an issue.  But editing 100 files inside a package each
time the parent changes is nuts.

There is another way to get around this by manipulating __path__
inside a sub package.  But this leads to the same module being
imported several times.  This is what I use currently and its evil. :(

    JH> I expect there is more to the issue than just wanting to avoid
    JH> some extra typing.  A short PEP that describes the specific
    JH> problems being solved and discussing alternatives would help.

    BAW> Indeed.  We've been here before (perhaps, several "befores"
    BAW> :).  Every time this comes up I get the feeling like there
    BAW> are easy ways to accomplish what you want if you think of the

So do I need to write a PEP?  Is there some special formality/format I
need to keep in mind?

    BAW> problem differently, or I'm missing something fundamental
    BAW> about the problem, and/or the problem has never been
    BAW> specified identified, or people are trying to solve too many
    BAW> problems at once.

    BAW> Are the needs of application authors different than library
    BAW> authors?

I would think so.

prabhu