[Python-Dev] New and Improved Import Hooks

[Samuele Pedroni]

From: "Just van Rossum" <just@letterror.com>
> Gordon McMillan wrote:
>
> > Here's what iu.py does:
> >
> > The first time an entry on sys.path requires
> > examination, the list of importers is traversed
> > until one accepts it. That importer is associated
> > with the name, so subsequent imports are only
> > one dict lookup away from the importer.
> >
> > Search order is as expected (sys.path.insert(0, ...)
> > works). If your app only uses stuff from sys.path[0],
> > no time is wasted finding the right importers for
> > sys.path[1:].
>
> Ok, that's is a much clearer picture than I ever got from reading the code,
> thanks. (And sorry Paul, you've been saying this all along; it's been an
> entertaining and very educating trip for me ;-)
>
> At the cost of some complexity this indeed solves all our problems:
> - importers can be associated with sys.path elements matching a pattern
> - adds a high level import hook mechanism
> - makes plugging in a zipimporter a snap
> - doesn't muck with sys.path
>
> I'll have a whack at integrating this in import.c.

what about __path__'s role in this picture (btw this is not a rhetoric
question)?

regards.