[Tutor] Importing Files
alan.gauld@bt.com
alan.gauld@bt.com
Mon, 21 Oct 2002 16:57:19 +0100
> other words will "import" only work if the file is in a specific
> place/specific places?
No.
import looks at the sys.path setting and searches
all of the folders in that path.
It also uses the PYTHONPATH environment variable but
I suspect that it does so by adding the folders
defined there to the sys.path settings at startup.
What this means is that you can define a default set
of folders in PYTHONPATH and then add others as
needed within a program by modifying sys.path.
In addition there is the package magic that uses the
init files within folders to allow searching of
folders nested within the top level ones defined
in sys.path.... Read the reference pages in the
documentation on packages for the full story.
As a for instance, I have python installed in D:\python
and save all my reusable modules in D:\PROJECTS\MODULES
I also have project source code in:
D:\PROJECTS\<PROJNAME>
Thus I can import modules from the standard python places
(the D:\PYTHON..... part), my libraries(defined in
PYTHONPATH) and from my current folder (C:\PROJECTS\PROJNAME)
HTH,
Alan g.
Author of the 'Learning to Program' web site
http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld