Can't import python module from a subdirectory with a simple import statement

Question

So I want to import a module from a python package that is a subdirectory of the one where the main script is located. This is the directory structure:

maindir \ - main.py - modules \ - __init__.py - module.py

What I find weird is that I can't import module.py with a simple import modules.module, because when I then try to call the function module.foo() in main.py it returns NameError: name 'module' is not defined. However, when I do import modules.module as module, everything works fine, the same with from modules import module. And when module.py is located in the same directory as main.py, a simple import module is completely sufficient for calling module.foo().

Now the question is, why is that? Why isn't a simple import statement enough for importing a module from a package instead of the directory the script is in? Or am I doing something else wrong? An answer would be really appreciated since I am rather confused right now...

BrenBarn · Accepted Answer · 2013-01-27 19:30:30Z

2

It does import the module, it just doesn't make its name directly accessible. When you do import foo.bar, the name that is imported is foo, and bar is only accessible as an attribute of that. You use that form of import if that is what you want; that's what it's for. If you don't want that, use a different form of the import statement.

If you want to be able to type module instead of modules.module, either do import modules.module as module, as you found, or do from modules import module.

answered Jan 27, 2013 at 19:30

BrenBarn

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4 Comments

Keith Over a year ago

The latter is the preferred method. The form containing the as keyword is primarily for importing and renaming the module in one line. e.g. import somemodule as mymodule.

Johannes Griebler Over a year ago

Yeah, I figured it might be something like this. I guess because I mainly coded in Java so far I'm used to not having to specify the full path to something after it has been imported...

BrenBarn Over a year ago

@Cakejoke: You don't have to specify the full path, if you import it in the right way. There are different forms of the import statement to let you choose which way you want to refer to the imported items.

Johannes Griebler Over a year ago

True, but again, being from a Java environment I'm used to a simpler importing syntax. Still, that probably makes Python a little bit more flexible when dealing with multiple modules of the same name.

Matt Alcock · Accepted Answer · 2013-01-27 19:36:39Z

When you import you still need to use the full package syntax to use the function foo.

The below should work

import modules.module modules.module.foo()

A better way to do this is

from modules import module module.foo()

A third less elegant way (but exactly the same as the above) is:

import modules.module as module module.foo()

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