Python import module with alias

Question

I am newbie to Python 3 and currently learning how to create Python modules. I have created below package structure.

maindir
    test.py
    package
        __init__.py
        subpackage
            __init__.py
            module.py

This is my module.py file

name="John"
age=21

and this is my test.py file

import package.subpackage.module
print(module.name)

When I run test.py I am getting this error NameError: name 'module' is not defined However, when I change the import statement to import package.subpackage.module as mymod and print the name with print(mymod.name) then its working as expected. Its printing name John. I didn't understand why its working with second case and not with first.

Use print(package.subpackage.module.name). module alone is not in the current scope. — Matthias
– Matthias, Commented May 16, 2015 at 12:00
@vivekratnaparkhi that is because sys is an imported name. when you import package.subpackage.module, you import the name package.subpackage.module, not module — icedtrees
– icedtrees, Commented May 16, 2015 at 12:20

icedtrees · Accepted Answer · 2015-05-16 12:01:10Z

3

Perhaps what you were attempting was this:

from package.subpackage import module

Then you can reference module as a name afterwards.

If you do:

import package.subpackage.module

Then your module will be called exactly package.subpackage.module.

answered May 16, 2015 at 12:01

icedtrees

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1 Comment

thatisvivek Over a year ago

I want to understand the behaviour of this style of import import package.subpackage.module. I still understand the behaviour.

thatisvivek · Accepted Answer · 2015-05-16 12:28:14Z

0

With little bit of reading I understood this behaviour now. Please correct me If I am wrong.

With this import package.subpackage.module style of import statement you have to access the objects with their fully qualified names. For example, in this case print(package.subpackage.module.name)

With aliasing I can shorten the long name with import package.subpackage.module as mymod and print directly with print(mymod.name)

In short print(package.subpackage.module.name) == print(mymod.name)

answered May 16, 2015 at 12:28

thatisvivek

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1 Comment

icedtrees Over a year ago

you can also import the short name as above: from package.subpackage import module then print(module.name)

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