How to modify variables in another python file?

Question

windows 10 - python 3.5.2

Hi, I have the two following python files, and I want to edit the second file's variables using the code in the first python file.

firstfile.py

from X.secondfile import *

def edit():
    #editing second file's variables by user input
if Language == 'en-US':
    print('language is English-us')
elif Language == 'en-UK':
    print('language is English-uk')

secondfile.py

Language = 'en-US'

i can add some variables to it by following code, but how can i edit one ?

with open("secondfile.py","a") as f:
    f.write("Language = 'en-US'")

Any ideas how to do that?

Community · Accepted Answer · 2020-06-20 09:12:55Z

7

You can embed the Language in a class in the second file that has a method to change it.

Module 2

class Language:
    def __init__(self):
        self.language = 'en-US'
    
    def __str__(self):
        return self.language

    def change(self, lang):
        assert isinstance(lang, str)
        self.language = lang

language = Language()

Then import the "language," and change it with the change method.

Module 1

from module2 import language

print(language)
language.change("test")
print(language)

edited Jun 20, 2020 at 9:12

CommunityBot

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answered Sep 10, 2016 at 12:02

Jake Dube

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3 Comments

zvone Over a year ago

@pycoder We wrote the same thing. Great minds think alike ;)

Mohammad Zamanian Over a year ago

does it update module 2 after language.change("test") ? i want it to save it for next time

Jake Dube Over a year ago

Yes, it does, but of course it doesn't actually change the file (you can't exit the program and reopen it b/c it doesn't write to a file). But if you add in a third module that prints out language after you changed it in module 1, it will say "test." I assume that's what you want. If you want it to save between "sessions," you will need to write it out to some sort of file (pickling, plain text, etc.).

zvone · Accepted Answer · 2016-09-10 12:12:32Z

2

This can be done to edit a variable in another file:

import X.secondfile
X.secondfile.Language = 'en-UK'

However, I have two suggestions:

Don't use import * - it pollutes the namespace with unexpected names
Don't use such global variables, if they are not constants. Some code will read the value before it is changed and some afterwards. And none will expect it to change.

So, rather than this, create a class in the other file.

class LanguagePreferences(object):
    def __init__(self, langcode):
        self.langcode = langcode

language_preferences = LanguagePreferences('en-UK')

answered Sep 10, 2016 at 12:12

zvone

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