Python Import Errors: No module named <myPackage>

Question

I know this should be easy and I know that other people online have asked this question, but I feel like I understand all of their answers and the concepts, yet my import is still throwing errors.

I have this directory structure

root/myPackage/
root/tests/test_1.py

in test_1.py I have:

import myPackage
...

I am running on the command line from the root:

$ pytest tests OR python tests/test_1.py

...just anything to get this script to run really. I've used pytest and have run python scripts before

and I keep getting the

No module named 'myPackage' error

I thought if I run the test from the root I would still be able to access myPackage... this is really contradicting my previous understanding and the internet... send help if you know why I'm getting importing errors.

ALSO, when I take the test_1.py out of the tests directory and run it from the root it works without errors. So this structure works

root/myPackage/
root/test_1.py

Is this Python 2? If so, myPackage/__init__.py must exist. — John Gordon
– John Gordon, Commented Aug 27, 2019 at 17:27
@JohnGordon it's python3 and it myPackage/__init__.py exists — Joshua Segal
– Joshua Segal, Commented Aug 27, 2019 at 17:27
@Beethoven's7th why would tests need an init. It's just a folder. I eventually want to just be able to call pytest tests from the root — Joshua Segal
– Joshua Segal, Commented Aug 27, 2019 at 17:33
Would you be able to share the contents of your setup.py file? (and setup.cfg if exists) — Beethoven's 7th
– Beethoven's 7th, Commented Aug 27, 2019 at 17:44

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

1

Recreating your project from the information provided, I was able to reproduce your error and fixed it by including an __init__.py file under the tests directory.

Here's my project structure:

root/myPackage

__init__.py
module.py

root/tests

__init__.py
test_1.py

That should allow you to run pytest tests successfully.

edited Jun 20, 2020 at 9:12

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answered Aug 27, 2019 at 18:06

Beethoven's 7th

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2 Comments

Joshua Segal Over a year ago

I'm confused on why this works. What does putting an _init_.py in the tests folder do exactly? Tests isn't a package, so why put the _init_.py?

Beethoven's 7th Over a year ago

Without the init file, pytest just thinks your test file is a script and it will run it in isolation. In that context, it isn't really relevant that myPackage and tests share the root directory because pytest doesn't know it exists inside a package. Including the setup.py and using setuptools to register your package with your python environment made it possible to import your package from anywhere regardless of directory context.

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