[issue2930] Cannot change variable definied in __init_.py after importing

[Jörg Rebenstorf]

New submission from Jörg Rebenstorf <joerg.rebenstorf at tesbv.com>:

How can I change a variable that I defined in "__init__.py" of a 
package called "common" from inside the .py file that imported the 
package? I think there is no way to do this, in contrast to when the 
variable is defined any other module of the same package but not in the 
specific "__init__.py" module.

Example:
If there is a variable named let's say "fileList" in the 
module "var.py" of the package "common" then I could modify the 
variable "fileList" from within the importing file like this:

from common.var import *
var.fileList = [ "bla", "blub" ]

So that the change of the value of "fileList" is seen when reading it 
inside a function of "var.py" after this modification.

But when the variable is defined inside "__init_.py" then the importing 
script cannot access it by writing:

from common import *
fileList = [ "bla", "blub" ]

And it cannot access it by writing:

from common import *
common.fileList = [ "bla", "blub" ]

Why are variables of "__init__.py" module non-modifyable this way and 
all others of submodules of the same package are modifyable? Maybe 
there is this conceptional problem of the python language here or did I 
miss something?

----------
components: Interpreter Core
messages: 67128
nosy: crayor
severity: normal
status: open
title: Cannot change variable definied in __init_.py after importing
type: behavior
versions: Python 2.3

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Tracker <report at bugs.python.org>
<http://bugs.python.org/issue2930>
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