Decoupling the version of the file from the name of the module.

[Xavier Morel]

bobueland at yahoo.com wrote:
> I'm a newbie experimenting with Python. I want to incrementally develop
> a module called 'circle'. The problem is now that the file name is used
> for two purposes. To keep track of the version number and as the name
> for the module. So when I develop the first version of my file I have
> to call it circle_a.py. The name of the module then automatically
> becomes circle_a. But when I develop the next increment and call my
> file circle_b.py the module name changes as well.
> 
> Basically I want to decouple the version of my file from the name of
> the module.
> 
> Is there a *simple* way out of this dilemma.
> 

You have two choices:

1- Just get rid of the version number in the name (what's the point) and 
define a __version__ attribute in the module, that's what is usually done.
2- create a wrapper module called "circle.py" whose content will be 
something along the lines of "from your_current_module_with_version 
import *"

I'd strongly suggest the first choice, there is no point in giving the 
version number into the file name of a module.